England need only 104 runs to claim victory against the Black Caps in their first Test.
Video / Sky Sort
Tom Latham resisted employing the old adage taught to every young cricketer, but the beaten skipper did believe a few catches could have won this match.
The eight-wicket margin earned by England in the first test at Hagley Oval was misleading, Latham suggested, and one that would prompt neither a great rethink nor a number of changes.
Instead, the Black Caps now head to the Basin Reserve content in the knowledge they created enough chances to avoid falling behind in the three-test series. The problem, in case it wasn’t painfully clear every time the ball evaded a fielder’s grasp, was taking those chances.
“To have them 70-4 with our tails up [in England’s first innings], if we take some catches – certainly myself included – things might have been slightly different,” Latham said.
“Even though the result of the game does look quite big, there are small margins in a game of cricket, and unfortunately they didn’t quite fall the right way.”
Untidy fielding has crept into the Black Caps’ game in recent series – with the notable exception of a sweep in India. Catches going to ground is no longer unusual for a team filled with excellent athletes, though eight in one innings can reasonably be regarded as an anomaly.
But the cost was severe. Harry Brook was dropped five times en route to 171, and while unfair to single out one player – although he and Latham shared six miscues – Glenn Phillips could have reduced England to 77-5 had he snagged the batter on 18.
That was a regulation catch; none of the fateful eight would have been described as brilliant had they been completed. Which, somewhat perversely, left Latham confident in the outcome the next time a ball is in the air.
“I don’t think it’s something that requires [extra] work,” the skipper said. “We certainly put the work in behind the scenes, training days and all that, and it hasn’t been a continuous thing that’s been happening.
“It’s just one of those things – sometimes when one goes down, they all keep falling. We like to stay nice and level and try not to overemphasise things.
“We know we need to be better and we’ll hopefully do that in Wellington.”
When assessing other areas of requisite improvement, it’s difficult to judge a bowling attack so badly let down by their fielders in one innings before being given an impossible job in the next.
The only potential change to the attack will depend on the Basin Reserve pitch, with Mitchell Santner joining the squad and poised to replace either Nathan Smith or Tim Southee if conditions suit.
Nathan Smith bowls on the second day of the first test. Photo / Photosport
Given the selectors’ unbreakable faith in veterans, and given this is Southee’s retirement tour, the test rookie will likely be consigned to a spectator role at his home ground.
The batting order will remain unchanged. Latham threw his unconditional support behind the battling Tom Blundell and said no discussions had occurred about even shifting the wicketkeeper to No 7 behind Phillips.
The sole issue identified was a failure to extend partnerships once established, with the Black Caps guilty of squandering opportunities to build superior totals in both innings.
A World Test Championship final berth may be gone but the series is still eminently salvageable – along with the surge of support that greeted recent historic achievements.
“It’s never nice losing in the way that we have on the back of what we were able to do in India, where we were able to create a bit of momentum and a bit of confidence,” Latham said.
“We weren’t our best in this game and we certainly acknowledge that, and hopefully we can be better heading into Wellington.”
The Alternative Commentary Collective is covering every home Black Caps this summer. Listen to live commentary here.
Kris Shannon has been a sports journalist since 2011 and covers a variety of codes for the Herald. Reporting on Grant Elliott’s six at Eden Park in 2015 was a career highlight.
