Tom Latham heads back to the dressing room after being dismissed by Chris Woakes. Photo / Photosport
Tom Latham heads back to the dressing room after being dismissed by Chris Woakes. Photo / Photosport
Tom Latham’s first series as fulltime skipper was the stuff of fantasy.
A return home for his second has steadily turned into a horror.
The Black Caps captain has been helpless to prevent his side from slipping towards a heavy defeat by England, the hosts ending day three of the first test at Hagley Oval on 155-6 and leading by just four.
It would be erroneous, though, to frame Latham as a mere bystander. If New Zealand are unable to resurrect their vanishing hopes on Sunday, he will finish this test as a key contributor to the loss.
After being responsible for half of the six dropped catches on day two, extra chances the tourists used to eventually post a first-innings total of 499, Latham removed one run from a deficit of 151 before trudging off.
It would also be incorrect to suggest he has been singularly responsible for the Black Caps’ struggles. Glenn Phillips, for example, dropped two catches on day three – ending the innings with the same number as his skipper – while fellow opener Devon Conway also departed cheaply on Saturday.
But Hagley Oval is Latham’s treasured home, a ground where before this test he averaged 49.2 and held a high score of 252.
A knock of a similar magnitude was required when the hosts began their second turn. Instead, Latham ensured he would leave Christchurch without a test hundred since 2022.
This match has hardly been the homecoming he may have imagined after leading New Zealand to a maiden test series triumph in India, overseeing a 3-0 sweep that no captain from any country has managed before.
Unless Daryl Mitchell (31 not out) and the bowlers can mount an incredible rearguard tomorrow, Latham and the Black Caps will need victories at the Basin Reserve and Seddon Park to claim this series.
Improvement in Wellington will be essential from almost every player. Perhaps only Kane Williamson – who added 61 to his first-innings 93 – can be absolved of blame, though the former captain will be disappointed to convert neither half-century.
Williamson came to the crease today in the third over, now a familiar early entrance for a New Zealand No 3. Latham and Conway are without a 100-run partnership since England’s last visit, this year recording fewer in double figures (seven) than single (nine).
The pair managed stands of four and three in this test, with the second innings seeing Latham nicked out for one before Conway’s miscue on eight was well caught by Gus Atkinson.
Kane Williamson departs on day three at Hagley Oval. Photo / Photosport
Rachin Ravindra played a few nice shots and fell into an obvious trap when attempting another, while Williamson registered 9000 test runs and added 69 with Mitchell before Chris Woakes struck twice in two balls.
Both deliveries were fine pieces of seam bowling: the first trapped Williamson and the second found Blundell’s edge to complete a dire test amid a dreadful slump.
On day two, Blundell was responsible for one of the four extra lives the Black Caps gifted to Harry Brook – the wicketkeeper’s error particularly egregious given the ball sailed straight into his gloves.
On day three, Brook could only laugh as he was put down for a fifth time, Phillips spilling a second straightforward chance to further spoil his one-handed screamer in the same gully position.
The batter raced past 150 as England rocketed along at more than six an over in the morning session, unperturbed by either the overhead cloud or the second new ball.
Brook eventually holed out for 171 – the best score by a visiting player at Hagley Oval – to walk off with an average of 100 and a strike rate of 101 from five innings in New Zealand.
Ben Stokes added 80 before tailenders Atkinson and Brydon Carse combined to contribute 81 from 60 balls, piling on a level of pain for Latham that only exacerbated once it was his turn to bat.
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.
