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The night before this series opener saw a reunion for the New Zealand side that first beat England back in 1978, with David Gower, though not in that touring team, providing an English voice on the panel. When Geoffrey Boycott’s seven-hour 70 came up, Gower joked that it was “seriously fucking rapid” by his old mucker’s standards – before apologising for his use of the word rapid.
What followed from England on the opening day at Hagley Oval was not exactly breakneck either; Ben Stokes winning the toss, electing to bowl, and his side labouring through just 83 overs. And yet the cricket was still hugely engrossing for the 8,000 or so lucky souls who lined the grass banks of this gorgeous boutique venue. By stumps, with Kane Williamson top scoring on 93 and showing those hands are no less Oil-of-Olay-soft for missing the 3-0 series win in India, the hosts finished with 319 for eight and honours felt even.
Brendon McCullum had credited New Zealand’s resourcefulness for that particular slice of history and while his England players were a bit sloppy – reviews either not taken or burned, a glut of no-balls, and a costly drop off Glenn Phillips at the start of what became an unbeaten 41 – they did keep chipping away. He will have taken particular delight at off-spinner Shoaib Bashir claiming four for 69 on a green-tinged, day one pitch that both captains had wanted to make use of first. Although it played pretty true in the main.
Bashir, 21, is still grooving a consistent length in the harsh glare of the international spotlight but here, with a little help, he found a way. Rachin Ravindra, another gem who starts out like he is already set, contrived to turn a full ball into a full toss after lunch and chipped to mid-wicket on 34, while Tom Blundell and Nathan Smith fell in the evening session to slightly soft shots. Matt Henry also holed out for 18 with the dangerous Phillips at the other end. Had these players been English, they would probably have triggered an online wave of indignation about sloppiness.
These evening strikes dragged England back into proceedings after staring at 193 for three on the scoreboard at tea, with Williamson ominously poised on 73 not out. Gus Atkinson had enjoyed a positive start in the morning, teasing a return catch from Devon Conway in his first over with the new ball. But having struggled with some soft foot holes at the City End of the ground and over-stepping seven times, it was not until he switched to the Botanic Garden End that he found his true rhythm and a touch of extra bounce to see Williamson slash to backward point.
With Stokes a bit wild across his 13 overs, and Chris Woakes quiet, the pick of the seamers was Brydon Carse, who after impressing on ill-suited surfaces in Pakistan offered his captain some extra bite. Carse had ended a particularly fluent 47 by Tom Latham in the morning session, nipping one away from the left-hander to give Ollie Pope an early catch on his return to wicketkeeping, and later effected a bumper ploy that saw Daryl Mitchell top edge to Harry Brook at pretty much long stop.
Pope was tidy with the gloves; a reminder that England’s vice-captain rose up the Surrey ranks performing the role and the error in selection was not his back-up status, rather the lack of top order cover. The 26-year-old’s main blip here was not realising Ravindra had feathered a catch behind on 20 before lunch – no one appealed, in fairness – and as the consigliere during two burned reviews later on.
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These go against Stokes, of course, the captain having also been the one to put Phillips down in the final hour with a diving effort at mid-off. Phillips, one of the world’s best, would probably have held it, and having dodged a duck his late salvo drove the hosts past 300; the final stanza of a day that was slow by way of over-rate yet packed with incident.
