By Andy Jalil at Lord's In association with INVESTEC

Andy Jalil at Lord's In association with INVESTEC cricketarchive.com pcboard.com.pk © pcboard.com.pk

England go one up in two-Test series against New Zealand

London – It was a most remarkable, perhaps even an unlikely, victory for England in the first Test against New Zealand, considering they had such a substantial first innings deficit to wipe out. In the end they were somewhat comfortable winners by 124 runs with 9.3 overs – of the mandatory 15 to be bowled in the last hour – unused. For New Zealand too it was quite extraordinary in that they hit their highest ever total in a Test that they lost and indeed dominated for the greater part.

New Zealand began their second innings with a victory target of 345 to be achieved in an hour and two full sessions. But their start was quite a disaster as within half hour they were three down for just 12 runs. The two opening batsmen, who had been so prolific in piling on the runs in the first innings, building a solid foundation for the tourists, had no answer to the early attack by England bowlers.

Martin Guptill, following his 70 in the previous innings received the second ball of the new innings from James Anderson which swung away taking an outside edge for a catch to at second slip. At the other end, Stuart Broad’s first ball pinned Rod Latham in front of the stumps and further disaster was to follow for the tourists with Broad again, in his third over, trapping Ross Taylor lbw for 8. He too had scored heavily in the first innings with 62.

With a stand of 49 it appeared that New Zealand were perhaps on way to making some recovery when a bowling change brought another wicket. Ben Stokes after his heroics with the bat on the previous day, struck in his third over. He moved a ball of full length away from Kane Williamson, taking an edge which flew to gully for the catch. And with the next ball, an inswinger, he bowled Brendon McCullum as the ball came in sharply and went on to the stumps off his body.

New Zealand had lost half the side for 61 within 24 overs. But BJ Watling and Corey Anderson brought the hundred up quite rapidly from 103 balls. In the 50 of their stand, Anderson was the chief scorer, contributing 35 form 34 balls. In one over from Stokes he took 14 runs with two fours, a pull to mid-wicket, a perfectly timed straight drive followed by a next-ball six pulled into the Mound Stand.

Anderson rapidly reached his third Test half century from just 44 balls and 46 of those runs had come from boundaries. It showed how freely he was batting and displaying a full range of strokes while his partner Watling was picking up the runs more steadily. At tea they had taken New Zealand to 134 for five with Anderson on 51 in as many balls and Watling focusing on holding the innings together on 36 from 109 balls over two-and-a-half hours.

A little under an hour after tea, England got the breakthrough they so urgently re

(Article: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only.
Copyright © 2015 Andy Jalil)