England v New Zealand, second test: days one and two at Headingley

Another enthralling day’s test cricket, almost as action-packed as Lord’s. 297 runs and eight wickets within only sixty five overs, at a scoring rate of more than 4.5. 174 runs scored in the final session alone. Braces of wickets, followed by high-octane counter-attacking partnerships, formed the pattern of the day.

In you insert the opposition, as England did, you need to dismiss them for a score comfortably south of 300, which England haven’t managed. And they’ll have to bat last. Everyone seems to agree they didn’t quite bowl well enough, and in particular, dropped too short. But to my eye, Mark Wood still looked pretty zingy, and his dismissal of BJ Watling – nipping away to clip the top of off – was a corker.

On the bowling front, even the most curmudgeonly soul couldn’t let James Anderson’s milestone pass by without comment. He became only the twelfth bowler to take 400 test wickets, although perhaps you have to wonder why no Englishman has reached the landmark before. Anderson’s achievement is the product not only of his exceptional skill but stamina: as at the end of the first day, he has sent down 22,830 deliveries in test cricket alone.

New Zealand’s repeated fight-backs were both impressive and entertaining, especially in the form of Luke Ronchi’s innings of 88. Not many thirty four year-olds would have conjured up such a bravura and rumbustious display on test debut, especially in so a pressurised situation. His dismissal summed up an unusual and frenetic day: how often do you seem someone middle it, almost with a flat bat, straight into fine leg’s hands?

I wish Brendon McCullum would ease off the throttle a touch, though. He is batting in a rather sclerotic and hare-brained way, which is fun to watch but not very satisfying. He should take a deep breath and sit down to write a novel, not an e-mail.

Day two is now underway and England will aim to reach New Zealand’s score by stumps for the loss of only four or five wickets. Your comments and reaction, please, as the day progresses.

2 comments

  • More short pitched bowling being the main reason for the high scoring rate. 8 Down in 65 overs fair enough inserting but 300 in that time isn’t good enough. Feels like a step back from the great win at Lords. 30 runs plundered already this morning and think NZ have got a reasonable score on the board.

  • One of the benefits Trevor Bayliss may bring with his great knowledge of 50 and 20 over games is how to bowl when the slog is on. We have conspicuously failed consistently to finish sides off. Even in the appalling last Ashes tour we repeatedly had Australia 120 for 5 or similar and were clueless in the face of an old ball and aggressive lower order batting.

    We bowled and caught poorly on the whole in the NZ innings but there is much to be optimistic about if the top order performs today.

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