New Zealand v England, 1st Test, Mount Maunganui, 21-25 November, 2019

This is will be the first Test played at Mount Maunganui and NZ's 9th Test venue.

Looks like Denly is fit. Likely team:

Burns
Sibley
Denly
Root
Stokes
Pope
Buttler
Curran (of the Sam variety)
Archer
Broad
Leach

Looks a much better balanced side than we’ve had for some time.

Surely Leach will bat before Broad, at this stage?


But it seems Pope is down to bat at 6. Seems a bit odd, to have the specialist batsman coming in after the core all-rounder (Stokes), who would be classically at 6. But then, e.g. Paynter batted at 6 or 7 for the team ... and I suppose there are no absolute rules with these things. Presumably Pope is "on the hopper", the "prove yourself" position at 6, the position Bell sometimes batted for England, before he became a fixture (promoted to 3 or 4).

Pope at 5 still seems more obvious than at 6, though. But then, either is better than at first wicket down, where they threw him in (having rarely if ever played there for his county) and summarily dropped him after a couple of failures last time round. Good he gets a second go, though you'd hope Hain will press a case.

Curran or Woakes? Both have their merits. But the former has the little extra of left-arm bowling, and - more important - a decisiveness about him that tends to 'make something happen', whether with ball or bat. You'd wish he would gain a yard of pace, though, which would establish his position more firmly.

Personally, I think Hain would make decent no. 3. I would leave Stokes at 5 as he is our best bat after Root.

England win the toss.

And the bad news is Dharmasena is umpiring.

So the New Zealander of the Year nominee is getting England out of the shit

Credit to Denly - an unlikely Test player, but pulling his weight admirably - to Burns, who rides so much luck you wonder if it's all luck, but he plugs on regardless, to Sibley for a decent start, to Pope who has (re)started well with what cricinfo is calling "100% accuracy", whatever that means, and yes, to Stokes, at his best.

Odd that only Root was a flop.

Credit also to the NZ bowlers. Luck and some fielding went against them, but they're a high-quality outfit, if not express fast.

So a lot of credit due on that day's play.
(Unless you are the sort of embittered "hurler on the ditch" that gets kicks only from casting brickbats and being default sarky, of course! )

Square pegs in square holes, and a traditional Test cricket approach. Who would have thought it might work?

Not all of these players might be world-beaters, but there’s the foundations of a solid line-up here.

C'mon Snoozies.

Great review call from Stokes on Pope’s behalf, looked plumb but he was so far out of the crease it was going over.

This Stokes kiddy seems handy.

Snoozers well on top now, back to the old England tonight. Should have been 400+ here but a series of loose shots are going to leave us well below par unless Leach can hang around to let Buttler tee off for an hour or so.

Surprised to see 7 of this NZ XI are 30 or over. Minnow-basher and Shatner the youngest at 27...

Leach really has turned himself into a highly useful obstinate no. 10.

NZ's bowlers got the rewards their efforts merited on Day 1. Whereas England's batting (or at least, some of it) seems to find it difficult to find a middle way between the poles of emphatic attack and emphatic defence. It would seem the conditions for this Test are not as ideal for batting as the commentators first thought, but you wonder why the classic Yorkshire way - basically, "rotate the strike, be ready for the quick singles and twos, hit the bad deliveries hard into the gaps, and studiously leave or defend the rest" - doesn't occur to England batsmen (or at least, some of them - in this case, Stokes and Pope, the overnight resuming batsmen, losing patience) as a decent way forward in Test cricket.

Buttler's little innings might prove very useful ... but a long way to go yet.

And yes, Leach for #9.

Also to give Archer the freedom of #10 to go on the lash (not in the alcoholic sense).

PeterCS wrote:And yes, Leach for #9.

Also to give Archer the freedom of #10 to go on the lash (not in the alcoholic sense).

Double Archers all round?

Root is becoming a bit of a golden arm.

So, 80 overs bowled, New ball available. Naturally, the skipper gives himself another over.

I sometimes wonder what goes on inside Root's head.

We've been a bit shite today.

50 for the big man.

Leach has been steady, but he doesn't rip it. He's a bit toothless on a pitch like this.