A couple of days out from the second Test, at a drinks reception, the chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, David White, referred to the Basin Reserve as the “spiritual home” of the sport in the country, prompting a few harrumphs from the visiting heads of the country’s major associations.
Lighthearted harrumphs, admittedly, they nevertheless spoke of the pride that underpins cricket across New Zealand and the collective drive from the bottom up that has seen the men’s national team go unbeaten at home for five years, while claiming the inaugural World Test Championship title in 2021.
On the third day of this second Test, the giant golden lollipop that is the ICC mace was on display at the Basin’s national cricket museum and out on the field a good deal of local pride was too. An overnight deluge had turned the ground’s grass banks into mudslides but the two sets of supporters were undeterred, sitting transfixed by the gripping arm-wrestle that was unfolding.
For the first time as England captain, Ben Stokes had the chance to enforce the follow-on and, given his desire to take the aggressive option at every juncture, promptly took it. New Zealand had finally been bowled out for 209 and a deficit of 226 runs in the morning, Stuart Broad snuffing out some bludgeoning tail-end work by Tim Southee – 73 from 49 balls – to finish with buffed-up figures of four for 61.
But any thoughts of two days off were thwarted by a characterful response from New Zealand, reaching 202 for three at stumps and only 24 runs behind. Over the course of 53 overs, half-centuries from Tom Latham, 83, and Devon Conway, 61, laid the foundation. And though a wobble came after tea, Jack Leach and Joe Root sharing three wickets in the space of nine overs, the hosts had unquestionably won the day.
Stokes was still centre stage though, even if his role with the ball was a delayed and chaotic two-over burst after tea that leaked 16 runs. Starting with a wide over head height, he was no-balled twice for exceeding his limit of short balls – including a warning from the umpire Chris Gaffaney – and overstepped once. At the end of his first over of nine deliveries he fell to the floor in his follow-through. That left knee remains a concern.
He was less vexed by the follow-on decision, even after Southee, resuming on 23, had crunched 50 runs from 31 balls first thing. It had logic too. With the surface turning brown after an emerald green start, this was possibly the last day with something for the seamers before it flattened out. Not that it resulted in wickets for them, with New Zealand’s opening pair finally showing the class England had previously suppressed.
As muggy cloud cover made way for sunshine, they offered diligent resistance for two and a half hours. Latham, a man unfussed by missing out on the captaincy last December despite nine Tests as a stand-in previously, waited for the chance to pull and cut predominantly, passing 5,000 Test runs along the way. And after a tricky start Conway drove languidly on his home ground, his approach so easy on the eye.
After a relatively light first innings, England’s seamers were not cooked and, in fairness, edges were either beaten or found along the way. But none went to hand and both Broad and Jimmy Anderson were grumpy about the damp run-up areas. The Barmy Army trumpeter, back playing after New Zealand Cricket kindly paid for repairs to his damaged instrument between Tests, tried at times to rouse the travelling supporters.
At 3pm, with Latham and Conway both homing in on their half-centuries, one local punter shouted “Come on Ben, bring yourself on!” Stokes held off from taking up the suggestion until an hour later, when New Zealand resumed on 128 for one after tea, and could quickly stand down without losing too much face once Leach broke through.
In a personally excellent match among the close catchers, Ollie Pope was able to cling on at short-leg here when Conway saw an inside edge pop up off the pad. And despite only coming on to allow a change of ends for Stokes’s replacement, Broad, Root swiftly made it two incisions when Latham finally missed a sweep for a tight lbw.
On a ground not famed for spin, Leach nabbed his fifth of the Test by bowling Will Young with a beauty that gripped and fizzed past the outside edge. Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls made it through to the close unbeaten despite the odd scare – the former closing on 25, four runs short of becoming New Zealand’s all-time record run-scorer – but England finally had some rewards to show for their endeavour.
It may be that Stokes’s haphazard bumper burst proved the disruptor here but he didn’t look right. Given his intention to head straight to the Indian Premier League after this series, Chennai Super Kings having paid £1.6m for his services, it is legitimate to ask what physical state he will be in come the start of this summer’s Ashes campaign. Not that anyone will stop him ploughing through, it seems.
