New Zealand exploit English frailties to set-up substantial lead

"When you win the toss, bat". As it happened, England’s fresh skipper Ben Stokes opted against heeding to the esteemed W.G. Grace, but rather the presumed mouth of Stuart Broad who, on home soil sighting shifting clouds above, toiled by the Trent with the rest of his teammates as New Zealand racked up the runs. It was a difficult, detrimental decision at the coin’s flip (with a healthy helping of hindsight). Kiwi captain Kane Williamson a late omission with a sudden bout of Covid, his stand-in, bubbly replacement Tom Latham would be strolling away from the middle charged with spirits high as he informed the rest of his cream-cladded cohort they could remain seated..

As the series transitioned from the blue shirts and red trousers to the no shirts and cargo shorts, England had carried with them a lucrative 1-0 lead. A what? Shocking indeed, yet the hosts’ attack-minded approach with both ball and bat in hand had presented Stokes with a five-wicket win over last year’s World Test Championship winners at Lord’s in his first game as captain. A good start, an immense start, but as the flags flapped gently in the Nottingham breeze with 82.5 overs in, the day was encapsulated by Tom Blundell feathering a Broad delivery through the idle slip pairing of Jonny Bairstow and Zak Crawley. Decision to bowl first intensely scrutinised; not even the cricket Gods above could have predicted which way this one would swing.

There were clouds, sure. Jimmy weather, one might add. But as Will Young and Latham sunk their spikes into the green, pristine pasture and out onto a wicket tinged with green, the morning mood had swiftly turned tangy for England. Parsimonious was Anderson with the conquer in his grasp, a fiery Broad operated at the other end, headband squeezed onto his dome just above the brow. With laudable frequency the boundary was required to intervene as the ball raced away, feeding a run-rate that rarely slipped below four for the entire day.

It was zippy, frustrating, intelligent cricket from the tourists. There England were, standing bemused in the field as if waiting glumly for their 3am kebabs. Striving to force the rigid carapace off their opponents. It just needed the faintest edge, that monetary lapse in concentration for England to strike. When you need such a thing, sometimes it’s easiest just to let the captain do the hard work. Hail Stokes! Young a tad too hesitant in the crease as he nibbles at one, guiding it into the path of the tallest man in Crawley who flung himself down to gobble it up. A bout of relief as Lunch drew near, those first drops of lager began to settle as the guttural roars rung around.

Stay on those feet, dear chanters. For when Jimmy Anderson senses a shift in momentum, he will so often deliver. And so it came to be that the ethereal 39 year-old inched closer to that staggering landmark of 650 Test wickets after Latham hooked a rather ordinary ball straight to Matt Potts at midwicket. England had hope. Meticulous, silky batting had been chewed up and spat out all over the Trent Bridge turf in back-to-back deliveries. At the curtailing of the opening set any talk of a lost toss was long since replaced. Suddenly the scene below those hanging bleak clouds had shuddered into life.

But England are a side used to feeding false hope. Their recent Test record showed the importance of two quick wickets, and the likelihood of capitalising on it. An intriguing first session paved the way for another: Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls tacking on another 80 runs before plunging to their respective fates. 161-2 became 169-4 in a matter of overs. England’s session, until it wasn’t. The battle for control was generously shared until the arrival of Tom Blundell and Daryl Mitchell. At Lord’s they had showcased their abilities. In the Midlands they were merely stamping their authority over a wearisome bowling attack that showed few signs of a heartbeat.

At 6:30 pm, a time where the sun had now poked its way through the grey and had started to descend, New Zealand concluded Day 1 on 318-4, carrying a 149-run partnership with them into the weekend. For England those issues all too familiar remained: dropped catches, questionable bowling changes, Jack Leach. Though for Brendon McCullum witnessing his teams old and new from above, now at the helm of England’s red ball setup, this series has already brought a renewed fizz to a once despondent crowd.