Key events
13th over: England 81-1 (Duckett 59, Pope 13) Tickner changes ends to replace Southee, whose opening spell was better than figures of 6-0-32-1 would suggest.
12th over: England 79-1 (Duckett 58, Pope 13) That’s a pretty good first over from Kuggeleijn. Pope walks down the track to his last ball and nails a straight drive which Kuggeleijn does well to stop in his follow through.
“Good morning from Bangalore, a city that does aggressive, beeping traffic with the same wayward enthusiasm that Zak Crawley flails at an accurate inswinger,” says Harry Lang. “His approach always seems to have a nervous, ‘I’m about to be dropped so I may as well go down fighting’ quality to it. Perhaps a spell as the waterboy wouldn’t be amiss?
“Give him some time to appreciate Duckett’s wonderful, no-nonsense mastery of the opening craft, at least. He might learn something, even of its just the ability to leave the occasional ball…”
11.1 overs: England 78-1 (Duckett 57, Pope 13) The debutant Scott Kuggeleijn comes into the attack. His first ball is a bumper that Pope top-edges onto the helmet, and there’s a drinks break while he is checked for concussion. I think he needs a new helmet as well.
“Looking forward to (hoping for) the boos from the home crowd when Kuggeleijn gets tossed the ball,” wrote Paul Cockburn a few minutes before Kuggeleijn came into the attack. “He’s in miserable form, at a time when women’s cricket is on the up in Aotearoa/NZ… how was he picked? The decision to leave Boult out smacks of sulking because he is winding down his commitments.”
Here’s what the New Zealand coach Gary Stead had to say about it all before the game.
11th over: England 77-1 (Duckett 57, Pope 12) Southee cleverly angles one across Duckett to beat his attempted drive. Duckett clears his head, tucks a straight one through square leg for four to reach a thrilling half-century from only 36 balls.
It’s been a controlled, businesslike innings, a study in timing and placement rather than power and aggression. He continues that theme by working the next ball through mid-on for his 11th boundary. Eleven boundaries in the first hour of a Test series!
It’s a small sample size, that much is true, but of all the players who have scored at least 500 runs when opening the batting in Test cricket, Duckett’s strike-rate of 92 is comfortably the highest. You won’t/shouldn’t be surprised to see who is second on the list. Clue: it’s not Tim Curtis.
10th over: England 69-1 (Duckett 49, Pope 12) Jeez, Duckett is batting outrageously well. He times Tickner for four boundaries in five balls – mid-on, extra cover, backward point, extra cover again – to bring up the fifty partnership in 44 balls, and a single off the last ball means he’ll keep the strike.
“A belated happy new year to you and the OBO community,” writes Brian Withington. “Just settling into proceedings at a sedate run a ball, I see. We may not be Bazworthy to quote Chris Lintott, but what a pleasure it is to watch Test cricket in the sunshine, especially after the week NZ (and other parts) has experienced.”
Amen to that, and a happy new year to all as well. To be honest, I’d forgotten this was the first Test cricket of the year.
9th over: England 52-1 (Duckett 32, Pope 12) I was a bit worried about Duckett against the swing of Southee in particular, but so far he has played with class and authority. A pull round the corner for a single brings up the fifty at exactly a run a ball. So I ask again: WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS THING?
8th over: England 47-1 (Duckett 29, Pope 10) Duckett survives an optimistic LBW shout from Tickner. It was too high, and a no-ball anyway. Duckett slugs a pull for four later in the over, his fifth boundary in only 24 balls on the first morning of a series. What happened to this thing?
“Morning Rob,” says James Walsh. “Back late after attending the London vigil for trans teenager Brianna Ghey. It’s a horrible time to be young and queer in the UK at present, with the full force of the British establishment painting you as public enemy number one. In this darkness, it’s very reassuring to hear the increasingly predictable madness of England Test cricket v3.0 piped from the other side of the world…”
I don’t know whether it’s the healing power of sport, or just a distraction from a world gone wrong, but we need it more than ever.
7th over: England 41-1 (Duckett 24, Pope 10) Duckett continues his extremely impressive start, dismissing a Southee inswinger to the midwicket boundary. When you see somebody open the batting like this, it makes you appreciate Virender Sehwag even more. He was doing this 20 years ago.
Now England dream of a team of Sehwags. Pope moves into double figures by pinging a cover drive for four. Classy stuff.
6th over: England 30-1 (Duckett 17, Pope 6) Blair Tickner, a tall, right-arm seamer armed with mullet and moustache, replaces Neil Wagner (2-0-19-0). His first ball flies down the leg side but that aside it’s a decent start. Pope is beaten, trying to pull a ball that keeps a bit low, and then flicks a couple through midwicket.
5th over: England 27-1 (Duckett 16, Pope 4) Pope, on the walk, clips Southee stylishly through midwicket for four to get off the mark.
“Zak Crawley,” says Chris Lintott. “Why? Is his perpetual inclusion some sort of test of the Bazball faith? Must we believe in Zak to truly be Bazworthy? Does he have to get out for an uncomfortable ten yet retain his place to encourage the others to be free?”
I’m torn on whether Crawley should be in the team, but often people talk about him as if he averages, well, 10.00. His career average is 28, which isn’t great but is comparable to all the other openers, and his Baz average is 27. It’s a unique case, though, because he has been given more chances than all the others, and I’m really not sure what point I’m trying to make.
4th over: England 23-1 (Duckett 16, Pope 0) Wagner overpitches to Duckett, who returns it with interest through mid-on. That’s Duckett’s third boundary, and it was Wagner’s third no-ball as well. He’s not bowling well, and a scruffy over ends with him spearing one down the leg side.
3rd over: England 18-1 (Duckett 12, Pope 0) Ollie Pope offers no stroke to his first ball, an inswinger that doesn’t miss off stump by all that much. A fair enough leave, but a tight one.
WICKET! England 18-1 (Crawley c Bracewell b Southee 4)
Zak Crawley is put out of his misery. Not for the first time, Tim Southee was just too good for him there. Crawley was beaten by the previous ball, trying to drive, and attempted to negate the swing by walking down the track.
It didn’t work: he edged low to third slip, just like in the opening over, but this time Bracewell took a smart two-handed catch.
2nd over: England 17-0 (Crawley 4, Duckett 11) Wagner hardly ever takes the new ball – I think this is only the fifth time in 115 innings – but if he can bowl deliveries like that to the right-hander he’ll be a threat.
Swing or no swing, England are on the attack. Crawley inside-edges wide of leg stump for a single, then Duckett hits consecutive boundaries – an efficent tuck off the pads followed by a hearty slap clout through the covers. The next ball is cut for three more. Duckett has 11 from four balls, in swinging conditions, on the first morning of a Test series.
Crawley is bowled by a no-ball! It was Wagner’s first delivery of the game, a classic inswinger to the right-hander, but replays showed he had overstepped.
1st over: England 3-0 (Crawley 3, Duckett 0) Crawley is beaten, driving at a Southee outswinger, and then clips a single through mid-on. An interesting start, with some encouraging movement for New Zealand.
“Evenin’,” writes my old Guardian colleague Paul Cockburn, who took the inspired decision to move to New Zealand back in the late 2000s. “There’s pessimism in these parts that the Black Caps are off their peak – certainly results have been poor. I’ll be at the Basin expecting a fireworks display.
“Right now, though, I think we are grateful (and amazed) that there can be cricket anywhere on the North Island after the last week. Looking forward to this first hour or so.”
0.2 overs: England 2-0 (Crawley 2, Duckett 0) Crawley is dropped second ball! He walked down the track to Southee – second ball of the series – and edged an outswinger to the right of third slip, where the diving Bracewell put down a sharp chance.
There’s a brief delay because of a problem with the sightscreen, which is currently black rather than white.
The players are ready for action. The New Zealand captain Tim Southee has a pink ball in his hand, and Zak Crawley in his sights.
“Morning Rob,” writes Showbizguru. “My two openers, Gin and Tonic, had a good evening session. But I’ve brought in a nightwatchman, Glen Morangie, to see me through to lunch.”
If you’re bringing in a nightwatchman for the morning session, I’d suggest these particular openers have done an exceedingly good job.
Okay, I’m off to get a coffee, so I’ll see you in a bit for the first session. If you’re going to stay up all night, it might as well be to watch England bat. One way or another, it’ll not be dull.
The teams
New Zealand Latham, Conway, Williamson, Nicholls, Mitchell, Blundell (wk), Bracewell, Kuggeleijn, Southee (c), Wagner, Tickner.
England Crawley, Duckett, Pope, Root, Brook, Stokes (c), Foakes (wk), Robinson, Leach, Broad, Anderson.
New Zealand win the toss and bowl
Tim Southee says it looks like a pretty good pitch, “as it always is here”, so I guess he wants to get ahead of the game while there is a bit of juice in the pitch. He confirms that Scott Kuggeleijn and Blair Tickner, a couple of experienced seamers, will make their Test debuts.
Ben Stokes doesn’t seem too perturbed. “It was good to lose the toss because I didn’t know what to do!”
Bucket list department
England named their team a couple of days ago – of course they did – with two changes from the final Test in Pakistan. Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad replace Mark Wood and Rehan Ahmed.
England Crawley, Duckett, Pope, Root, Brook, Stokes (c), Foakes (wk), Robinson, Leach, Broad, Anderson.
The New Zealand XI will be confirmed any minute now. We know they are without the injured Kyle Jamieson, a huge blow, and that their bowling attack is likely to include a couple of debutants.
This is a really nice read on how a boy called Brendon became a visionary called Baz.
Mount Maunganui avoided the worst of Cyclone Gabrielle, and it looks like the game will start on time (1am GMT, 2pm local). Thunderstorms are forecast for later today, at least according to Jackie Aprile, so it might be a stop-start day.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the first Test between New Zealand and England in Mount Maunganui. Yep, Bazball is coming home. The latest assignment for England’s Test cricket revolutionaries is a two-match series in New Zealand, the birthplace of their coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. Their first challenge is to navigate the unique rhythms of a day-night Test, and to get blood (aka 20 wickets) out of a pink ball.
We don’t yet know whether Bazball is a moment in time or something more epochal, so for now we might as well just enjoy the unprecedented sensation of England being the most exciting Test team in the world.
Like the white-ball revolution of 2015, it all started against New Zealand. England won 3-0 last summer, though New Zealand were competitive in all three games before being smashed to smithereens in the final act. They are still a fine side, even if they haven’t always shown it since winning the World Test Championship.
They are without players for all kinds of reasons – retirement, injury, franchise contacts, parenthood, something else I’ve forgotten – and their team for this game will include only five or six of the XI that beat India in that WTC final 18 months ago. They also have a newish captain in Tim Southee.
New Zealand’s Test record since that glorious day in Hampshire is P11 W2 D4 L5, although most of those games were overseas. They haven’t lost a series at home since 2016-17, so we shouldn’t underestimate the size of the task ahead for England.
Even so, they start the series as favourites. England’s epiphanistas have won nine Tests out of ten under the new-age captaincy of Stokes, their best run since the giddy year of 2004. Then, as now, all roads led to one thing: the Ashes.