Lunch – New Zealand 104 for 2 (Williamson 26*, Ravindra 21*) vs England
Brydon Carse reaffirmed his value to England on a misleadingly placid deck, as he prised out the crucial wicket of a free-flowing Tom Latham on the opening morning of the first Test against New Zealand in Christchurch.
Gus Atkinson struck too, with a smart return catch to remove Devon Conway in his first over, but New Zealand closed ranks with undue fuss to reach lunch on 104 for 2, with the returning Kane Williamson on 26, alongside Rachin Ravindra on 21.
After winning the toss, England’s captain Ben Stokes had no qualms about bowling first on a surface that tends to get better for batting as the game progresses. But despite a vivid green tinge on the first morning, there was little in the surface to cause much discomfort, except to the bowlers themselves, with Atkinson, Carse and Stokes himself all struggling at times for traction in their delivery strides.
Latham’s footwork, on the other hand, could scarcely have been more poised in a hugely composed knock of 47 in 54 balls. He was given a kick-start when Shoaib Bashir at mid-on flung a wild shy away to the deep third rope for four overthrows, but his six conventional boundaries were, for the most part, products of sweet timing, as he waited for the ball to arrive under his eyeline as England strove for elusive swing.
It took the introduction of Carse to mess with Latham’s methods. After his superb displays in Multan last month, Carse abandoned the pursuit of conventional line and length in favour of raw energy, beating Latham outside off then finding an inside-edge past his stumps, before a pad-thumping appeal for lbw. He eventually got his man with a hint of away movement on a probing full length, as Ollie Pope – England’s stand-in keeper – snaffled the edge.
Williamson, back in New Zealand’s ranks after missing their triumphant tour of India with a groin strain, was his usual phlegmatic self from the outset. He needed 14 deliveries to pick off his first single, and 47 for his first boundary, off Stokes, whose introduction kicked his innings up a gear. With England’s captain fretting about his front foot, he slammed two more boundaries to bring up New Zealand’s hundred.
Stokes’ mood would not have been improved in the final over of the session, however, when England missed a golden opportunity to bag their third of the session. Ravindra, on 20, pressed forward to a good length outside off, and got away with a slender edge that was only revealed after the event on Ultra-Edge. Neither bowler nor keeper even appealed.
Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket
