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Williamson leads New Zealand while Bashir’s four wickets keep England in the game
Williamson leads New Zealand while Bashir’s four wickets keep England in the game
Bashi, Carse and Atkinson star with the ball after England send New Zealand in
Kane Williamson played with both determination and style, scoring 93 runs from 197 balls in his comeback for New Zealand. However, his inability to turn such a strong start into a big score reflected how the whole team performed that day, as England took eight key wickets on a pitch that looked easy to bat on in the first match of the series in Christchurch.
Glenn Phillips managed to stay not out with 41 runs, forming a crucial eighth-wicket partnership of 46 runs from 56 balls with Matt Henry. Thanks to their effort, New Zealand ended the day still in the game. However, since the pitch usually gets better as the match goes on, England might feel confident – especially after their recent success on an easy pitch in Multan – that they can score big when it’s their turn to bat.
From the start, it seemed important to win the toss, and Ben Stokes guessed right on a green pitch made moist by rain before the match. But after deciding to bowl first, England's fast bowlers didn’t find the expected early movement. Instead, it was spinner Shoaib Bashir who stood out, taking 4 wickets for 69 runs in 20 overs as the main source of their wickets.
England also benefited from a strong performance by Brydon Carse, who notably dismissed a fluent Tom Latham, marking a key moment in the morning session. Additionally, Gus Atkinson recognised as their standout player of the year, made an immediate impact by taking out the dangerous Devon Conway in his very first over. He later returned in the evening to remove Kane Williamson, who fell in the 90s for the first time in 14 innings over six years, thanks to Atkinson's extra lift outside off.
However, England’s favourable position was primarily due to New Zealand's failure to seize its opportunities. Each of New Zealand’s eight wickets fell as a result of their own mistakes to varying degrees. Nonetheless, England was far from mere spectators; Carse's aggressive approach, along with Ben Stokes' proactive field placements, characterized a performance that effectively countered the gloom that had lingered from their recent Tests in Pakistan.
While Williamson was leading New Zealand's efforts, many started to question England's choice to bowl first. Having missed their successful tour of India due to a groin injury, he seemed calm as soon as he arrived at the end of the second over, right after Atkinson's sharp catch that got rid of Conway for just 2 runs. Although he had trouble finding his rhythm at times, especially against the lively Carse—who hit him on the helmet when he was on 28 and again on the back when he approached the 90s—Williamson showed determination and stepped up his game whenever he had the chance.
It took Williamson 14 balls to score his first run and 47 balls to hit his first boundary until Stokes—like the other seamers, struggling to find his footing in the wet conditions—bowled a short ball that Williamson skillfully pulled through midwicket. His mood didn't improve in his last over of the session when Rachin Ravindra, on 20, pushed forward to a good length ball outside off and got lucky with a thin edge that was only noticed later on Ultra-Edge. Neither the bowler nor the keeper appealed.
In the end, that lucky moment didn't hurt too much. Bashir was brought in for the 30th over right after lunch and struck in his second over. Ravindra tried to attack him but could only edge a full toss to midwicket. His frustrated look to the sky showed how upset he was for wasting his chance and confirmed that the pitch was excellent for batting.
Williamson wasn't going to let that happen to him. He faced Carse with a smart approach—first hitting a short pull for four runs, then gracefully driving the ball straight down the ground off a fuller delivery. After getting his innings started, he quickly reached his half-century with two pulled fours off Bashir, who looked dangerous when he bowled well but often strayed down the leg side.
By tea time, Kane Williamson was close to reaching his 33rd Test hundred, and New Zealand was at 193 for 3, just one good partnership away from taking control of the match. However, things went wrong quickly as they lost their next four wickets for only 59 runs.
Daryl Mitchell had played well alongside Williamson in a fourth-wicket partnership of 69 but was dismissed for 19 just ten balls into the evening session. Brydon Carse came back to bowl with a packed leg-side field and used short balls, which led to Mitchell splicing a pull shot to Harry Brook at deep third.
The loss of Williamson was a big blow. Although Gus Atkinson had struggled with his rhythm and bowled seven no-balls in 17 overs, he has shown that he can trouble well-set batters. The delivery that got Williamson was short and seemed perfect for a cut shot. However, it unexpectedly bounced higher, and Zak Crawley at backward point took the catch easily.
Tom Blundell, who has been struggling for form, made a similar mistake and fell to Shoaib Bashir for his second wicket. Then Nathan Smith, making his debut, tried to play a leg-sided shot and ended up giving a catch to Joe Root, scoring just 3 runs. Glenn Phillips hit the day’s only six off Bashir, but when Matt Henry tried to do the same with the new ball, he ended up being caught by Ben Duckett at long-on, marking the end of a challenging day for New Zealand.
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