England clinched the second men’s Test match against New Zealand by 323 runs on Day 3 of the match. The Test was held at Mount Maunganui and England went on to win the series decisively. By dominating both bowling and batting, England took charge of the Test match while the tension in the match kept on escalating. The match which lasted under three days greatly illustrated England’s new style of test cricket which is both fearless and different. All this was possible under the able guidance of Ben Stokes as the captain and Brendon McCullum as the coach of the team.
Domestic Team England Shines Again
During their first innings, England batted spectacularly which formed the building blocks for them to anchor towards victory. They were aided by centuries from Harry Brook, as well as Key innings Joe Root and Ben Stokes. Brendon McCullum, the coach of the English team said that the England batters are aggressive and were always looking to score runs whenever the opportunity arose. Such an aggressive move had seen England headed towards victory as the score did become unchaseable from the New Zealand side.
Harry Brook was brilliant throughout his innings and his adaptability with shots made him fierce for opposition bowlers. His ability to be calm and well-disciplined during tricky times ensured New Zealand couldn’t win the innings. Joe Root time and again has proven himself to be one of the greats in the sport.
Root played an important role for the team with his strong strokes during the innings, and together with Ben Stokes helped the team to score faster.
This was a commendable total considering the target set by the team would have just managed to put more pressure on the New Zealand players. It was clear that New Zealand’s bowlers had to attempt to remove partnerships and restrict runs from the English batsmen who were both determined and aggressive.
New Zealand’s English woman were not too harsh against England’s woman for most of the 3rd Test, as the latter was very imposing with the ball. Stuart Broad and James Anderson tore New Zealand’s opening order and it struggled to recover. On Day 3, Broad was extremely aggressive with the ball, and with Anderson’s line and length, New Zealand batters were completely dismantled. Neil Wagner and Matt Henry, key New Zealand bowlers, struggled to get breakthrough against a consistently strong English side.
Jack Leach, the left-arm spinner, managed to hold the English lead by getting important wickets in the middle overs. Leach’s strong hitting and slightly varied line kept New Zealand batsmen under constant strain from the start, as England’s menacing pace and swing were enhanced by his efforts. Andy Sullivan had a strong third day, and in an attacking position, he was able to extract turn and bounce from the surface.
As a result, the England bowlers led by Andy Sullivan were in complete control, systematically ripping through the New Zealand line-up after the likes of Devon Conway, Tom Latham, and Kane Williamson failed to form key partnerships.
New Zealand lost the match as Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell were unable to withstand the assault after Williamson was removed for a low score which is a factor that New Zealand will feel heavy upon as he usually forms the cornerstone of the batting order.
The Collapse of New Zeland And The Rise Of England:
This was apparent to everyone when New Zealand started the innings. Popularly known as the Kiwis, were in a spot of bother as this time the Kiwis batting lineup claimed to have stamped England’s undoing, this is perhaps the most ridiculous set of words to be uttered as time and time again the team was outclassed by the English bowlers. Dismissing them for a low total, with England bowlers cleaning their side up without the New Zealanders creating any resistance with respectable partnerships.
England’s pace attack not only utilized techniques that had proved to be exploitable by them before but also applied the same angle that worked for them throughout the innings, and when Leach came back on the attack, he added the finishing wickets to the already decisive defeat in the match.
Relatively early on in the match England were able to carve out there name in the win column by achieving a 323 run victory which had many overs to go. The performance came as a joint force while several players on the field contributed through both batting and bowling performances. There was a temptation for England’s equilibrium pocked between aggression and discipline, whereas New Zealand being completely isolated couldn’t answer back the barrage of tension the visitors were always reeling in.
This is a perfect example of how the English Test Cricket is able to broaden its horizons, especially under the management of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes.
New Zealand’s cricketing tactics and style possesses aggressive and eccentric characteristics rather than playing more conservatively, which is the case when most people imagine Test cricket. Recently, their ability to do aggressive and disciplined cricket at the same time has been a pivotal factor in their success.
New Zealand were disappointed with the loss as they were not able to use the benefit of playing in their own backyard. While the likes of Mitchell and Blundell showed moments of brilliance, the team overall struggled to cope with the intensity that the English side posed for them.
Conclusion
The second Test between England and New Zealand illustrates the complete and comprehensive dominance England displayed throughout the match by showcasing what can be termed as authoritative Test cricket. The way in which both sides played in merely three days was a testament to the gulf between the two teams regarding class, skills, techniques and perhaps the will to win.
With Brook and Stokes’ tremendous performances, England’s forces were a bit too strong to be resisted by the New Zealand side. However, as England looks forward to securing further wins, New Zealand now has the arduous task of trying to re-evaluate and consider the way in which they played, as they now must find it as tough task to stay relevant in the overall series.
If you are interested for more: England decisively defeated New Zealand by 323 runs in the second men’s cricket Test on day three – as it transpired Baroda’s Dominant Start: A Powerful Display In the Syed Mush