Day one report
After recording their greatest series win without the services of their best player,
the Black Caps were once again left grateful for the bat of Kane Williamson.
The former skipper joined the current captain in carrying their side to a serviceable score against England on Thursday, as a string of batters got themselves in and out on what seemed a surprisingly docile surface.
The hosts ended the opening day of a highly anticipated three-test series on 319-8, surpassing the first-innings average at Hagley Oval while ruing the fact it could well have been more.
Having been asked to bat by touring skipper Ben Stokes, New Zealand at least avoided ceding day-one honours to their opponents. But as a sequel to the historic 3-0 sweep over India, this was more Lost World than Judgment Day.
The final judgment on their efforts will wait until England have a chance to bat on a pitch that gave the appearance, if not bowler benefits, of a greentop, with Glenn Phillips (41no) intent on delaying that prospect.
Aside from the allrounder’s free scoring to end a day that began with similar attacking intent from Latham (47), it was the graft of Williamson (93) that dominated the initial exchanges between two teams who already look likely to deliver an evenly matched encounter.
New Black Caps fans, having grown attached and accustomed to their side’s recent ascendancy, would be unfamiliar with this feeling. New Zealand so thoroughly outplayed India in their own conditions that it was easy to forget Williamson had been watching from home.
Veteran viewers, conversely, would be used to Black Caps batters giving away their wicket – and equally acquainted with Williamson’s masterful discipline.
The 34-year-old has spent a career proving he is impervious to pressure. A world-class attack, external noise, even an occasional lean spell – nothing worries Williamson when in his happy place with bat in hand.
It was no surprise, then, for him to return from injury and respond to the exemplary deeds of his replacement by breezily compiling runs in front of a sun-drenched Christchurch crowd.
Williamson was never in danger of being omitted, despite Will Young stepping into his No 3 spot and winning player of the series as the New Zealand stunned India. An immediate return to the order was a given, providing his recovered groin allowed.
But considering that for the first time a few Kiwis might have been contemplating life after Williamson, with Young potentially offering a less painful transition than long anticipated, an instant return to form was timed as nicely as his pull.
The only real shock was Williamson failing to register test century No 33. After going six years without falling in the 90s, betraying no nerves while converting those scores into a run of 13 straight hundreds, Williamson was tamely dismissed in the final session.
Before an atypically loose cut of Gus Atkinson, the veteran put together successive 50-run stands with Latham (47), Rachin Ravindra (34) and Daryl Mitchell (19).
Williamson toiled at first, having played one warm-up match for Northern Districts, but found a fluidity that never left once he pulled Stokes for his first boundary after 47 balls.
It’s almost redundant to mention – and could have been said often throughout his 103-test career – but the Black Caps would have been in a much stronger position had Williamson’s teammates been capable of matching his control.
With England’s seamers finding bounce but no movement, losing their length and footing on a problematic popping crease, batting seemed straightforward for much of the day.
At least that’s the way it looked when Ravindra threw back his head after spooning a catch from Shoaib Bashir (4-69), the young offspinner the pick of the attack almost by default.
Tom Blundell, debutant Nathan Smith and Matt Henry each joined Ravindra in providing something of a gift to Bashir, while Mitchell and Williamson at least provided a point of difference in offering their wicket to pace.
Only Latham and opening partner Devon Conway could claim to have been outfoxed by good bowling, and if Stokes had held a diving chance when Phillips was yet to score, the day could have belonged solely to the tourists.
Instead, with Williamson once more leading the way, the Black Caps will be content to see if their four-strong seam attack can succeed where England struggled.
