Black Caps v England: Will O’Rourke’s game-changing spell brings cause for irony – Andrew Alderson

Will O'Rourke dismissed Joe Root for 32. Photo / Photosport

THREE KEY THINGS

• The Black Caps held a 204-run lead after the first innings, dismissing England for 143.
• Matt Henry took four wickets, with Will O’Rourke and Mitchell Santner picking up three each.
• Joe Root top-scored for England with 32.

By Andrew Alderson at Seddon Park

The sight of Will O’Rourke charging in to deliver a potentially match-winning spell for New Zealand brought cause for irony on the second day of the third cricket test against England in Hamilton.

He scythed through the engine room of the opposition order – Jacob Bethell, Joe Root and Harry Brook – in a spell of eight overs which returned figures of three wickets for 33 runs.

Bat handles were jarred, bodies were contorted and egos were earthed as the 1.97m tour de force launched a surfeit of short-of-a-length missiles in the mid-140km/h bracket.

Somewhat poetically, this chapter occurred at the Tim Southee End in what amounted to a passing of the mantle between generations.

Fans are about to witness Southee’s final curtain, whereas O’Rourke is on a soaring trajectory in his first act.

He earned the best test figures by a Black Cap on debut with nine for 93 against South Africa at the same ground in February; his seven for 114 helped inspire New Zealand’s first victory away against India in almost 36 years at Bengaluru; and Yorkshire have already indicated an interest in signing the player often referred to as “Surrey-born” for the English county championship.

Surely come November, when the Black Caps next wear white at home against the West Indies, O’Rourke will be polishing the new ball?

He removed Jacob Bethell for 12 thanks to Glenn Phillips’ acrobatics at backward point; cramped Joe Root into feeding a catch to Will Young at gully for 32; and secured the key prize of Wellington man-of-the-match Harry Brook, who chopped on first ball.

O’Rourke’s delivery hooped back in, restricting the world’s No 1-ranked batter. Brook absorbed his fate with deadpan grace, watching the ball balloon behind him and the bail ping towards the outfield.

The performance ushered in a seismic turn for the series with England eventually dismissed for 143, a deficit of 204.

O’Rourke had already played a key role.

He demonstrated a dunny door defence at No 11 to salvage 44 runs with Mitch Santner in the hosts’ first innings of 347 and absorbed time on the second day by keeping the tourists in the field for more than an hour under a fierce sun with only a puff of breeze. The right-hander equalled his test best of five not out from 30 balls.

That included a maiden boundary, leg glanced off Gus Atkinson from the 183rd delivery he had faced across 17 innings. That sentence is not written facetiously. Many players could tap into O’Rourke batting stoicism. He was even elevated to nightwatchman responsibilities in Wellington, completing the task successfully on the opening day.

A leveller came at stumps on the second day in Hamilton when he was caught behind off Ben Stokes attempting the same feat.