Ross Taylor hits out against Pakistan. Photo / Getty
Ross Taylor hits out against Pakistan. Photo / Getty
Dylan Cleaver provides five takeaways from day one of the first test between the Black Caps and Pakistan.
Bad Santas
A sleighload of Santas turned up for the morning session looking like they may have Christmassed a little too well. Perched beneath the bar at the southern end of theground, their leader, who was no Saint (Nicholas) caught eye of the constabulary early and might just have broken a record for earliest test ejection in New Zealand history. On the ground reporters suggested things quietened down appreciably after that.
Taylor Made It
Ross Taylor hits out against Pakistan. Photo / Getty
Ross Taylor became the most-capped player for New Zealand across all formats on the first day, his 438 surpassing Daniel Vettori's 437. It speaks to Taylor's class and longevity across all the formats but it is, if we can be blunt, a manufactured stat that will only have real meaning once we have a generation of players who had T20Is as an option at the start of their careers.
As a side note, Vettori still has the most internationals by a New Zealander across all formats (442), with five of them coming for an ICC World XI.
Bay Frying Pan
Fans and supporters in the Bay Oval heat. Photo / Photosport
Bay Oval is a pleasingly bespoke cricket ground with a lot of nice features including grass banks every bit as impressive, if not more so, as the Basin Reserve and Seddon Park. The permanent stand that will give those less inclined to worship the sun for seven hours straight some respite can't come fast enough though. It was cooking.
NZ Tormentor Dies
John Edrich, the dogged England opener, died two days before Christmas at his home in the north of Scotland. If he spent his latter years in reverie, some of his happier dreams would have been of facing New Zealand.
Edrich averaged 43.54 with 12 centuries across 77 tests – very good numbers. He averaged 60 against New Zealand in 11 tests, including three centuries – outstanding numbers. The highlight was undoubtedly an unbeaten 310 at Headingley, when he put an attack that included Dick Motz, Bruce Taylor and Richard Collinge to the sword.
Winning Eyeballs
The first T20 international against Pakistan at Eden Park reached more than a million viewers, with an average audience of 384,900. The match was screened live on Spark Sport and TVNZ. One of the big reasons for New Zealand Cricket making the call to switch broadcast partners was the free-to-air component and being able to access TVNZ's dominant position in the market.
