[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Cracking end to a cracking series, and the similarities to the World Cup final were insane. Have to hand it to Chris Jordan, coming in and teeing straight off in the final over to save the game, then holding his nerve in the super-over.

It'll be interesting to see how we handle the Tests. This winter has to be the first step on the road to playing the red-ball game properly again, even if we hit a few bumps in the road.

[themaclad]

v

Bay Oval Mount Maunganui



Bay Oval (also known as Blake Park) is a cricket ground in Mount Maunganui, Tauranga, New Zealand.[1] In June 2019, New Zealand Cricket confirmed that the Bay Oval would host its first ever Test match in November 2019, becoming the ninth test venue in the country.[2]

First known as Blake Park,[3] it held its first List A match in 1987/88 Shell Cup when Northern Districts played Central Districts. During the 1980s and 90s, large holiday crowds flocked to the ground to watch one-day matches,[4] with the ground playing host to a total of 26 List A matches between 1987/88 and 2001/02 seasons.[5] Northern Districts Women played two matches there in the 2004/05 State League.[6]

The Bay of Plenty Cricket Association later constructed a new cricket oval at Blake Park, the Bay Oval, which held its first senior match in the 2008–09 State Twenty20 with Northern Districts playing Otago. A further Twenty20 match was held there during that competition, while the following season three matches in that format were played in the 2009–10 HRV Cup, while two were held in the 2010–11 HRV Cup.[7]

Four Twenty20 matches were held there in the 2011–12 HRV Cup, along with two 2011-12 Ford Trophy matches. Northern Districts Women are scheduled to play a match there in December 2011 in the Action Cricket Cup. The Bay Oval is also permitted to host first-class cricket.[4]

Bay Oval hosted its first ODI on January 28, 2014 between Canada and Netherlands as part of the 2014 Cricket World Cup Qualifier.

In October 2014, the ground hosted the first two ODIs of the home series against South Africa, but was not used for the 2015 Cricket World Cup.



One thing New Zealand has is picturesque cricket grounds Christchurch, Mount Maunganui, Hamilton all fantastic venues

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

England won the toss and elected to bat at Mount Maunganui. 231-4 at the end of the first day, and it's clear that the team's focus is very much on occupying the crease and playing proper Test cricket. However, Burns, Denly and Root all got out with some unnecessary prodding and swiping at balls outside off, and Stokes got dropped doing the same. Got a feeling it'll take a long time to coach this bunch into not betraying their own patience and discipline with rash, unnecessary shots.

Still, here and now we've got a good platform in this match.

[jjamez]

Watched until tea and it was fairly slow going. The fireworks came afterwards evidently.

Just looked on the BBC website and agnew summed up exactly what is wrong with these experts nowadays, he's been clamouring for England to show patience, but now they could have been busier. MAKE YOUR FRIGGING MIND UP

[themaclad]

England 241 for 4 (Stokes 67*, Pope 18*) v New Zealand

England's Test team came to New Zealand seeking a fresh start after the angst and drama of the Bayliss era. There are few more tranquil locales in which the longest format can unfold and, on a sedate opening to life as a Test venue at Mount Maunganui, a succession of English batsmen gave notice that they were prepared to adhere to the traditional disciplines favoured by the new head coach, Chris Silverwood.

While England's innings was perhaps lacking in definitive statements, there were encouraging signs aplenty from a revamped top order. In keeping with the team's new mantra, Rory Burns and Joe Denly both compiled watchful half-centuries, from 135 and 136 balls respectively, while Dom Sibley, the debutant opener, was party to a 52-run opening stand as England made a useful start in benign conditions.

That none was able to go on will give New Zealand satisfaction after a day of manful toil from their four seamers. Pre-match suggestions were that this pitch would be accommodating to batsmen and it looks as the Bay of Plenty will live up to its name; Kane Williamson is foremost among the home XI unlikely to miss out given similar opportunity.

And while the English rank and file did their level best, there was disappointment for the captain, Joe Root, who was only able to muster 2 from a laboured 22-ball stay. A typically punchy fifty from his deputy, Ben Stokes, ensured England would retain hope of building a match-defining position on day two.

Recent white-ball encounters between these two sides have been marked by their explosive potential, but Test rhythms quickly asserted themselves at the Bay Oval. Colin de Grandhomme's medium pace applied an effective tourniquet as England were kept to a scoring rate well below three an over, and only while Stokes was at the crease and flexing his tattooed biceps during the evening session did pulses go much above resting rate.

Having lost two wickets in quick succession shortly before tea, Stokes and Denly took some time to retrench before swelling their fourth-wicket stand to 83. Denly reached his fourth fifty in as many Tests with a crisp cover drive off Trent Boult, then began to open up as he attacked the under-utilised spin of Mitchell Santner, lofting over extra cover and then depositing a straight-driven six down the ground.

His previous Test innings, opening the batting at The Oval in September, saw Denly fall six runs short of a maiden hundred; he did not get that close this time, but may again rue a chance missed after falling to the second new ball for 74, fencing at Tim Southee as he angled a delivery in from wide of the crease.

While New Zealand were admirably persistent, their bowlers' efforts were undermined by several notable lapses in the field - the most glaring of which came a few overs before the close, as Stokes was gifted a life having thrashed Boult for fours down the ground, through midwicket and then cover. The next delivery found his outside edge, only to burst through Ross Taylor's hands at slip and disappear for a fourth consecutive boundary.

New Zealand might also have removed Burns before he had established himself, failing to review for caught behind after a half-hearted appeal in the fifth over. Burns put that behind him to help see off the new ball and take England to a promising position at 113 for 1, despite rarely looking fluent. However, Root was unable to take advantage of coming in with the shine long gone, taking 21 balls to get off the mark and then falling tamely to Neil Wagner's next delivery, steering an edge to second slip.

Wagner pounded the pitch manfully, engaging in an entertaining tussle with Denly and striking Burns a blow on the helmet that seemed to contribute to the opener losing his composure. Twice Denly pulled Wagner for two fours in an over, but in between times the bowler had the better of things, seeing edges fall short of gully and slip.

Burns also edged Southee between first and second slip on 37, with Taylor and Tom Latham unmoving, and then survived a marginal lbw appeal on umpire's call when New Zealand did turn to the DRS. He went to his fifty in Boult's following over, clipping off his legs for a sixth boundary, before finally succumbing to de Grandhomme via a thin edge to the keeper.

It was also de Grandhomme who made New Zealand's initial breakthrough, a teasing away-nibbler finding Sibley's outside edge after the new man had compiled 22 from 63 balls in his maiden outing. If it was a regulation dismissal for an opener, drawn into an off-stump push and well held by Taylor at first slip, Sibley had at least made New Zealand work hard for it, leaving the ball well and giving England an ideal start after Root had won the toss and chosen to bat.

Having come into the game with a reputation for obduracy, Sibley promptly clipped his first ball in Test cricket to the midwicket boundary; but he was soon living up to his billing, absorbing another 22 deliveries before producing his second scoring shot.

The Burns-Sibley axis soon settled into an unhurried groove, in keeping with the relaxed atmosphere on the grass banks for those fans attending Bay Oval's Test debut. Both captains took the view that the pitch would be good for run-scoring, despite a greenish tinge, and that was borne out. Burns had an escape on 10, HotSpot confirming a thin outside edge to a regulation Boult outswinger, while Sibley was forced to dive for his ground to complete a quick single but otherwise the openers were untroubled, as New Zealand found some gentle swing but little pace from a docile surface.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

England finish day two with their noses in front despite a collapse in the morning session. After slumping from 277-4 to 295-8 in the space of four overs, Buttler and Leach stuck together for a tenacious partnership that helped lift the visitors up to a competitive 353 all out, and when they came to bat, New Zealand proved that it's not just England players who throw their wickets away. Of the four men to go before closing on 144-4, only Williamson really got done by a good ball that jumped up off a length and took him by surprise.

Kiwis bat a long way down though, so there's still plenty to do tomorrow.

[themaclad]

New Zealand 144 for 4 (Nicholls 26*, Watling 6*) trail England 353 (Stokes 91, Denly 74, Burns 52, Southee 4-88) by 209 runs

England's bowlers struck telling blows during the afternoon and evening on day two in Mount Maunganui, as they strove to get the better of a New Zealand side that has been close to unbeatable on their own patch. Kane Williamson made a polished half-century but when he became the fourth wicket to fall, late in the evening session and with his side still more than 200 runs behind, England were in the ascendancy.

Sam Curran was the bowler to strike, his second wicket of the day, and the closing stages saw New Zealand battling to avoid further losses as Jofra Archer tested the middle of the pitch in fading light. England's total of 353, their highest in the first innings of an away Test since Melbourne 2017-18, was underpinned by Ben Stokes' 91 but came accompanied by a sense of missed opportunities; however, their application in the field ensured it was New Zealand nervously casting around for a candidate to deliver a significant statement with the bat.

While New Zealand's bowlers deserved immense credit for dragging the tourists back after the slog of day one, they were aided by England reverting to type during a morning collapse of 4 for 18 in 21 balls. Tim Southee provided the spark, extracting Stokes when he seemed hell bent on a third century in his last five Tests - though even here, with the batsman advancing malevolently to try and flay through the off side, came the hint of an unforced error.


England subsequently lost their last six wickets for the addition of 76 runs, Southee and Neil Wagner claiming five of them. New Zealand might have wrapped up the innings before lunch, only for Jos Buttler to counterpunch effectively during a ninth-wicket rearguard with Jack Leach.

Still, with Stokes joining Joe Denly and Rory Burns in failing to convert half-centuries and England falling short of the 400-run mark that had been touted as par on a docile Bay Oval pitch, the stage was apparently set for New Zealand's more-accomplished accumulators to show the visiting side how it's done. That was not quite how things panned out, as two teams that have been impossible to separate in the white-ball formats this year found themselves in another gripping tussle.

The key wicket, indisputably, was that of New Zealand's captain, Williamson. Although England managed to remove both openers, and Ross Taylor eventually lost patience against a sustained bouncer attack from Archer and Stokes, the sight of Williamson ticking along to an 84-ball half-century would have reassured home supporters that all was well.

However, the very next ball, delivered by Curran, sent a ripple around the ground and forced wholesale re-evaluations of what might be expected from the rest of this Test. Williamson was left reeling by unexpected bounce from a length - clear indication of some unforeseen variability in the surface - as the ball ballooned off his glove and Stokes plunged forward to gratefully take the catch at second slip.

It was Curran, too, who made the opening incision after New Zealand had begun their reply midway through the afternoon session, winning an lbw decision against Tom Latham in his first over; replays suggested an inside edge but the batsman chose not to review.

Latham's opening partner, Jeet Raval, rarely looked convincing during his time at the crease, eventually falling to his fourth risky heavy at Leach after a 54-run stand with Williamson. Taylor then top-edged Stokes to deep midwicket before the demise of Williamson left New Zealand looking expectantly to Henry Nicholls, a man who has averaged more than 60 since the start of 2018. Nicholls was shaken by a hefty thump to the helmet from Archer in the penultimate over of the day, but was cleared to continue after an examination from the physio.


Things had looked much brighter for New Zealand after a productive start to the day. Stokes and Ollie Pope extended their overnight partnership to 74 before Southee intervened with three wickets in 11 balls. Although initially held back, once Southee had pried out Stokes he harnessed the conditions expertly to rip through England's middle order.

Stokes picked up regular boundaries as he moved into the 90s, only for Taylor to brilliantly atone for dropping him on day one. With New Zealand having shifted their cordon wide, Taylor had to react instinctively to a chance flying through regulation first slip but clung on one-handed high to his right.

Operating in the high 120s kph but showing just why New Zealand's attack is so adept when there is a hint of swing on offer, Southee struck twice more in his next over. Pope, who successfully reviewed an lbw decision in the third over of the morning, played some eye-catching shots to move past his previous Test best of 28, made on debut against India in 2018, but was lured into flashing at a delivery that left him enough to clip the edge through to BJ Watling.

Curran was then bamboozled by a full inswinger, opting to review despite ball-tracking showing that the delivery would have crashed into middle and leg stumps. Archer negotiated the hat-trick ball uncertainly, and then fell in the following over as Trent Boult found his outside edge. From the relative comfort of 277 for 4, England had stumbled into trouble.

With Leach nearly running out Buttler off the first ball he faced, England were in serious danger of folding. But Buttler hinted at his destructive capabilities when casually lofting Southee back down the ground, then launching Boult high over long-off for six in the last over before lunch. His stand with Leach had yielded 52 valuable runs when Buttler picked out Mitchell Santner at deep point - perhaps partly deceived by the fact Santner had left the field to sign autographs and only hurdled the boundary boards to return to the field of play as Wagner ran in to deliver the ball.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

A long hard slog of a third day for England, with only two wickets to show for it on top of a 41-run deficit. Still not out of the game, but there's just no plan B for our bowling attack on pitches this flat.

[jjamez]

I think these sorts of wickets will be the death of test cricket, they offer the square route of jack for the bowling side, coupled with the god awful kookaburra ball.

Think it's telling that de grandhomme and Curran have been the better bowlers, its very difficult to create anything at all.

[themaclad]

England 353 and 55 for 3 (Denly 7*) trail New Zealand 615 for 9 declared (Watling 205, Santner 126, de Grandhomme 65, Williamson 51) by 207 runs

The inaugural Test at Mount Maungenui was always likely to likely to be a memorable occasion for New Zealand cricket, but BJ Watling and Mitchell Santner ensured it would be one with multiple entries in the history books after their monumental contributions sent records tumbling and left England facing an uphill task to save the game.

Speaking of uphill, there had been some debate about the correct billing of the promontory that overlooks Bay Oval, an extinct volcano known locally at "The Mount". But there was no disputing that New Zealand had amassed a mountain of runs, as Watling bent himself to the task of batting for almost 11 hours for a maiden double-hundred, while Santner converted to three figures for the first time in his Test career. The innings produced another new peak, with New Zealand's 615 for 9 declared their highest total against England in 89 years of Test competition.

With the deficit a daunting 262, and realistically needing to bat their way through the majority of four sessions in order to emerge with a draw, England lost both openers and their nightwatchman before the close. There was something appropriate about Santner and Watling combining for the initial breakthrough, and although England could cling to the hope that a slow surface might help pave their way to safety on the final day, increasing signs of up-and-down bounce will doubtless nag at the tourists overnight.

There was no doubting about who were the stars of the show for New Zealand, even if it was a couple of the most unassuming players in a team that has built a reputation for low-key excellence. If there were bragging rights at stake, it would have been impossible to tell, despite Watling and Santner ticking their way through a slew of records.

Both notched career-best scores, as the pair eclipsed the previous highest seventh-wicket stand for New Zealand - initially against England, and then overall. Watling surpassed his own record for the most balls faced by a New Zealand wicketkeeper; Santner set a new mark for balls faced by a New Zealand No. 8. For England, kept in the field for more than 200 overs, it was a relentless grind.

Only the urgency of an impending declaration contributed to Watling finally being dislodged. By then, he had become the ninth wicketkeeper - and first for New Zealand - to score a double-hundred in Tests, the milestone reached a few minutes before tea with a nudged single off the bowling of Joe Root, England's increasingly vexed captain.

Having at least limited the scoring rate during the morning session, England were left chasing leather in the afternoon sunshine as Santner showed his claws. His half-century reached from 170 balls, he required only another 82 to convert to three figures for the first time in Tests, taking particular toll on his fellow left-arm spinner Jack Leach, who was three times deposited over the ropes. When Santner finally slogged Sam Curran to long-on for 126, it had been 73.2 overs since England had previously taken a wicket, with the first ball after tea on day three.

As Santner buckled his swash, Watling continued to buckle down. He had already demonstrated his appetite for crease-occupation by batting throughout day three, and he slipped straight back into the groove. The nearest England came to ruffling him was when a Jofra Archer bouncer glanced the top of his helmet, as he went past his previous highest score - 142 against Sri Lanka in 2015 - and on to his longest Test innings, surpassing the epic rearguard against India at Wellington in 2014.

The end came via a declaration shortly after tea, as Kane Williamson exacted maximum punishment on England. It also allowed for the crowd to salute Watling's efforts one final time, as his 473-ball epic ended with an edge behind. Watling walked off to an ovation and New Zealand's last two batsmen jogged the same way an over later.

New Zealand resumed on day four in control but not in a hurry. Watling and Santner had adopted a circumspect approach during the morning session, when only 58 runs were scored from 30 overs, but the lack of impact on the wickets column was the chief concern for Root.

England dutifully went through the motions with the ball, but there was an air of fatalism about their attempts to finish off the innings. Archer strung together five maidens in a row at the start of the day, but England's attack rarely threatened a breakthrough as New Zealand set out their stall to try and bat only once in the game.

The wisdom of that ploy was proven during the evening session, as Santner stepped into the spotlight with the ball. Dom Sibley and Rory Burns had compiled a watchful 48-run stand to ease English fears about the deterioration of the pitch - only for New Zealand's spinner to produce a three-wicket burst before stumps. First Sibley, who had already survived one tough chance to Watling, succumbed to a thin outside edge, then Burns was lured into sweeping out of the rough and sent a tame top edge to square leg.

In the final over of the day, Tom Latham's brilliant catch at short leg removed the nightwatchman Leach, though replays suggested he had not actually got any bat on the ball. Leach walked off without using a review, however, to leave England facing an even steeper climb if they are to escape Bay of Plenty with the series still level.



Going well then people scoring big hundreds puts other teams under pressure just wait until we get those big hundreds in the Hundred