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2nd Test – NZ v England Player Ratings – New song for the Barmy Army?

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Last Updated on 7 years by Charbel Coorey

“England, England

You should see how much $$ we pay, and yet you can’t win away

England, England

After the ODIs, we felt really fine

England, England

Till we lost to New Zealand for the first time since ’99

England, England

Came here full of hope, but now we’re all just broke

England, England

Can’t wait to get on that plane, and never come back again.”

Perhaps the Barmy Army should try this one on the way back home.

The long wait for an away Test win continues for England, with their winless run now stretching to 13 games since their tight win over Bangladesh in Chittagong in October 2016. On the other side of the coin, the wait is over for New Zealand, beating England in a Test series for the first time since 1999.

Like in the first innings, it was remarkable effort by New Zealand’s lower order to get them out of trouble. Led by Ish Sodhi and Neil Wagner on the final evening, the Black Caps fought off England to draw the Test and take the series 1-0.

In light of New Zealand’s triumph and England’s distress, here are my player ratings for the match:

New Zealand:

Tom Latham: Faced 207 second-innings balls for his team in their quest to save the game. Got out at a key time, but gave the lower order a chance to go on and bat till the close. New Zealand were 4 down for less than 100, and could have been worse had it not been for Latham, who fought back well after his first innings duck. 7

Jeet Raval: Disappointing series for Jeet Raval. Highlight was his ability to soak up over 23 overs with Tom Latham at the start of the New Zealand second innings. 3

Kane Williamson: Quiet match for Kane after his awesome Auckland Test. Made start in the first innings, and lasted just one ball in the second. 3

Ross Taylor: Two loose shots from Ross Taylor in this Test, which capped off a disappointing Test series for a player who had an unbelievable ODI series in the lead up. 2

Henry Nicholls: Breakthrough Test in Auckland for Nicholls? Not quite. Just 13 runs in this Test, and looked loose on the drive. 2

BJ Watling: Superb effort by Watling in this Test. He has been Mr. reliable for New Zealand throughout his career, and played a vital first innings knock of 85 coming in at 17/4. 8

Colin de Grandhomme: Superb Test from CDG. While his second innings dismissal was not the need of the hour, 72 and 45 when his team desperately needed him is a fine effort indeed. Add four second innings wickets, too. 9

Ish Sodhi: What a magnificent effort to save the Test for his team. Batted 168 balls for 58* in the second innings, withstanding everything the Poms threw at him. Bowling leaves a bit to be desired, but he has a future in this Test side. 8

Tim Southee: 6-for and a 50 in the first innings, and fought hard in the field while feeling unwell in the second innings. A fine effort. 9

Tim Southee: Deserved Man of the Match


Neil Wagner: Continues to deliver for New Zealand. Came up with the goods with the ball in the second innings in Auckland, and now with the bat, facing over 100 balls to save his side. Honest bowling effort, with two second innings wickets. 8

Trent Boult: Six wickets and involved in a vital 39 run last wicket partnership in the first innings that cut England’s lead to just 29. Another fine performance. 8

England:


Alastair Cook: Is the end near for Cooky? His struggle against left arm seam continued, falling to Trent Boult in all four innings. Finished the series with just 23 runs. 2

Is the end near for Cook?


Mark Stoneman: An improved performance, again full of promise. However, unable to kick on to something more significant. 7

James Vince: Showed his class once again, but hard to believe a player so elegant is yet to score a Test hundred. Promising 76 in the second innings means he will have the number three position for the England summer. 7

Joe Root: 50 and out. That makes it eight consecutive occasions (excluding second innings in Sydney where he was sick) that Joe Root has failed to convert a fifty to a hundred. Needs to improve this element of his game. 7

Dawid Malan: After a promising Ashes, it looked like it was going to be a really quiet series in NZ for Malan, till his second innings half century helped propel England to a strong lead. 6

Ben Stokes: Still finding his feet, and England can’t wait till he’s ready to bowl in full flow in Tests. 4

Jonny Bairstow: Close to Man of the Match. Superb hundred in the first innings propelled England from 94/5 to 307. Six catches with the gloves, too. 9

Stuart Broad: The Stuart Broad of old. Pace was up and he was moving the ball around, finishing with eight wickets, including a 6-for. A fine Test, and nearly got England home. 9

Broad and Bairstow were superb for England


Mark Wood: Superb half century in the first innings, and looked threatening at times with the ball on his Test return. Could have had more wickets. 7

Jack Leach: Offered a lot more with the ball than Moeen Ali has in recent times. Bowled with good control – an encouraging Test debut, no doubt. 7

James Anderson: Has now bowled the most balls by a seamer in Test history. He was at New Zealand all game, finishing with five wickets. 8



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My final say:  A much improved performance away from home England, but ultimately fell short. Did their slow batting on the fourth morning of the Test cost them? Another five overs, and they could have won.
Anyway, take nothing away from New Zealand, especially their bowlers and lower order batting. To be 36/5 in the first innings in pursuit of 307, and still come away with a draw is a fine effort. They looked gone on the fifth day as well, and the tail rallied to save the game. A great Test match.
Charbel Coorey
Charbel Cooreyhttps://cricblog.net
Charbel is the owner & founder of cricblog.net, based in Sydney, Australia. He started the website to fulfill his love for the game of cricket. Charbel has been featured on other publications including OP India, Times of India, and The Roar, among others. He is also a keen fantasy sports player. Charbel has also had the privilege of interviewing cricketers on the CricBlog TV YouTube channel, including James Neesham, Rassie van der Dussen, Andrew Tye, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat and Saurabh Netravalkar: https://www.youtube.com/@cricblogtv For any story tips or questions, you can contact Charbel at charbelcoorey@cricblog.net.

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