Jacob Bethell and Brydon Carse clinch victory for England over New Zealand in first Test | Cricket
England had headed to Hagley Oval on electric scooters in the hope that day four would be a similarly smooth cruise. In the end, there was little resistance from New Zealand, but not enough to prevent the tourists from claiming an eight-wicket win and a one-nil lead in this three-match series.
The moment came at 2:48 p.m. local time when Jacob Bethel took a single to reel off a target of 104 in 12.4 overs. Brydon Carse was earlier the one who got things going by taking his first Test by five wickets with figures of six for 42 and so 10 in the match. Throw in an unbeaten 33 with the bat during England’s 449 all out and it made for an impressive outing from the muscular Durham fast bowler.
It was Kars who finally ended Daryl Mitchell’s unflinching 84 to see New Zealand bowled out for 254, prompting a delayed lunch and thus 40 minutes for England to consider how to approach the chase. How they spent the remaining 39 minutes and 59 seconds is not known, England racing there with a flurry of boundaries – 15 fours and three sixes – and Bethel a clean 50 not out from 37 balls.
Zach Crowley had followed up the first strike of the innings by returning Matt Henry’s catch for one, while Ben Duckett took love to an 18-ball 27 that featured some madcap mischief. But this lot pays little attention to numbers, as evidenced by Bethell’s debut here. The 21-year-old has been in fine form again, even if the poignant six he clobbered Nathan Smith for nine to win is likely to please England more. Joe Ruthfinished 23 but not out; a happy ending to his 150th Test after that first innings.
Not that everything was rosy for them on the fourth day. Ben Stokes started in tandem with Carse but got off a poor three balls in the fifth over of his spell. A stiff back is said to be the cause, with Stokes remaining on the field and the word ‘precautionary’ doing the rounds. But at the end of a year in which Stokes had already sat out four Tests with a tendon tear, it was still a problem.
It was England’s seventh away win since Stokes and Brendon McCullum teamed up in May 2022. But as clinical as their players were in the second half of this opening series, it would be difficult to qualify for Rawalpindi at the end of 2022. or Hyderabad earlier this year. Indeed, New Zealand’s generosity with the bat and in the field made this defeat largely self-inflicted.
The extravagance started during their first innings 348 and then turned destructive when they took to the field. Eight balls dropped – including five from Harry Brook en route to his defining innings of 171 from 197 balls – was somewhat of a shock so soon after that 3-0 win in India, even if England’s aggression counts.
Although after receiving a couple of freebies on the first day, Shoaib Bashir took four wickets, England’s attack was quite effective the second time around. With a 151-run lead on the board, they made six runs on the third day before the deficit was even wiped out, with Chris Woakes and Carse splitting them evenly. From an overnight 155 for six, New Zealand added another 99 in the morning.
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The first thing he was up to was to bat in the outfield, but Kars raced on for a six-over spell that eventually saw two wickets snapped up. Both came by backing away from the short-ball plan and chasing the pads, with Nathan Smith, 21, and Matt Henry, one, nailed lbw. To underline England’s preference for attributes over statistics, it completed only his sixth first-class haul with five wickets and first since 2021. this way.
Gus Atkinson, who had taken over from Stokes, soon caught Tim Southee for 12 in an attempt at a third six. With two Tests before his retirement, Southee needs to clear the rope five more times to become only the fourth player in history to score hundreds of sixes in the longest format. Making his debut at nine against England 16 years ago, aged just 17, was a comfortable start.
Those strong knocks in Napier came at the end of England’s more recent back-to-back win in New Zealand and now a golden opportunity to end a run of four visits here without one in Wellington next week. If not, there is a third test in Hamilton after the 1-1 draw here in early 2023. left everyone wanting more.
