New Zealand vs England Archives

New Zealand crush England to seal ODI series in Hamilton

HAMILTON: New Zealand produced a dominant all-round performance to seal the three-match ODI series against England with a commanding win in the second game at Seddon Park on Wednesday.

Led by Blair Tickner’s fiery spell and composed half-centuries from Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell, the Black Caps chased down a modest target of 176 with five wickets and nearly 17 overs to spare, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

Tickner’s 4-34 set the tone as England were bundled out for just 175 in 36 overs after being put in to bat.

None of the English batters managed to occupy the crease for long, as regular wickets derailed their innings from start to finish.

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Only Jamie Overton (42 off 27) and captain Harry Brook (34 off 34) offered brief resistance, but both fell to soft dismissals that summed up England’s reckless approach.

In reply, New Zealand’s chase began shakily when Jofra Archer removed Will Young for a duck in the very first over.

However, Rachin Ravindra steadied the innings with a fluent 54 off 58 balls, striking eight boundaries and a six. He shared a 63-run stand with Daryl Mitchell, who once again proved to be New Zealand’s rock in the middle order.

Mitchell remained unbeaten on 56 from 59 deliveries, decorated with six fours and two sixes, while captain Mitchell Santner’s blistering cameo of 34 off 17 balls ensured a quick finish as the hosts reached 177-5 in just 33.1 overs.

Archer was the standout bowler for England, finishing with 3-23 in his 10 overs, while Jamie Overton and Adil Rashid claimed one wicket each.

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England openers fall as New Zealand march towards big win in third Test

England made a wretched start to their unrealistic chase of 658 to win the third Test of the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy on Monday after a Kane Williamson century put New Zealand in the driving seat.

The tourists were 18-2 after openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley were both removed in the six overs bowled before stumps on day three in Hamilton.

It left New Zealand, dismissed late in the day for 453, needing eight more wickets to secure a consolation victory after England easily won the first two Tests.

It may only be seven wickets required, with doubt over whether the injured Ben Stokes will bat.

The England captain is being assessed for a hamstring injury suffered while bowling which forced him to hobble immediately from the field.

Any prospect of England reaching what would be a world-record fourth-innings score were quickly quashed when Duckett charged down the pitch and played on for four.

It handed the first wicket of the match to seamer Tim Southee, playing his 107th and final Test before retiring.

Crawley was trapped lbw for five to complete a miserable series in which he fell to paceman Matt Henry in all six of his innings, totalling just 52 runs in the process.

Jacob Bethell was at the crease on nine and Joe Root was yet to score.

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Earlier, rain wiped out the entire first session at Seddon Park but it didn’t prevent Williamson advancing from his overnight 50 to a 33rd Test ton before departing for 156 soon after tea.

He put on 105 for the third wicket alongside Rachin Ravindra, who was caught for 44 off a leading edge from seamer Matthew Potts.

Williamson departed when top-edging a sweep into the deep off Shoaib Bashir (2-170).

New Zealand’s greatest run-scorer struck 20 fours and one six as he took his career tally of Test runs at Seddon Park to 1,614, the most by any batter at any New Zealand venue.

He has scored centuries in five successive Tests at what is his domestic home ground for Northern Districts, where he boasts an average of 94.94 from 21 innings.

Williamson survived a tight Brydon Carse lbw appeal review on 73 and was later dropped by wicketkeeper Ollie Pope when a difficult leg-side chance spilled from his glove off Stokes.

Daryl Mitchell was caught in the deep for 60 to hand part-time spinner Bethell a first Test wicket and, ultimately, England’s best bowling figures for the innings of 3-72.

Mitchell Santner also holed out off Root on 49 to fall just short of back-to-back half-centuries for the match.

Southee scored two in his last Test knock, failing to add to his career tally of 98 Test sixes and leaving him ranked fourth on the all-time list.

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England fight back on even opening day of third New Zealand Test

New Zealand failed to capitalise on a rock-steady start to reach 315-9 on day one of the third and final Test of the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy against England in Hamilton on Saturday.

Led by seamers Matthew Potts and Gus Atkinson, the tourists fought back with the ball after openers Tom Latham (63) and Will Young (42) put on 105 for the opening stand.

However, the hard early work was undone by a flurry of loose shots in the afternoon as six wickets fell for 89 runs at Seddon Park.

Late hitting from Mitchell Santner handed the momentum back to the home side, including a straight six off the day’s final ball to raise a half-century.

Santner will resume on 50 not out, alongside the scoreless Will O’Rourke.

England is eyeing to complete a 3-0 series clean sweep, courtesy of some disciplined seam bowling after putting New Zealand into bat.

Potts (3-75) impressed by removing top-scorer Latham and danger man Kane Williamson (44) to celebrate his recall at the expense of Chris Woakes.

The 26-year-old said England had “wrestled” their way back into the game after going wicket-less in the first session.

“In this group the character’s real strong,” Potts said. “I think if you notice, there are periods where we do go through a phase of not taking any wickets and we know that if we do stick to our guns and we are meticulous with it, that it will come our way eventually.”

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Atkinson (3-55) took his career tally to 51 wickets, second only to Australian seamer Terry Alderman’s 54 wickets in 1981 for the most Test scalps in a debut year.

Atkinson was among those to benefit from New Zealand’s reckless middle-order batting.

Rachin Ravindra (18), Daryl Mitchell (14), Tom Blundell (21) and Glenn Phillips (5) were all caught by fielders on the off-side when failing to keep the ball down.

Latham and Young belatedly unearthed the kind of batting resolve largely missing in big losses in Christchurch and Wellington that had put the hosts down 2-0 in the series.

Young fell for his lunch score, caught smartly at second slip by Harry Brook off Atkinson before Latham edged down the leg side off Potts soon afterwards.

It ended the best opening stand of the seam-dominated series from either team, surpassing the previous best of 18.

The key wicket of Williamson fell soon after tea, playing on in agonising fashion when he failed to kick the ball clear as it ballooned onto his stumps — prompting a feeling of “pure elation” for Potts.

Veteran bowler Tim Southee, playing his 107th and final Test, delighted supporters at his home ground with a whirlwind 23 off 10 balls.

The 36-year-old bowler struck three sixes to take his career tally to 98 and closer to becoming the fourth player to clear the ropes 100 times in Tests.

READ: Rain ruins day one of third Australia-India Test in Brisbane

New Zealand batter set to miss third Test against England

New Zealand opening batter Devon Conway is set to miss the third Test of the ongoing Crowe-Thorpe Trophy against England, the country’s cricket board confirmed on Monday.

The out-of-touch Conway is awaiting the birth of his first child, resulting in him not joining the New Zealand squad in Hamilton, where the final Test of the series is set to begin on Saturday.

Conway’s place in the squad will be taken by middle-order batter Mark Chapman but the more experienced Will Young is likely to be promoted to the starting XI.

England hold an unassailable 2-0 lead after winning the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington on Sunday by 323 runs.

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Young was a contentious omission from the first two England Tests following a consistent run of scores during New Zealand’s 3-0 sweep of India in October and November, scoring 244 runs at an average just short of 50.

He made way for the returning Kane Williamson for the England Tests after Williamson missed the Indian tour with an injury.

Devon Conway has been out of form, having failed to score a century for nearly two years. The 33-year-old has been dismissed for scores of 2, 8, 11 and 0 in the England series.

Young, 32, batted at number three throughout the India series but has predominantly played as an opener throughout his 19-Test career.

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Kane Williamson falls for 93 as England fight back in first Test

England captured the vital wicket of Kane Williamson for 93 in a dramatic five-wicket final session to leave New Zealand 319-8 after day one of the first Test of the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy in Christchurch on Thursday.

The hosts went to tea at a healthy 193-3 and slumped to 252-7 before Glenn Phillips (41 not out) and Matt Henry (18) halted the collapse with a spirited 46-run stand for the eighth wicket.

Shoaib Bashir, the only specialist spinner in the Test, was England’s chief destroyer with 4-69.

“It’s a good, fair surface,” Williamson said. “On a surface like that you ride a bit of luck and I played and missed a bit, that’s just the nature of the beast.”

The 21-year-old Bashir did not expect to be bowling on day one and was surprised to find himself facing Williamson, New Zealand’s greatest Test run-scorer.

“Obviously he’s a world-class player and for me, bowling to someone like him, I was just in awe watching Kane Williamson bat,” Bashir said.

“I bowled plenty of bad balls out there but I was still kept on and that shows how much faith they (management) have in me.”

Former skipper Kane Williamson looked on track to put New Zealand into a dominant position after joining Tom Latham in the middle when they lost opener Devon Conway in the second over.

He faced 14 deliveries before getting off the mark and went on to anchor 50-run partnerships with Latham, Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell.

Williamson was instrumental in getting them to 227-4 before he was undone attempting a cut shot that went to Zac Crawley at point to give Gus Atkinson his second wicket.

England had started the Test with a roar, winning the toss and inviting New Zealand to bat on a green top, having Atkinson remove Conway almost immediately.

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But for the rest of the first two sessions, the composed Williamson swung the momentum back to New Zealand.

He was unfazed when twice struck on the helmet by Brydon Carse and survived a vociferous appeal on 51 for caught behind when replays showed the ball hit the thigh pad and not the bat.

Williamson, who hit 10 fours, faced 197 deliveries in 274 minutes with temperatures hovering around 30 Celsius before being dismissed in the 90s for the first time in six years.

In Williamson’s previous 13 innings where he scored at least 90, the prolific batsman had gone on to register eight hundred and five double centuries.

With moisture in the ground causing the England bowlers some early problems with their delivery stride, Latham punished every loose ball that came along.

But he had a lapse of concentration in the first over after the morning drinks break and he was caught behind off Carse for 47.

Ravindra took on the aggressor role as he and Williamson added 68 for the third wicket before Ravindra clumsily mis-hit a loose full toss from Bashir and was gone for 34.

Mitchell accompanied Williamson through to tea but went for 19 in the second over after play resumed.

The wickets of Williamson, Tom Blundell (17) and debutant Nathan Smith (three) quickly followed as New Zealand slumped to 252-7.

Henry added a brisk 18, leaving Phillips and Tim Southee (10) to see out the day.

England debutant, 21-year-old Jacob Bethell, bowled one over of left-arm spin with his first Test delivery dispatched to the boundary by former New Zealand captain Williamson.

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Uncapped wicket-keeper added to England squad for New Zealand Tests

Uncapped wicket-keeper Ollie Robinson has been added to the England Men’s Test squad for the ongoing tour of New Zealand for the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy.

Robinson came into the squad as a replacement for Jordan Cox, who sustained a fractured right thumb during the team’s warm-up period over the weekend in Queenstown.

This marks the 25-year-old Robinson’s first call-up to the senior England squad. He has delivered solid performances for Durham in the County Championship, boasting an average of 48 with the bat in 2022 and an impressive 58 in 2023.

Robinson has also demonstrated his skill behind the stumps, with 92 Championship dismissals across the past two seasons.

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A regular in England Lions squads since 2019, Robinson has gained valuable experience on tours to Australia, Sri Lanka, and India in recent years.

It’s worth noting, he has become the second player bearing the same name to receive an England call-up within the last three years. He does not have any familial ties to the fast bowler Ollie Robinson.

Interestingly, both athletes hail from the county of Kent and share the same birthdate — December 1.

Robinson will join the England squad on Saturday, meanwhile Ollie Pope donned the wicket-keeping gloves in the first Test against New Zealand, which got underway in Christchurch earlier today.

Squads

England: Ben Stokes (c), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ollie Robinson, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.

New Zealand: Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Tim Southee, Kane Williamson, Will Young

Tour Itinerary:

First Test: 28 November-2 December 2024, Hagley Oval, Christchurch

Second Test: 6-10 December 2024, Basin Reserve, Wellington

Third Test: 14-18 December 2024, Seddon Park, Hamilton

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Crowe-Thorpe Trophy to honor legends in New Zealand-England Test rivalry

The upcoming Test series between New Zealand and England has been renamed the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy in honor of Martin Crowe and Graham Thorpe, two cricket legends who left a lasting impact on the sport.

The trophy, crafted from wood sourced from bats belonging to both players, is a collaboration between New Zealand Cricket (NZC), the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), and the players’ families.

It will be unveiled on Thursday morning at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval, just before the series opener. The unveiling will be done by Deb Crowe (Martin’s sister) and former England captain Michael Atherton during the national anthem ceremony.

Crowe, remembered as New Zealand’s greatest batter, passed away in 2016. Thorpe, known for his grit and determination, died earlier this year.

Both enjoyed stellar Test careers — Crowe scored 5444 runs at an average of 45.36, including 17 centuries, while Thorpe ammased 6744 runs with an average of 44.66 and 16 tons.

The bats used to create the trophy have sentimental value. Crowe’s bat is the Gunn and Moore he used to score a century at Lord’s in 1994 agains England, while Thorpe’s Kookaburra was the one he wielded during his back-to-back hundreds against New Zealand in 1997.

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Both players also became mentors, shaping the careers of many cricketers, including some who are part of this series.

Joe Root, who worked closely with Thorpe during his coaching stint with England, spoke warmly about the tribute.

“It is absolutely an honour,” said Root. “What a great man. For me personally, to have someone who you watched growing up and took a lot from, then to get the opportunity to work with him as a coach.”

“The amount he put into to my game, to have the opportunity to play for something with his name on it is really quite special and a nice way to remember his legacy and a player.

“It’s a side that he had a lot of success against, a brilliant double hundred. He told us many times about that innings here in Christchurch [an unbeaten 200 in 2002], normally over a glass of sauvignon blanc.

“It’s a really fitting way to remember two of England and New Zealand’s great players. How both sides play represents how they played the game pretty well.

“I expect a really exciting series, like the previous one was. It will be a really fitting way to remember two brilliant players.”

Squads

England: Ben Stokes (c), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.

Tour Itinerary:

First Test: 28 November-2 December 2024, Hagley Oval, Christchurch

Second Test: 6-10 December 2024, Basin Reserve, Wellington

Third Test: 14-18 December 2024, Seddon Park, Hamilton

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Tim Southee announced retirement from Test cricket

Former New Zealand captain Tim Southee on Friday announced that he will retire from Test cricket after the upcoming Test series against England, with the 35-year-old set to finish up at his home ground in Hamilton.

The irrepressible seam bowler made his debut against England at Napier in 2008 and has been a mainstay of New Zealand Test side since then.

Southee has taken 385 wickets in 104 Tests during his 16-year-long career. He is the second-highest wicket-taker for New Zealand in Test cricket with Richard Hadlee standing at the top with 431 wickets.

“Representing New Zealand was all I ever dreamed of growing up,” Tim Southee said in his retirement announcement.

“To play for the Black Caps for 18 years has been the greatest honour and privilege, but the time feels right to now step away from the game that has given so much to me.

“Test cricket holds a special place in my heart, so to be able to play such a big series against the same opponent my Test career began against all those years ago, and on three grounds that are incredibly special to me, seems the perfect way to end my time in the Black Cap.

“I’ll always be so grateful to my family, friends, coaches, our fans and everyone involved in the game who has supported me and my career over the years.

“It’s been an amazing ride and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Tim Southee captained the side to six wins, six losses and two draws after taking over from Kane Williamson in 2022 before handing over the baton last month to Tom Latham, who led them to a 3-0 Test sweep in India.

Southee’s all-round skills and consistency have seen him become the only player in the world to claim more than 300 Test wickets, 200 ODI wickets and 100 T20 wickets.

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New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive Scott Weenink saluted him as one of the country’s finest players.

“Tim [Southee] has been a constant in the improving fortunes of the Blackcaps and he’ll be remembered as a giant of the modern New Zealand game,” he said.

“Tim has an incredible bank of experience and knowledge of the game and while he may have called time on his playing career, I’d be surprised if we don’t see him in another capacity at some stage in the future.”

Tim Southee is yet to make a decision about his white-ball retirement. He will decide after the three-Test England series, which gets underway in Christchurch on November 28, whether he has one final white-ball farewell in him.

New Zealand face Sri Lanka in three ODIs and three T20s at home from December 28.

Blackcaps coach Gary Stead said Southee’s record spoke for itself.

“Tim’s durability and resilience has been outstanding,” he said. “He’s an incredibly tough competitor who gets himself up for big occasions and is rarely injured.”

“Tim cares deeply about the team, its reputation and performances, and he will be missed within the Blackcaps environment.

“He now deserves some time with his family and I’m sure he will reflect very positively in years to come about his impact and achievements in the game.”

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Uncapped all-rounder named in England squad for New Zealand Tests

LONDON: Warwickshire all-rounder Jacob Bethell received maiden call-up as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced a 16-member squad for the upcoming away Test series against New Zealand.

England made only one change to their squad, which suffered a 2-1 series defeat against Pakistan as wicketkeeper batter Jamie Smith is expecting the birth of his first child.

“Wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith will miss the tour as he takes paternity leave for the birth of his first child, with Cox in line to take on wicketkeeping duties and the opportunity of winning his first Test cap,” shared ECB in a statement.

Smith’s absence paved the way for 21-year-old Jacob Bethell to earn his maiden call-up in the format.

The attacking left-handed batter and slow left-arm orthodox bowler, has made his international debut, when he represented England in white-ball series against Australia this summer.

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Bethell is currently with the England white-ball squad in the Caribbean and, along with Rehan Ahmed and Jordan Cox, will join the Test team following their commitments against the West Indies.

Prior to the three-match Test series, a two-day warm-up match is scheduled between New Zealand Cricket XI versus England XI at Sir John Davies Oval, Queenstown from 23-24 November.

England Squad for New Zealand Tests:

Ben Stokes (Durham) (Captain), Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Jordan Cox (Essex), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Jack Leach (Somerset), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Matthew Potts (Durham), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Olly Stone (Nottinghamshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).

Tour Itinerary:

Two-day warm-up: New Zealand Cricket XI v England XI, 23-24 November 2024, Sir John Davies Oval, Queenstown

First Test: 28 November-2 December 2024, Hagley Oval, Christchurch

Second Test: 6-10 December 2024, Basin Reserve, Wellington

Third Test: 14-18 December 2024, Seddon Park, Hamilton

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Fleming, Bell to join New Zealand coaching staff ahead of England series

Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming is set to join the New Zealand coaching staff, along with former England players Ian Bell and James Foster, prior to New Zealand’s white-ball series against England.

Fleming will join the coaching staff for the four-match ODI series against England, while Bell will be New Zealand’s assistant coach for the T20I series in England. He will then switch to the role of batting coach for the ODI series against England, as well as Bangladesh.

“I think Flem [Fleming] will be great for players on that side of it and also good for the staff as well,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said. “He’s got [an] immense amount of knowledge in that part of the world [India] and has coached in the IPL right from the start of the competition [from 2009], so he’s coached in all those areas where we’re going to play in. So, it might just be the little one-two percenters you can get from that information that could tip the results on your side as well. If things go well you can pick up on some of those small things.”

They will be joined by former English wicketkeeper James Foster, who played seven Tests for England.

Foster will be Black Caps assistant coach for the England ODI series and the 50-overs World Cup in India, which starts this October.

“James spent a week with us in the UAE, think about four or five years ago when he was over there,” Gary Stead said. “He might have even been playing at the time. But it’s great that he has come back. He will come to the World Cup; he’s got a lot of experience in the IPL with the KKR side and in an assistant coach role there he’s worked with video analysts, so will give us a lot of, I think, information and knowledge for us to consider when we approach all the different venues in the World Cup.”

New Zealand performance manager Simon Insley said the backroom changes will spread the workload among the coaching staff.

“The well-being of our players and staff is of vital importance with the sheer amount of cricket being played these days,” Insley said.

“Following the T20 team’s departure to the UAE (Aug 12), the team will be on the road right through until December 16 when the Test team returns, ahead of a busy home summer,” he added.

He also shared his ‘delight’ in the abilities of New Zealand’s coaching staff which will help boost the team’s morale and performance in the upcoming tours.

“We’re delighted with the calibre of coaches we’ve been able to confirm to assist the Black Caps,” he added.

“Ian Bell has had a broad range of experiences as batting coach since retiring,” Insley said. “James Foster has worked with a number of our Black Caps through his extensive coaching history.”

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