Tag: New Zealand

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.

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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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WELLINGTON: England pace bowler Gus Atkinson claimed his Test career’s first hat-trick during the second Test against New Zealand here on Saturday to join an exclusive club of bowlers.

New Zealand were struggling on 125-7 with Glenn Phillips and Nathan Smith on the crease when Atkinson wrapped up their innings with a historic hat-trick.

Atkinson claimed the wickets of Smith, Matt Henry, and Tim Southee with three consecutive deliveries, marking the 15th instance of a bowler from England recording a hat-trick in Test cricket.

He uprooted Smith’s middle stump with a brilliant delivery, while Henry tried to evade a sharply rising short ball, but only managed to glove it into the hands of Ben Duckett.

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Atkinson then bowled a full and straight delivery that crashed into Southee’s front pad, dead in front of the middle stump. Southee opted for the review, but to no avail, as umpire Rod Tucker raised his finger decisively for a second time, confirming the dismissal.

It’s worth noting that Atkinson’s hat-trick was the 50th Test hat-trick in global cricket—47 in men’s matches and three in women’s.

The last English player to accomplish this feat was Moeen Ali who claimed a hat-trick against South Africa at The Oval in 2017.

Notably, Gus Atkinson is the 14th English player to join the exclusive club of hat-trick takers, joining the ranks of illustrious names such as Stuart Broad, who claimed two in his storied career.

Test hat-tricks by England bowlers

1. Billy Bates vs Australia, Melbourne (1882/83)
2. Johnny Briggs vs Australia, Sydney (1891/92)
3. George Lohmann vs South Africa, Port Elizabeth (1895/96)
4. Jack Hearne vs Australia, Leeds (1899)
5. Maurice Allom vs New Zealand, Christchurch (1929/30)
6. Tom Goddard vs South Africa, Johannesburg (1938/39)
7. Peter Loader vs West Indies, Leeds (1957)
8. Dominic Cork vs West Indies, Manchester (1995)
9. Darren Gough vs Australia, Sydney (1998/99)
10. Matthew Hoggard vs West Indies, Barbados (2003/04)
11. Ryan Sidebottom vs New Zealand, Hamilton (2007/08)
12. Stuart Broad vs India, Nottingham (2011)
13. Stuart Broad vs Sri Lanka, Leeds (2014)
14. Moeen Ali vs South Africa, The Oval (2017)
15. Gus Atkinson vs New Zealand, Wellington (2024)

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WELLINGTON: Gus Atkinson claimed a hat-trick before England batters ran riot to power the visitors 533 runs ahead of New Zealand on Saturday and in full control of the second Test of the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy here at Basin Reserve.

New Zealand will need to chase an enormous score in the fourth innings after England went to stumps at 378-5 on day two.

Captain Ben Stokes resisted any urge to declare, instead cementing England’s position of power as four batters posted half-centuries to build on their first-innings advantage of 155.

Joe Root was at the crease on 73 while Stokes struck a whirlwind 35 not out against a tiring attack after Jacob Bethell and Ben Duckett were both dismissed in the 90s.

The fast-moving nature of the Test means the Black Caps should have ample time to reach any target, as they bid to square the three-match series after losing the opener of Crowe-Thorpe Trophy in Christchurch by eight wickets.

However, history is firmly against them. The highest successful fourth-innings chase at the Basin Reserve is 274, achieved by Pakistan against the hosts in 2003.

The hopes of New Zealand of getting back into the Test were scuppered in the opening 40 minutes of play when they lost their last five wickets to be all out 125 against a hostile England bowling attack.

Gus Atkinson (4-31) removed the last three with successive deliveries to become the first Englishman to claim a Test hat-trick since Moeen Ali against South Africa seven years ago.

The seamer was all smiles after bowling Nathan Smith for 14, then having Matt Henry caught in the gully and trapping Tim Southee lbw.

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England made batting look a lot easier, most notably when Bethell (96) and Duckett (92) combined for an untroubled 187-run second-wicket stand.

Bethell fell agonisingly short of a maiden Test ton when edging Southee to wicketkeeper Tom Blundell. The 21-year-old looked crestfallen as he exited after a 118-ball knock which featured 10 fours and three sixes.

Opener Duckett was closing on his fifth Test ton when he played on off Southee (2-72), ending an innings of 112 balls.

First-Test centurion Harry Brook reached 55 before being caught in the deep off spinner Glenn Phillips while Root put some modest recent form behind him to post another batting milestone.

Root became only the fourth player to reach 50 runs in 100 different Test innings.

Ollie Pope fell for 10 off seamer Matt Henry (2-76), who earlier dismissed Zak Crawley for eight, continuing a lean series for the opener. In 19 Test innings against the Black Caps, Crawley has scored just 193 runs at an average of 10.15.

In-form England seamer Brydon Carse shapes as a key figure for the remainder of the Test, finishing with 4-46 in New Zealand’s first innings, including both overnight batters after they had resumed at 86-5.

Blundell was bowled for 16 before nightwatchman Will O’Rourke was out lbw for a 26-ball duck. New Zealand added 39 runs off 8.5 overs in the morning, with Phillips not out on 16.

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WELLINGTON: New Zealand lost five wickets to be on the ropes after England posted 280 courtesy of Harry Brook’s century on the first day of the second Test of the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy here at Basin Reserve on Friday.

New Zealand were struggling on 86-5, with England capturing the key wicket of Kane Williamson soon before stumps, leaving Tom Blundell at the crease on seven and nightwatchman Will O’Rourke yet to score.

It was a fast-moving opening day, in a similar vein to the first Test in Christchurch, which the tourists won by eight wickets in three and a half days.

Brook set the tone with his brilliant 123 off 115 balls, following on from his match-winning 171 at Hagley Oval. He again rescued England, who had crumbled in the first hour to 43-4 after being sent in on a green Basin Reserve pitch.

New Zealand top order also struggled badly against seam and bounce through an intense last 26 overs of the day against an in-form bowling attack of England.

Devon Conway was caught behind off Gus Atkinson for 11 before fellow opener Tom Latham was clean-bowled by captain counterpart Ben Stokes for 17. Rachin Ravindra departed for three, caught by a diving Brydon Carse in close off Chris Woakes.

The lively Carse (2-28) then claimed the scalp of dangerman Williamson, caught by diving wicketkeeper Ollie Pope for 37.

Daryl Mitchell, on six, snicked a second catch to Pope, down the leg side off Carse.

Williamson had survived some near scrapes early in his knock, including being bowled by a superb delivery from Carse, before the anguished seamer was found to have bowled a no-ball by overstepping the mark.

Earlier, Brook’s fifth-wicket partnership with Pope (66) proved decisive, the pair counter-punching their way out of trouble with 174 off just 158 balls.

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The stand was reminiscent of the first Test when the same pair combined for a rapid 151 to revive their first innings.

Brook was run out on the last ball of the second session after powering England out of trouble to 259-7 before the final three wickets fell quickly after tea. The in-form Brook registered his eighth century in just 23 Tests, having scored 171 at Hagley Oval a week ago.

The lanky 25-year-old’s power once again couldn’t be contained by New Zealand’s seam-heavy attack, striking five sixes and 11 fours before his concentration slipped.

He set off for a single to short midwicket but Woakes didn’t respond and Brook was caught short when bowler Nathan Smith hit the stumps in his follow-through.

O’Rourke (3-49) earlier removed Pope, who mistimed a pull shot, and the pace bowler struck again to dismiss Stokes for two, caught behind.

Smith (4-86) helped to wrap up the tail, having claimed two wickets with the new ball, along with Matt Henry (2-43).

New Zealand’s poor catching from Christchurch was quickly forgotten, snapping up three sharp chances in the opening overs.

The impressive Henry had Ben Duckett caught by a diving Latham at second slip without scoring before bowling fellow-opener Zak Crawley for 17.

Smith had both Jacob Bethell (16) and Joe Root (3) caught behind, with Mitchell grabbing a flyer with one hand at first slip to remove Root.

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Kane Williamson has made history by becoming the first batter from New Zealand to score 9,000 runs in Test cricket. Moreover, he reached this milestone faster than some of the greatest Test batters, including Younis Khan and Virat Kohli.

Williamson achieved the historic milestone during the second innings of the ongoing first Test of the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy against England in Christchurch. The former New Zealand captain played a gutsy 61-run knock before he fell prey to Chris Woakes on Day 3.

He took 182 innings to reach the milestone, becoming the eighth quickest to score 9000 runs in Test cricket.

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In doing so, he surpassed many greats of the game, including Younis Khan, who took 184 innings, while current batters Joe Root and Virat Kohli, reached the landmark in 196 and 197 innings respectively.

Steve Smith is the only active batter who scored 9000 runs in fewer innings than Williamson, reaching it in 174 innings. Meanwhile, legendary Sri Lankan batter Kumar Sangakkara holds the record for being the fastest to the milestone with 172 innings.

It’s worth noting that Kane Williamson is New Zealand’s highest run-scorer of all-time, followed by Ross Taylor, who scored 7683 runs.

Fastest to 9000 runs in Test cricket

• Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) — 172
• Steve Smith (Australia) — 174
• Rahul Dravid (India) — 176
• Brian Lara (West Indies) — 177
• Ricky Ponting (Australia) — 177
• Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) — 178
• Sachin Tendulkar (India) — 179
• Kane Williamson (New Zealand) — 182

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CHRISTCHURCH: A sustained seam attack by Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse following a belligerent batting effort saw England on the verge of victory in the first Test of the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy against New Zealand at stumps on day three on Saturday.

New Zealand were 155-6 at the close, ahead by just four runs and with only four wickets remaining. Daryl Mitchell was not out 31 with Nathan Smith on one.

England made 499 in their first innings, taking an imposing 151-run lead, courtesy of a dominant 171-run knock by Harry Brook.

Captain Ben Stokes and Ollie Pope provided ample support to Brook with their dominant knocks of 80 and 77 runs respectively, followed by spirited cameos of Gus Atkinson (48) and Carse (33).

It was then the turn of England seamers, who wreaked havoc against New Zealand batters. The hosts’ salvage attempt faltered at the start with Tom Latham caught by Brook for one to give Woakes his first wicket in the third over.

Devon Conway was on eight when his attempt to pull Carse to the boundary was miscued to Atkinson at mid-on and New Zealand were tottering at 23-2.

Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra set about stitching the innings together as they put on 41 for the third wicket before Ravindra went for 24.

The left-hander could not resist pulling a short ball from Carse but failed to get on top of the bounce and was caught by Jacob Bethell waiting at mid-wicket.

Woakes returned to remove Williamson and Tom Blundell in successive balls to end the day with 3-39.

Williamson, so often called upon to rescue his country, had been unruffled until on 61 — his second half-century of the Test — he missed a straight delivery and was trapped plumb in front of the stumps.

With his next ball, Woakes found the faintest edge of Blundell’s bat but he was denied a hat-trick by Glenn Phillips who pushed a short ball towards the covers.

Phillips progressed to 19 before he was given out lbw to a Carse delivery that nipped back into the batsman.

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New Zealand sought a review but replays showed the ball was skimming the bails and the decision was the umpires call and Carse had 3-22.

Earlier, England resumed the day at 319-5 and raced along at six an over before being all out after lunch. A masterful Brook, who benefitted from five of the eight catches spilled by New Zealand, led England’s rescue after they were left reeling at 71-4.

The only good news for New Zealand was that while they dropped two more catches on day three, they successfully held five.

Brook smiled and looked to the heavens when Phillips missed a chance at 147, having been dropped the previous day on 18, 41, 70, and 106.

Four overs after his last reprieve, he brought up his 150 in imperious fashion, charging down the wicket at Tim Southee with the second new ball and driving him to the cover boundary.

But when New Zealand found a way to make catches stick, Brook’s innings, which included 15 fours and three sixes, came to an end.

A good length ball from Matt Henry found a faint outside edge and wicketkeeper Blundell grasped the opportunity.

The applause as Brook left the ground was as much for New Zealand holding a catch as it was for a magnificent innings.

Woakes (one) was out on the second ball he faced with Latham scooping up a low-level chance at the second slip.

Smith ended Atkinson’s breezy innings with Phillips taking a smart catch at long leg.

Henry was the most successful New Zealand bowler against England with 4-84. Smith took 3-141.

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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 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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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.

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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