1st Test
Day-1 Highlights:
Kane Williamson has made a strong return but England has continued to make inroads
At The Stumps of Day-1:
New Zealand scored 319/8 (1st Innings) vs England.
Kane Williamson returned in style, compiling a typically astute 93 against England on the opening day of the first Test in Christchurch.
For two sessions, New Zealand’s batters capitalized on surprisingly good batting conditions on a green top at Hagley Oval.
However, after Tea, England began to make significant inroads, taking eight wickets by the end of the day’s play.
Shoaib Bashir, who bowled 20 of the 83 overs on Day 1, claimed four wickets as New Zealand ended the day at 319/8.
Ben Stokes was quick to decide to bowl first, anticipating that his bowlers would exploit the new ball on a pitch with a “nice covering of grass.”
Gus Atkinson provided immediate success, taking a sharp catch off his own bowling to dismiss Devon Conway in the second over.
New Zealand made the questionable decision to bench Will Young—their player of the series in the historic 3-0 win in India—but Williamson quickly justified the decision.
He was scratchy early on, with England’s pacers generating some seam movement, but he weathered the storm and consolidated, as he is known to do.
Tom Latham contributed in the early stages, playing stylish shots through point, cover, and mid-off whenever the ball was in his arc.
In the second-wicket partnership worth 58 runs, Williamson scored just eight.
Right after the drinks break, Brydon Carse dismissed Latham, who was caught behind for 47 off just 54 balls.
Williamson, alongside Rachin Ravindra, became the first New Zealand batter to score 1000-plus runs against four or more different teams in Test cricket.
Throughout the session, England’s fast bowlers struggled with the landing area, as the moisture under the pitch caused problems.
Ravindra and Williamson kept the scoring rate steady at nearly four runs per over, including an over from Stokes in which Williamson struck one through covers and pulled another behind square off successive deliveries.
The partnership between Williamson and Ravindra flourished, but Bashir broke it against the run of play.
Ravindra attempted to charge the spinner, only to flick the ball straight to Zak Crawley at mid-wicket.
Williamson adjusted to Bashir’s lengths, taking on the spinner while building another partnership with Daryl Mitchell.
The pair carried New Zealand to Tea at 193/3, leaving Stokes searching for breakthroughs.
However, the final session saw a dramatic shift.
With no help from the pitch or in the air, the England quicks resorted to short-pitched deliveries, which soon reaped rewards.
Mitchell fell trying to pull a delivery from Carse, top-edging it to Harry Brook at third man.
Williamson, seven runs shy of a century, was enticed by width outside the off-stump but ended up cutting a ball to Crawley at backward point off Atkinson.
From 227/5, New Zealand rapidly slipped to 252/7, with Bashir dismissing Tom Blundell and Nathan Smith.
Matt Henry and Glenn Phillips, who was dropped on 0 by Ben Stokes, looked as though they might survive the remainder of the day, but Bashir returned to dismiss Henry, who holed out to Ben Duckett at long-on for his fourth wicket.
Tim Southee and Phillips batted out the final 4.1 overs to close the day.
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