Thoughts on a Test Match

So, to no-one's great surprise, the first test between England and New Zealand ended in a draw. Commendations are due Daniel Vettori for his bowling and Jacob Oram for the century that ensured England would have no chance to snatch an improbable victory.

England's pusillanimous tactics made achieving victory, however, very much more improbable than it needed to have been.

As I remarked to my father at the time, the key moment was England's feeble decision to go off for bad light on the second evening. Cook and Strauss had by that stage put on nearly 70 and were trundling along in perfect comfort. At no stage did they look troubled, nor, it scarcely needs saying, were the New Zealand bowlers likely to cause the batsmen physical harm. Since significant playing-time had already been lost and the forecast was (accurately!) grim for Saturday, England should have batted on regardless of the light.

But no, off they skipped, relieved no doubt to avoid any potential embarrassment that might have been caused had they lost a brace of wickets on Friday evening. Such is the modern way. Leaving aside the question as to whether or not the spectators deserved a better, gutsier show form England (which, of course, they did) this decision proved to be of pivotal importance. Put simply, an extra hour of batting on the second day could have given England an extra hour to bowl New Zealand out on the fifth day.

As if this were not enough, England then batted feebly on the fourth day too. The situation demanded some oomph in the afternoon session, instead England plodded along batting with neither urgency nor, seemingly, any awareness that the game could still have been won even if the Kiwis didn't collape in their second innings.

I actually thought Vaughan could have declared as soon as England surpassed New Zealand's first innings' total. Alternatively he could have called for quick runs. Instead he did neither and England footered along, increasing New Zealand's chances of saving the match. A bolder captain might even have declared while still 40 runs behind, working on the principle that England could bowl New Zealand out in two sessions and still have four hours or more to win the game themselves. That would have been enterprisig, imaginative captaincy.

Vaughan could have - even should have - realised that there was no prospect of New Zealand doing anything that might risk losing the game. Vettori was not going to set England any achievable target, so Vaughan should have taken decisions that would give his bowlers the most time to snaffle ten Kiwi wickets. A worst case scenario might have left England chasing 250 or so in 35 overs. Now, sure, a draw would have remained the most probable outcome but, as in fact happened, England would lose nothing if they weren't able to dismiss the New Zealanders but their mismangement of clock and tempo limited their ability, even in better-case scenarios, to win the game.

Either mistake - not pressing on the fourth day and going off on the second - could have been avoided; pairing them doomed England in all but the most fortuitous of circumstances. If one mark of great captaincy is enjoying the tactical nous to give your side its best chance of winning then it must be argued that Vaughan failed at Lord's.

Still, for a Kiwi interpretation of the play I recommend the Political Umpire.

Here's hoping for more imaginative - and braver - cricket from England at Old Trafford. Happily, I shall be there on Saturday, trusting that, for once, the weather will hold. If any readers are also attending, let me know and perhaps we can organise a quick Debatable Land meeting durin gthe luncheon break or tea interval.

PS: One other reason to despair of English cricket - the team's ghaslty new sweaters which look like a boy-band's interpretation of what cricketers should wear. Straight out of a horrific, cheesy, pop music video. The contrast with New Zealand's traditional, fetching cable-knit jerseys was marked and not in England's favour. Hopefully this experiement will last no longer than the similarly ill-advised preference for baseball-style caps...

Comments

[Political Umpire]

Thanks for the link. I agree that England's tactics deserve little credit and have already posted that I think their outfit a disgrace.

Fact is that England came badly unstuck in the first test of the winter tour in part, I suspect, because they underestimated the Kiwis. Ever since then they've been like rabbits in the headlights. NZ continue to punch above their weight and, I'm afraid to say, England continue to punch below their's.

Notwithstanding that I think England will probably win the series. As I've said that will just mean they will conclude nothing needs to be changed, and will trudge on towards South Africa and get a lesson or two.