*Official* New Zealand in England 2015

[kiwiviktor81]

Wow. Rare to have seen such a day of total Black Cap domination. Save for a 5-minute period when Latham and Guptill got out, that was 100% our day.

A point about Kane Williamson, with reference to the 242* that he scored in the previous match. There are good batsmen, there are great batsmen, and there are batsmen with the potential to play innings that psychologically devastate the opposition. The sort of innings that made them wish they never played cricket. There's probably never more than 5 such batsmen going around in world cricket at any one time, but Williamson is one of them. England will be having nightmares tonight about a Williamson daddy hundred. Williamson will be thanking his cricketing gods that McCullum bled so many runs in the first innings because he will fantasise about scoring a triple century here.

England didn't bowl badly at any point today. They lacked incisiveness and didn't create many chances but their lines and lengths were generally pretty tight. It was just a day of absolutely first rate batting from the BCs.

As it is, there is potential for McCullum and Anderson to completely bat England out of the game tomorrow and leave them chasing a draw for 2 days.

 

[indiaholic]

Easy.. He hasn't even reached his century yet.

 

[Spark]

Batsmen like those exist. Williamson is not one of them. Don't go all Blocky on us here.

 

[GIMH]

Didn't see a single ball of today. Going to pretend it didn't happen.

 

[kiwiviktor81]

Batsmen like those exist. Williamson is not yet one of them.

I dunno. He faced 141 balls today. On exactly two of them did he look even vaguely like possibly going out.

Also, if McCullum comes in against the new ball tomorrow I'm sure he's going to see the big gaps in the field and go into World Cup mode. Could be a very interesting day. A lot has to go England's way to even get back to parity here.

 

[kiwiviktor81]

Easy.. He hasn't even reached his century yet.

I'm not saying a triple is on, I'm saying that Williamson's mind is likely settling in for a monstrous innings.

 

[Spark]

I dunno. He faced 141 balls today. On exactly two of them did he look even vaguely like possibly going out.

Also, if McCullum comes in against the new ball tomorrow I'm sure he's going to see the big gaps in the field and go into World Cup mode. Could be a very interesting day. A lot has to go England's way to even get back to parity here.

It's a road, samey attack coming in after a platform has been set. Stokes's innings yesterday far closer to what you're describing.

It's a good innings, the sort that happens once a test on average. Nothing more.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

As it is, there is potential for McCullum and Anderson to completely bat England out of the game tomorrow and leave them chasing a draw for 2 days.

That's true but there is also potential for J Anderson & co to strike with the new ball early in the morning so that we only have a lead of 50 and then we have to bat last against Moeen turning it square.


Nonetheless NZ will take a lot of confidence from recent tests in which the opposition have scored 350+ in the first dig and been on top more than England were after day 1 and we've responded with huge scores and crushing victories (3rd test v Pak & 2nd test v SL)

 

[indiaholic]

Agreed that he knows how to go about constructing a test innings. His concentration doesn't waver easily. But then again tomorrow is a new day..

 

[kiwiviktor81]

It's a good innings, the sort that happens once a test on average. Nothing more.

So far.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

KW's last 3 series
Against WI - new high score 161*, against Pak - new high score 192, against SL new high score 242*


A big daddy 100 is on. The new ball is key

 

[Spark]

So far.

If we speculated about 250+ scores every time a decent batsman made 90 we would be doing little else.

It's not even the best innings of the match so far, lay off the "top five batsmen in the world" stuff. He might nick one in five overs when the new rock comes and not even get to 100

 

[kiwiviktor81]

That's true but there is also potential for J Anderson & co to strike with the new ball early in the morning so that we only have a lead of 50 and then we have to bat last against Moeen turning it square.


Nonetheless NZ will take a lot of confidence from recent tests in which the opposition have scored 350+ in the first dig and been on top more than England were after day 1 and we've responded with huge scores and crushing victories (3rd test v Pak & 2nd test v SL)

Sure. England are still definitely in this.

 

[kiwiviktor81]

If we speculated about 250+ scores every time a decent batsman made 90 we would be doing little else.

I don't think 'decent' is the right word. We're talking about a batting machine that has now scored 334 runs without going out.

And yeah, I speculated about a Root double hundred when he was on 80+. You've got to consider the possibility that, as long as the batsman doesn't go out, he can play a match winning innings.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

If we speculated about 250+ scores every time a decent batsman made 90 we would be doing little else.

It's not even the best innings of the match so far, lay off the "top five batsmen in the world" stuff. He might nick one in five overs when the new rock comes and not even get to 100

He's ranked 6th in the world, will probably go past Angelo Matthews after this innings and Sanga is about to finish. Certainly up in the top 5 batsmen in the world.

 

[OverratedSanity]

It's not even the best innings of the match so far, lay off the "top five batsmen in the world" stuff. He might nick one in five overs when the new rock comes and not even get to 100

He probably is in the top 5 tbh.

 

[Pratters]

Thought New Zealand might get 500+ given how slow the pitch is, but restrained from posting it as at times the opposite happens. This pitch is terrible, has to be said.

 

[Furball]

Lord's has been a disgrace for years, one of the worst pitches in world cricket.

 

[Pratters]

It's a relief some how to see Wood instead of Jordan for England. The attack is so much better.

 

[Moss]

At the very least here's hoping the (recent) tradition of NZ getting someone on the honours board on each trip continues with KW, he definitely deserves it for keeping himself in shape given such a rubbish build-up.

The good thing about this test match has been the scoring rates. Even if it's all been mostly in favour of the batsmen since the first session yesterday, there's plenty of time for a result. NZ should be feeling pretty happy and looking at building a decent lead, but England should see they have a chance with the new ball early tomorrow.