Just before tea on the opening day of the second Test, Harry Brook was called into action with his gentle medium pace, operating to Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell while England stationed both a leg slip and a leg gully in anticipation.
The unusual setup came from Joe Root, once seen as a cautious captain but now, perhaps, making a case for another spell in charge after stepping in following the ECB’s emergency call. In the current climate around English cricket, it was simply another twist in an increasingly unpredictable story.
Whether this match is ultimately remembered as the beginning of England’s next chapter will likely depend on if Ben Stokes and the ECB can reach some sort of resolution after his late-night incident at the Rex Rooms in Chelsea. For now, New Zealand ended the day on 291 for seven after being put in to bat against England’s most inexperienced seam attack since 2003.
Debutant Sonny Baker made an energetic and wholehearted impression, claiming two wickets, while Matthew Fisher also struck — his first Test dismissal coming 1,553 days after the last one.
Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue chipped in as well, and no New Zealand batter managed to reach a half-century until Blundell pulled Jacob Bethell for four shortly after 6.15pm.
But the momentum shifted again almost immediately. Two deliveries later, Blundell tried to slog-sweep Bethell’s left-arm spin towards midwicket, only for Root to leap, palm the ball above his head, and complete the catch on the rebound, finishing the moment with a youthful smile.
England restricted New Zealand to 291-7 on day one of the second Test at The Oval
England gave debuts to Jordan Cox, James Rew and Sonny Baker (pictured left to right)
Matt Fisher was also back in for his second Test cap, more than four years after his debut
If this pitch gets better for batting, as county surfaces here have tended to this summer, his side are in the game.
Above all, though, this felt like a day when England did their best to pretend it was business as usual, without really convincing anyone.
Successive press conferences in the week before this Test from managing director Rob Key, head coach Brendon McCullum and Root himself had focused increasingly on Stokes’s mental health in the aftermath of his now infamous night out with Gus Atkinson.
But with no one able to provide any meaningful insight into his state of mind, or any assurance that he will resume the captaincy once the storm has passed, the door has been left open to speculation – principally whether Root might stay at the helm all the way through to next summer’s Ashes.
Perhaps in an effort to show he really has learned from the Bazball playbook in the four years since he stepped down, Root was at times too clever by half as he strove to justify his decision to bowl.
With the ball swinging, and on a pitch offering movement, he frequently limited his slip cordon to two, and posted a man round the corner on the leg side.
Distracted from the time-honoured tactics of aiming for the top of off, England’s raw attack were too straight, and many of the 42 leaked in byes, leg-byes and wides disappeared between debutant wicketkeeper James Rew – powerless, it should be said, to stem the flow – and leg slip.
Late in the day, Root went for a lone slip and an umbrella field, with men in front of the bat waiting for the miscued drive.
Up in the Sky Sports commentary box, Nasser Hussain did his best to sound diplomatic: ‘If you looked at the field now, you’d be thinking England are playing on the subcontinent,’ he said.
‘Root’s gone funky on a surface you don’t need to.’
Only when Archer was threatening to knock the head off Glenn Phillips in the final hour did the cricket trade curiosity for combat, and Root will be wary of Phillips’s ability to counter-attack tomorrow morning.
Joe Root was captaining England for the first time since 2022 in the absence of Ben Stokes
Jofra Archer bowled several hostile spells throughout the day but could only take one wicket
Sonny Baker took 2-63 on his first day as a Test cricketer and bowled fast after running in hard
England will argue, no doubt, that the day’s many vignettes confirmed their pre-match excitement about unleashing a new pace attack.
Fisher had Devon Conway gloving down leg in his third over, though otherwise failed to make the most of the new ball on his home ground, before Archer had Tom Latham brilliantly caught by Bethell in the gully off a leading edge for 27. Lunch was taken at a stately 75 for two – a rare concession to convention.
Briefly, England threatened to take control. Henry Nicholls, New Zealand’s replacement for the now-retired Kane Williamson, chopped on against Tongue in the fourth over after the break.
And when Rachin Ravindra was well held by Bethell for 33 to give a jubilant Baker his first international wicket, it was 107 for four.
But Mitchell and Blundell, who combined so prolifically on New Zealand’s last visit here, in 2022, took advantage of Root’s over-elaborations and the rawness of the attack to add a restorative 81.
And it came as a surprise when Baker – fretting over the footholds after changing from the Vauxhall to the Pavilion End – had Mitchell spooning a pull to Emilio Gay at short midwicket on 44.
New Zealand wicket-keeper Tom Blundell passed 50 as day one ended well poised
Glenn Phillips battled hard for 49 not out and took the unusual step of wearing sunglasses while batting
Phillips, meanwhile, continued to bat with the freedom he had displayed during his side’s defeat at Lord’s, regularly timing the ball to the vast unguarded area between third man and deep point, and only slowing down when Archer tested his reflexes during a thundering spell in the early-evening sunshine.
With England’s over-rate even more dilatory than usual, Root turned to Bethell. After winkling out Blundell, he somehow persuaded Nathan Smith to top-edge a full-toss, which was well held by Jordan Cox as he ran back from leg slip.
It was a chaotic end to an eccentric day. If English cricket really is in a holding pattern as we await news of Stokes’s fate, it was not a holding pattern anyone immediately recognised.
