Joe Root had spoken before the match about the “fun” of stepping back into the captaincy, but his face told a different story when umpire Nitin Menon upheld Matt Henry’s lbw appeal at a pivotal moment in the second Test.
Root’s departure for 46 late on day two, followed soon after by Harry Brook’s dismissal — also trapped lbw by Henry — left England facing a major challenge if they are to stop New Zealand securing the victory that would force a series decider next week in Nottingham.
Adding to the intrigue, Ben Stokes has been included in Durham’s squad for their Championship fixture against Northamptonshire at Chester-le-Street. That raises the prospect of an awkward scenario for the ECB: one England captain enjoying success on the domestic stage while still sidelined, as another risks overseeing defeat in a Test England badly need to win. So much for fun.
By the close, England had battled their way to 222 for six in response to New Zealand’s imposing 391. Debutant Jordan Cox looked composed in making an unbeaten 22, but with the lower order already in view, England appear to have a steep climb ahead.
New Zealand’s overnight 291 for seven had arguably made England’s first day look better than it was. Root had complicated a task that called for little more than orthodox fields and disciplined bowling around off stump, and on the second morning matters slipped badly as a difficult spell reopened familiar questions about his tactical judgement.
As has happened more than once during Brendon McCullum’s tenure, England’s approach to the tail seemed to rely on retreating into defensive fields and banging the ball in short. Once again, the plan backfired.
Joe Root’s England are up against it in the second Test against New Zealand at the Oval
Matt Henry dismissed Root and Harry Brook in quick succession to turn the tide in the away side’s favour
It didn’t help their cause that Ben Duckett somehow dropped Kyle Jamieson at deep midwicket off Sonny Baker in the day’s third over. But what was worse was the adherence to a plan that has routinely left England struggling to finish off opponents.
By mid-morning drinks, New Zealand’s eighth-wicket pair of Phillips and Jamieson had helped themselves to 74 runs from 12 overs of unmitigated dross, with Jofra Archer – presumably still recovering from his fierce eight-over spell on the first evening – a peripheral figure at mid-on.
Jacob Bethell bowled Jamieson for 41, but by now New Zealand had moved well past the 350 they had identified as a decent total, and they were soon celebrating Phillips’s first Test hundred, an intelligent counter-attack full of clean off-side blows.
Finally summoned at 12.30pm, Archer had Henry slogging to mid-off, before Phillips pulled Matthew Fisher to Gay at deep midwicket. But a total of 391, including a profligate 53 extras, was roughly 100 more than England should have allowed New Zealand after reducing them to 107 for four and 188 for five, and Root’s one-dimensional tactics did little to encourage thoughts that he is the right man to lead the side if the Stokes saga remains unresolved.
England needed to bat sensibly on a pitch still full of runs, but a fortnight of self-inflicted damage continued when Emilio Gay called Duckett through for a non-existent single into the off side, and turned round in horror to see his partner beaten to the striker’s end by Nathan Smith’s direct hit.
The dismissal was a waste in more ways than one, since Duckett had moved fluently to 36 in 25 balls, and looked odds on for a first Test half-century since last summer. He could barely drag himself off.
As clouds gathered, Bethell nibbled fatally at Smith to make it 68 for two, and it needed another mature innings from Gay, and all Root’s experience, to prevent further damage before tea.
New Zealand had plainly learned from England’s harebrained bowling tactics. Jamieson was expensive, but his three seam-bowling colleagues settled into the kind of time-honoured line and length that England appear to find so distasteful.
Dropped captain Ben Stokes is preparing to play for Durham in the County Championship
Gay brought up a hard-earned fifty, his second in his three Test innings, but then turned his back on a short delivery from Will O’Rourke: New Zealand’s review revealed the ball had brushed the glove, ending a third-wicket stand of 74.
And when Henry – with wicketkeeper Tom Blundell up to the stumps – pinned Root, two runs short of 14,000 in Tests, and Brook, for 24, in successive overs, England had slipped to 177 for five.
James Rew played some nice strokes in his first Test innings, but O’Rourke mercilessly targeted an obvious weakness against the short ball. After Rachin Ravindra dropped one top-edged hook at long leg, Rew provided Daryl Mitchell, running back from slip, with an easier chance, and was sent on his way for 24 by some invective from a pumped-up O’Rourke.
If Stokes does return as captain for the third Test at Trent Bridge, he may find a team in need of a few forceful words of his own.
