(ESPN Cricinfo) – Half-centuries to Tom Latham and Mitchell Santner added some gloss to a battling New Zealand innings on the opening day of the third and final Test against England in Hamilton.
Whereas the second Test was a maelstrom of match-shaping moments, this Test progressed at an altogether more believable pace, but the situation at stumps was similar, New Zealand having blown a position of strength in the face of a persistent England performance that left the day evenly poised, thanks in no small part to Santner’s unbeaten fifty off 54 balls with his side nine wickets down.
In Wellington, New Zealand ended the first day on the back foot at 86 for 5 in response to their opponents’ 280, clawed back from 4 for 43. Here, an opening partnership of 105 between Latham and Will Young – standing in while Devon Conway is on paternity leave – had the hosts in unfamiliar territory for this series before they lurched to 231 for 7, losing five wickets for 59 runs.
But a neat cameo of 23 in 10 balls from Tim Southee in his farewell match, which included three sixes to take his tally to 98 from his 107-Test career, and Santner’s late charge lifted them to 315 for 9 at the close, the Black Caps adding 76 runs off the last eight overs of the day.
England’s bowlers lacked bite in the first session, but they frustrated New Zealand through the middle session and lured them into some loose shot selection during the evening.
Latham’s half-century underpinned the hosts’ steady start after Young failed to add to his 42 runs after lunch – a staggering 40 of those coming in fours – and Kane Williamson couldn’t convert, falling for 44 when he was bowled in slow-motion trying in vain to kick a Matthew Potts delivery away from his stumps.
Were it not for Santner’s freewheeling knock, New Zealand could have been in a worse state with no other batter passing Southee’s score from No. 10.
New Zealand’s recalibrated opening partnership of Latham and Young expertly navigated the morning session, reaching lunch at 93 without loss after being sent in by England under skies that had turned from bright to overcast within the hour before play and then returned to blazing sunshine after the main meal break.
Young made a watchful start, facing 10 deliveries before he got off the mark with four off Potts, himself making his first appearance of the series in replacing Chris Woakes.
Young was into his work after that, no doubt to the delight of New Zealand fans who had been willing his inclusion after his Player-of-the-Series performance on the Black Caps’ successful tour of India, which was just a matter of weeks ago but felt so distant as their side slid to a 2-0 deficit against England.
He was streaky to begin with, his next two boundaries coming off the edge through backward point and piercing the cordon. But by halfway through the morning session, Young and Latham had negotiated a nibbling pitch to ease their way to 46 without loss, already more than double New Zealand’s previous best opening partnership this series.
Shortly after the first drinks break, Young had helped himself to six fours all up, punishing Brydon Carse twice in one over as the England quick struggled to nail his lengths. Latham was dropped on 12 and 53 by Ben Duckett, either side of England breaking his stand with Young, prised out by an excellent Gus Atkinson delivery that drew an edge to Harry Brook at second slip.
Williamson – unaccustomed to waiting so long to be called upon in this series – pulled a Carse short ball through deep backward square for four. And, when Potts finally had Latham caught down the leg side, it looked like Williamson would again need to stand up for his team, albeit from a superior position of 142 for 2.
Having burnt a review as Ben Stokes hopefully sought to have Latham out caught behind off his own bowling, the England captain wisely over-ruled wicketkeeper Ollie Pope’s insistence that he’d snaffled Williamson down the leg side off Stokes for 20, replays vindicating Stokes’ decision.
Rachin Ravindra spooned Carse straight to Duckett at gully for a soft dismissal, and, apart from Williamson’s freakish dismissal trying to fend Potts back down the pitch only to lose the ball behind him as it evaded his searching boot and dribbled into the base of middle stump, the loose wickets continued.
Daryl Mitchell picked out Stokes at mid-off, Glenn Phillips swung wildly at a Potts ball outside off and sent it straight to Zak Crawley at backward point, and Blundell chipped Carse to cover point, where Jacob Bethell took a strong catch above his head.
It took some special fielding by Brook to remove Matt Henry hooking Stokes to the young England star, who pulled the ball down inside the boundary rope and parried it up before he went over, jumping back in to complete the catch.
Santner, brought in as a frontline spinner for this game at the expense of Nathan Smith, was hit on the top of the helmet by a Stokes bouncer, but he shrugged off the blow to play a key role in New Zealand’s recovery.
Southee delighted his home crowd when he swung Stokes for back-to-back sixes, eliciting an involuntary grin from Stokes, who conceded 17 off the over.
Seemingly determined to reach his ton of maximums, Southee slammed the first delivery with the second new ball for another six over deep midwicket off Atkinson, and a fumble on the boundary by Duckett resulted in four off the next ball. Two balls later, however, Southee’s fun was over when he tried to go down the ground and skied to Carse at mid-off.
A four off Potts in the final over drew Santner within reach of his fifty, and he grabbed it in style, launching the last ball of the day for six over long-off. Potts ended with 3 for 75 and Atkinson 3 for 55.
