Both England and New Zealand remain unchanged ahead of the second Test Match of the Crowe-Thorpe series, getting underway tomorrow, at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.
England comfortably took the first Test in Christchurch, surpassing New Zealand (who were left to rue their sloppy display in the field) by 8 wickets, with debutant, Jacob Bethell, hitting the winning runs, whilst simultaneously bringing up his maiden test match fifty. Over the last three weeks, Bethell has taken unimaginable leaps in his career. Making both his white ball debuts against Australia at the backend of the English summer, he immediately looked at ease, notching half-centuries in both the T20 and 50-over series, and producing some match-defining knocks.
At just 21 years old, Bethell already has a level of confidence and maturity years above his age, admitting that “Pretty much every time I’ve played against better people, I’ve played better.” His youthful conviction quickly caught the eye of Indian giants, Royal Challengers Bangalore, who picked the Barbados-born Englishman up in the recent IPL mega auction, signing him for an eyewatering £240,000.
Having previously been signed by the ECB on a developmental contract, Bethell advanced his career further still, with the ECB announcing yesterday that Bethell has since signed a 2-year central contract with England. His performance in the first Test in Christchurch, where he produced a gritty knock of 10 in the first innings, followed by an unbeaten 50 off just 37 balls in the second innings, was enough to maintain his position at number 3 for the second Test match of the series.
Our XI for the second Test against New Zealand has been announced ????@IGcom | #EnglandCricket
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) https://twitter.com/englandcricket/status/1864112384673268040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Ben Stokes, when asked if Ollie Robinson (wicketkeeping replacement for the injured Jordan Cox) would slot into the side at 6, returning Ollie Pope to his regular position at number three, replied that “Baz and I have looked back at that game, and the whole team set up and makeup looked really good”.
The initial assumption was that Pope would drop down to number six, taking the gloves whilst Bethell filled in at 3 only for the first match, allowing Ollie Robinson to sort out his passport, and fly to Wellington to join the team for the second Test. However, a comprehensive victory in Christchurch prompted Stokes and McCullum to remain with the side, making it apparent that Pope will remain at 6 for the rest of the series, despite his claims that he wants to remain at number three for the rest of his England career.
With Bethell looking at at least another two test matches at number three, rounding off the English red-ball winter, it is possible that he may be able to stake his claim at the top of the order, potentially displacing Pope ahead of the English summer, with Jamie Smith set to make his return. Stokes has also said that Smith will immediately slot back into the side, with Pope returning to the number three position – but some strong performances from Bethell during the remainder of the series may just see him edge the vice-captain out of that role.
-Pope has notoriously struggled recently at the top of the order, as he notched more runs in his first innings at Christchurch (77) than he did throughout the entirety of England’s three-match tour of Pakistan last month. His skittish approach to facing the new ball seems to be the polar opposite of Bethell, who looked confident and authoritative in the first test match.
With the second Test drawing nearer, New Zealand will be looking to right the wrongs of the first match, where they dropped a total of 8 catches, 5 of which were off Harry Brook, allowing him to race to 171. Surprisingly, the Blackcaps have opted for the same eleven to take the field, despite recalling Mitch Santner to the squad, who was expected to come in to the team, for Wellington-based Nathan Smith.
New Zealand captain, Tom Latham, remained strongly supportive of his team, adamantly denying any thoughts of dropping veteran Tim Southee on his farewell tour. Latham confirmed that the Blackcaps have undergone two catching sessions in the buildup to the game, although he assured us with a grin that it was “No more than usual”.
The Playing XI were presented their caps today by former @englandcricket rep @Harmy611 at the Cello @BasinReserve.
Players are re-presented their cap ahead of every Test match. #NZvENG pic.twitter.com/Hth9K5wJFh
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) https://twitter.com/BLACKCAPS/status/1864505665206800707?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
A victory for England will confirm a series win, yet New Zealand will have fond memories of this ground, narrowly edging England to a historic 1-run victory, back in February of 2023.
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