England v New Zealand: Hosts respond to Luke Ronchi rally
- Published
Second Test, day one, Headingley |
New Zealand 297-8: Ronchi 88, Latham 84, McCullum 41 |
England: Yet to bat |
Late wickets dragged England back into contention after a thrilling New Zealand fightback on day one of the second Test at Headingley.
Stuart Broad removed Luke Ronchi (88) and Tom Latham (84) as the tourists closed on 297-8.
They were reduced to 2-2 after rain delayed play by more than two hours, with James Anderson passing 400 Test wickets.
Broad took three wickets and Mark Wood two, but England's bowlers were often wayward.
The home seamers struggled with consistency of length, the spin of Moeen Ali provided no control and profligacy in the field saw Latham dropped three times in five balls.
Despite their early struggle, New Zealand were happy to accept the assistance of the hosts, scoring at more than four and a half runs an over with 44 fours and four sixes in only 65 overs.
Ronchi's 88 came from 70 balls and captain Brendon McCullum bludgeoned 41 from 28.
Ex-England captain Michael Vaughan on Test Match Special |
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"From 2-2, if England had bowled better, it could quite easily have been a day where New Zealand were bowled out for 180. But with the way they've played, aggressively, hitting the bowlers off their lengths, they've given themselves a decent first-innings total." |
Indeed, when Latham and Ronchi were sharing a sixth-wicket stand of 120, it looked as though the Black Caps would end the day in a strong position.
But Broad removed both in the space of three deliveries to put England on the way to the minimum return they would have expected when they won a belated toss and elected to field.
That was in wet conditions ideal for swing bowling, on a green-tinged pitch which offered movement off the surface throughout.
Anderson immediately took advantage, producing a perfect outswinger to have Martin Guptill caught at second slip as he became the first England bowler to reach 400 Test wickets.
Later in the same over, elongated by a rain stoppage, Kane Williamson edged behind and New Zealand would have been 22-3 had Latham not overturned a successful caught-behind appeal off Broad.
Instead, the tourists began to punish a England bowling line-up that failed to match Anderson's accuracy.
They produced wicket-taking moments - Broad enticed Ross Taylor to shoulder arms to be lbw and Wood produced a beauty to take BJ Watling's off stump - but, in between, Latham found a partner in the ultra-aggressive McCullum.
Who is Luke Ronchi? |
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Ronchi is the first Luke to play Test cricket |
He played four ODIs and three T20s for Australia before re-qualifying for New Zealand, the country of his birth |
At 34, Ronchi is the oldest New Zealand Test debutant since Tom Puna in 1966 |
The skipper hit his first delivery from Broad over cover for six and flayed drives on both sides of the wicket in a cameo that threatened to dismantle the England bowling.
It was ended from the first ball after tea, a loose drive at Ben Stokes finding Wood at mid-off.
Latham, now more watchful, found another attacking ally in Ronchi, in the side to keep wicket in place of injured all-rounder Corey Anderson.
The right-hander, who also played for Australia, played handsome drives off the pace bowlers and dished out some brutal treatment to Moeen, with the off-spinner taken for three sixes over the leg side.
Left-hander Latham was reprieved by Wood, Gary Ballance and Alastair Cook before he was held at first slip by Joe Root off Broad, while Ronchi hooked straight to long leg in his next over.
When Tim Southee pulled Wood to deep square leg, it further salvaged England's day.
New Zealand, though, may already have a competitive score, especially if their bowlers are less wasteful than England's.
Listen to Geoffrey Boycott and Jonathan Agnew review the day's play on the Test Match Special podcast.
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