Ish Sodhi batted for more than three hours as New Zealand battled to force a draw in Christchurch and secure a series victory. The Cricketer rates the individual performances of both sets of players…
Ish Sodhi batted for more than three hours as New Zealand battled to force a draw in Christchurch and secure a series victory.
The Cricketer rates the individual performances of both sets of players…
Jeet Raval (5 & 17): A disappointing series overall after two low scores in the match. Batted well to seemingly see off the new ball second time around, only to flop a simple catch to midwicket from the first ball of the fifth morning. 4
Tom Latham (0 & 83): Somewhat made amends for his first-innings failure but couldn’t see the job through, playing a loose sweep shot to Leach. 7.5
Kane Williamson (22 & 0): Strangled down the legside in the first innings, the Kiwi captain received a beauty from Broad first up in the second. Not one of his most memorable Tests. Struggled to counter the Wood-Bairstow counter-attack in the field. 3.5
Ross Taylor (2 & 13): A poor series rounded off by a dreadful shot to Leach in the second innings, dollying up a catch to backward square leg when the fielder had just been brought into that exact position. 2.5
Henry Nicholls (0 & 13): Two failures with the bat after his dominant century in the first Test. 3
BJ Watling (85 & 19): A stoic effort in the first innings to save New Zealand from total implosion. Was going nicely in the second before steering Wood to leg gully. 7
Colin de Grandhomme (72 & 45; 0-44 & 4-94): Crucial runs on both visits to the crease, though his dismissal second time around - on the hook to an obvious England plan - will have frustrated him massively. 8
Cook managed just 23 runs at 5.75 in the two-Test series
Tim Southee (50 & DNB; 6-62 & 1-65): Excellent with the ball yet again, and played an entertaining cameo with the bat to help New Zealand keep on England’s tails. 8.5
Neil Wagner (24* & 7; 0-69 & 2-52): More impact with the bat, during his astonishing rearguard action with Sodhi. Points for that remarkable resilience. 8
Ish Sodhi (1 & 56*; 0-31 & 0-46): Barely given a sniff with ball in hand but still made the most crucial contribution of the match. 8
Trent Boult (16 & DNB; 4-87 & 2-89): A superb series continued with persistent threat, achieving much more swing than England’s attack. 7
Alastair Cook (2 & 14): The frustration on the opener’s face when he was dismissed cheaply yet again in the second innings summed up his winter. Class may be permanent but this absence of form, and footwork, is stretching the bounds of the temporary. 3
Mark Stoneman (35 & 60): For all his resilience and determination, the Surrey batsman can’t seem to get to three figures. Again in Christchurch, he dug in twice. Again, he got set. Again, he was dislodged. 7
James Vince (18 & 76): A first Test century again went begging but Vince found it in himself to deliver a very late reminder of his talents. Perhaps enough to keep him in the side for the start of the English summer. 7
Broad claimed 11 wickets at 18.54 in the two Tests
Joe Root (37 & 54; 0-9 & 1-28): Seven Test half-centuries on the winter tour. Zero hundreds. The old nemesis - the conversion rate - just won’t go away. Intelligent captaincy on the final day almost created a route to victory for his team, as well. 7
Dawid Malan (0 & 53; DNB & 0-9): Responded to his first-ball dismissal in the first innings with another classy knock second time around, looking particularly elegant against the short ball. In the space of seven Tests, he’s nailed his name to the England teamsheet. 6.5
Ben Stokes (25 & 12; 0-17 & 0-2): Able to bowl only a handful of lukewarm overs, Stokes needed to contribute as a specialist batsman. It didn’t quite come in Christchurch, where he’ll surely be disappointed with his second-innings dismissal. 4.5
Jonny Bairstow (101 & 36): Showed he really can bat with the tail, sharing in a crucial partnership with Mark Wood in the first innings, on his way to a composed, considered century. Then mixed aggression with shot selection second time around, and was solid with the gloves. All things considered, and non-existent headbutts aside, he’s had a pretty decent winter. 8.5
Stuart Broad (5 & 12; 6-54 & 2-72): This was the Broad England fans know and love. Capable of claiming wickets in bulk, troubling the world’s best and threatening to change the match in his side’s favour. Just when you thought it might be time to move on, he popped up with this performance. 9
Mark Wood (52 & 9; 0-69 & 2-45): More influential with the bat than the ball, which won’t do his chances of keeping his spot against Pakistan many favours. 6
Jack Leach (16 & 14*; 0-52 & 2-61): Found turn and bounce with the ball in the second innings and looked genuinely dangerous - a real buzz for England fans. With the bat, the Somerset man more than held their own. 7.5
Jimmy Anderson (0* & DNB; 4-76 & 1-37): Another masterclass in the first innings, albeit in a supporting role to Broad. 7.5
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