The Cricketer runs the rule over the performances of all 22 players during the first Test between New Zealand and England at Bay Oval...
Jeet Raval (19): Unconvincing in his one trip to the wicket. 4
Tom Latham (8): Didn't get a score early in the first innings. Caught well in the slips and at gully. 3
Kane Williamson (51; DNB & 0-6): Given his lack of match action in recent weeks, the skipper looked in complete control at the crease until he was surprised by a leaper from Curran. 6.5
Ross Taylor (25): Given what happened later in the innings, and the lack of life in the pitch in general, he will have been disappointed not to cash in. 4.5
Henry Nicholls (41): Injected some resolve to the middle of the innings when, briefly, England threatened to take control. 6
BJ Watling (205): Masterful, stoic, durable, combative. Watling outlined just why he is in a two-horse race with Quinton de Kock to be recognised as the best wicketkeeper-batsman in Test cricket. Made the most of a life on 31. 9.5
Colin de Grandhomme (65; 2-41 & 1-15): Made major contributions with both bat and ball. An incredibly valuable component of this team. 9
Mitchell Santner (126; 0-24 & 3-53): Brilliant with the bat, digging in to give New Zealand an insurmountable position in the match and then letting loose to rub England’s faces in the dirt. Ended a run of 101 Kiwi wickets being taken by seamers with three quick dismissals on the fourth evening to set up victory. 9.5
Tim Southee (9; 4-88 & 1-60): Bundled England out first time around, with a little help from the tourists. 7
Neil Wagner (11*; 3-90 & 5-44): Problems with the footholes made him turn to going around the wicket in the second innings, and he immediately dismantled the England middle order. Strong, powerful and always capable of making something happen. 8.5
Trent Boult (1*; 1-97 & 0-6): A low-key outing. Injured during the latter stages of the game and only bowled six overs in the second innings. 5
Jofra Archer cuts a frustrated figure
Rory Burns (52 & 32): Dug in well and looked in reasonable nick in the first innings. Gave his wicket away in outrageous circumstances and highly uncharacteristic fashion on the fourth evening. 6
Dom Sibley (22 & 13): Will need to strengthen up outside off stump as his Test career goes on but there were glimpses of encouragement in the first innings here. One terrific catch at gully. An anxious second innings saw him struggle against spin and off the back foot. 3.5
Joe Denly (74 & 35): While Ben Stokes' first-innings 91 was probably the knock of the match from an England perspective, Denly was his country's stand-out batsman. Showed tremendous staying power once more, and refused to bow to the pressure on day five. Unfortunate dismissal, getting a sliver of a glove on a leaping Wagner delivery. Has nailed down his place for the foreseeable future. 8.5
Joe Root (2 & 11; 1-67 & DNB): Two poor dimissals showed up Root's lack of form with the bat, while the skipper's use of his bowlers provided more questions than answers. 2
Ben Stokes (91 & 28; 2-74 & DNB): Played a major hand in this game, but will no doubt be frustrated with both of his dismissals. The first, when he looked totally dominant, precipitated England's collapse. The second, dragging on after batting superbly for 100 minutes in the rearguard, left him kicking the turf. Added wickets with the ball, but dropped Watling when he was on 31. 8
Ollie Pope (28 & 6): So much better than his two dismissals in this match - both chasing wide balls which he could happily have left alone. 3
Jos Buttler (43 & 0): Dealt a tough hand in the first innings, when he had to make as much hay as possible with the tail. A very peculiar leave second time around. 5
Sam Curran (0 & 29*; 3-119): Bowled well early in New Zealand's innings, and displayed some counterpunching intent when all was almost lost in England's second shot. 6
Jofra Archer (4 & 30; 1-107): Archer's lowest-key international performance to date. Struggled to get lift or real pace out of the playing surface. 4
Jack Leach (18* & 0; 2-153): Did not get a great deal of assistance with the ball - in stark constrast to Santner on day four. Rarely lost his length. Showed typical staying power in the first innings, failed to review his dismissal in the second. 4.5
Stuart Broad (1 & 0; 0-64): Not a lot of joy for England's experienced bowler. 4
Subscribe to The Cricketer this Christmas and receive a £20 John Lewis voucher or Alastair Cook's autobiography. Claim your free gift here
Posted by Philip Walker on 27/11/2019 at 22:03
We know Broad can be mercurial, Archer is still learning his game. Leach needs to turn the ball more, just as Root needs to score decent runs. As for the keeper's slot, surely Bairstow hasn't been forgotten this quickly? The plusses were Denly's growing maturity and Curran's enthusiasm and enterprise. Not much else I'm afraid - especially if Stokes misses the next Test because of Sports Personality!!
Posted by Les Bone on 26/11/2019 at 15:14
As mentioned elsewhere Buttler's keeping was poor. Ben Foakes must keep in South Africa. He is far and away the best keeper in the country and should be given an extended run.
Posted by Marc Evans on 26/11/2019 at 13:01
I know it's not the whole 9 yards but take a look at the 2020 county fixtures and you see why this present set up has problems batting long or bowling sides out on good wickets. 15 championship matches in the 3 months of our high summer gives them precious little chance to practice the necessary red ball skills. Until this is addressed it doesn't matter whose selected, nothing will improve. The best we can hope for is to find a motivator who can at least stop the consistent collapses that plague us at present. When things start to go wrong we don't seem to have the psychological strength to reverse things. The baggage from the recent years of red ball neglect seem to infect whoever's selected at the moment. You have to ask if Chris Silverwood is the man to address this effectively.
Posted by Andrew Clews on 25/11/2019 at 23:45
Strange not to comment of Buttler’s keeping after the controversial decision to give him the gloves. Desperately untidy and shipped 22 byes. Puts his 43 runs in the match in a different light
Posted by David Rimmer on 25/11/2019 at 14:47
Amendment to my intro. It should have read "very fair ratings". My apologies.
Posted by David Rimmer on 25/11/2019 at 11:29
Very rare ratings. I would have been tempted to give BJ Watling a 10. His batting cannot be praised highly enough. He had no chance with the byes he gave away in the second innings. It will read (in the records) that he conceded 12 byes but he had no chance with any of them. It is a pity that when the ball goes flying over the keeper's head after just going over the batsman's one that he former is punished and NOT the bowler. I have digressed. Wagner knows how to get into the heads of batsmen _ he is not an average medium pacer as implied on one social media comment that excoriated The NZ attack. His dismissal of Pope was the prime example _ he had spotted that the young Surrey player was anxious and wanting to score runs and threw him up a tempting ball that should have been left alone. Re England It was the toughest Test fro archer for bowling so far but nobody should be discouraged by that. The wicket was not in his favour but it was probably his best Test match so far for batting. No praise can be too high for Denly whose two vigils lasted 323 balls. He was the one England player that had to be got out. Denly exuded calmness at the crease and no little fight. People will bang on about his lack of a ton but in cricket it is not just the score you make but how you play the match situation. He did this very well and his second innings dismissal was not dissimilar to the second innings one against Australia at Headingley where he got boxed in and gloved a vicious bumper. Both balls were vicious. I will be so pleased if Denly gets three figures. It was pity that his leg spin was not used or if was, hardly at all. He might have unsettled Watling. I feel for Leach. He works so hard and it is a pity when one reads a comment on TMS appreciation society saying that the experiment with the freak (Leach) must end.
Posted by Muhammad Saeed on 25/11/2019 at 06:56
Bj watling most underrated player of the day
Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.