England build commanding lead on the back of Stoneman and Vince fifties

Fifties from Mark Stoneman and James Vince have put England in a strong position to earn their first Test win of a long and arduous tour of Australia and New Zealand

Fifties from Mark Stoneman and James Vince have put England in a strong position to earn their first Test win of a long and arduous tour of Australia and New Zealand.

There was a good chance a failure today would have meant the end for Vince as a Test cricketer. So to see him puff out the chest and register his third Test century was stirring if not sublime.

Stoneman is another who has yet to fully convince as a Test opener. Another half-century will aid his cause but the mode of dismissal and failure to kick on will rankle.

As Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker traded shots in Cardiff, Tim Southee started the day by landing some blows of his own. Ben Stokes was hit for six in the first over and there were back-to-back fours off Mark Wood in the second.

James Anderson provided the breakthrough for England. A shapely, air-bending delivery that evaded BJ Watling’s willow and parted middle and off. A beauty.

Stuart Broad had Ish Sodhi caught behind and Anderson brought Southee’s entertaining lower-order dash to an end - pinning middle stump back - but Trent Boult and Neil Wagner frustrated England with a 10th-wicket stand of 39.

When Broad had Boult caught at fine leg, the wicket marked an occurrence that had not taken place since 1912. All 20 wickets in the first two innings of the Test had been taken by the opening bowlers.

At 17 for four and  36 for five, England were holding the centre of the ring, but by the time Boult fell, the tourists held a lead of just 29.

We saw it in the Ashes, England were not ruthless enough and failed to capitalise on positions of strength. On the few occasions England were in the ascendancy during the Ashes, Australia were let off the hook. The same can be said for Kane Williamson’s men at Christchurch. 

For Alastair Cook, the phrase ‘that’s so unlike him…’ is becoming a little worn. In 18 innings since West Indies landed in England, Cook has produced a string of low scores around two towering doubles.

Questions over his desire to continue, but so must those of technique. A player can have all the impulse in the world to carry on, but if the performance does not fit then those questions will grow louder.

That’s not to say Cook is done yet. He only recently gave up the captaincy to take a step back and concentrate on his own game. It’s hard to envision him saying no to at least another summer representing his country on home soil, and of course there is the lure of another Ashes series in 2019.

But if the run continues, who knows how a man’s mind can turn.

For Vince it was business as unusual, anything on the half slotted away like Ronnie O’Sullivan taking to the baize and pocketing that first red. Like Rocket’s cue, when on song, Vince’s blade is like a flawless mechanical extension of his arms.

Then there’s the other side, the wild flashes outside off, needless, grotesque attempted drives against the turning ball, fine sweeps directly towards leg slip.

It’s like he’s on the verge of a century break, but instead of trading black and reds into the trusted bottom corners, his natural instinct overrides everything else and he opts for the unnecessary long pot.

But if you remove a player’s natural instinct, the ability to trust their skill, then perhaps you remove the talent all together.

His winter ends with 336 runs at 30.54. A distinct improvement on an average of 19.27 in his first spell as an England player.

For Stoneman it continues to be steady not stunning. When Cook departed, the Surrey opener added 123 with Vince. As with his batting partner, Stoneman is prone to an injudicious shot outside off. He had already been dropped by Ross Taylor and Tim Southee in the slips before Boult got his man thanks to a superb catch by the gloveman Watling.

Stoneman’s Test average is nearing Vince’s, at 30.23. Neither have done enough to remove the spotlight from their futures, but they have probably shown enough to not be put out to pasture just yet.

Joe Root and Dawid Malan saw England through to stumps with a lead of 231 to work with. Tomorrow could see England go up through the gears as the captain seeks a declaration with plenty of time for the bowlers to get those elusive 20 wickets.