Well, it’s Stumps or bad light, whichever way you see it. Something we see far too often these days in Test Match cricket. Let’s have a look at the wickets which have fallen so far. The Australians have bowled OK, the Black Caps have batted poorly. Take a look at the Test Match cricket highlights thus far.
Scorecard Courtesy of ESPN Cricinfo.
Anyone who watched the first two sessions of the Test Match will tell you the Black Cap dismissals were piss poor at best. After starting out in a blaze on a pitch which offered something for the bowlers early, a clear lack of patience brought about the undoing of New Zealand’s top order. Whether or not it was a pre-game plan to unsettle the young Australians, there really was no excuse for an array of shots better placed in a 20-20 or one day match. This is Test Match cricket after all.
After putting on 40 runs without losing a wicket Guptill and McCullum looked to have seen off the hardest morning conditions. Whilst McCullum flashed at full swinging deliveries from Pattinson and Siddle, Guptill looked the linchpin of the opening pair until he was drawn into flailing at a seaming Siddle delivery and edging through to Haddin.
McCullum followed soon after, an unforgivable attempt at a square cut under the circumstances – a shot selection better left for that one month in India. Ok, I understand that McCullum plays one way like Charlie Sheen – Go! - but that is no reason to launch into the first day of a Test series like he’s been banging 7 gram rocks in the hotel room prior to play.
It came as no surprise that at 2/56 the situation may not have been perfectly tailored to Ross Taylor’s game – pardon the pun. I like the big Kiwi, but the situation required more from the Captain and he failed to protect his wicket, playing on a half volley with eyes as wide as a saucepan.
Jesse Ryder, well what can you expect. I thought he threw out the bong 12 months ago? I guess not.
Australia still on top, but a captain’s knock by Vettori has kept New Zealand’s total respectable.
Peace in Cricket and Godspeed. Viva los’ Test Match cricket.