Test cricket has its own charm, excitement, and flavor loved by cricket lovers. This is a format of cricket that actually Tests – players, technique, mentally, and physically, and gives a chance to showcase the temperament of these cricketers. To make Test cricket an interesting aspect, ICC has decided to organize the World Test Championship (WTC). In it, teams have to play 3 home and 3 away series, and whoever comes in the top 2 of the chart competes for the WTC trophy at Lords, England.
This time Worlds Test Championship cycle is getting interesting with each international test match played during the 2023-25 cycle. Let’s take a look at how the 1st test match between New Zealand vs England, Day 1 goes.
The Toss: England Opt to Bowl First
Seeing the weather conditions at Hagley Oval. Ben Stokes led England team has decided to bowl first after winning the toss. With Brendon Macculam as head coach of the team, they have decided to take advantage of the conditions.
New Zealand’s Batting Innings
After winning last Test series against India, New Zealand is on a new high. They came to bat with a solid opening pair: Tom Latham and Devon Conway against England. They started the innings well, showing good patience and defense. But the England bowlers were ready for the challenge. The ball moved around a bit, making batting difficult at times.
NZ 1st Innings Scorecard –
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Tom Latham (c) | c Ollie Pope b Brydon Carse | 47 | 54 | 6 | 0 | 87.04 |
| Devon Conway | c and b Gus Atkinson | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| Kane Williamson | c Zak Crawley b Gus Atkinson | 93 | 197 | 10 | 0 | 47.21 |
| Rachin Ravindra | c Zak Crawley b Shoaib Bashir | 34 | 49 | 3 | 0 | 69.39 |
| Daryl Mitchell | c Harry Brook b Brydon Carse | 19 | 47 | 0 | 0 | 40.43 |
| Tom Blundell (wk) | c Gus Atkinson b Shoaib Bashir | 17 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 53.12 |
| Glenn Phillips | batting | 41 | 58 | 4 | 1 | 70.69 |
| Nathan Smith | c Joe Root b Shoaib Bashir | 3 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 23.08 |
| Matt Henry | c Ben Duckett b Shoaib Bashir | 18 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 56.25 |
| Tim Southee | batting | 10 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 52.63 |
England’s Bowling Performance
England bowlers worked hard to break the New Zealand partnerships. The pitch had some bounce, and England’s seamers made good use of it. The fast bowlers were quick, and their deliveries seemed to keep the New Zealand batters on their toes.
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | NB | WD | ECO |
| Chris Woakes | 16 | 4 | 54 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3.4 |
| Gus Atkinson | 18 | 2 | 61 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 3.4 |
| Brydon Carse | 15 | 0 | 57 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3.8 |
| Ben Stokes (c) | 13 | 1 | 59 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4.5 |
| Shoaib Bashir | 20 | 1 | 69 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3.4 |
| Jacob Bethell | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Key Highlights of Day 1:
- Kane Williamson showed his class with 93 runs.
- Shoaib Bashir was the standout bowler for England, taking 4 wickets.
- Glen Phillip is still on the crease with 41 not out.
- Mixed day for England’s bowlers as they conceded 319 runs in 83 overs and took 8 wickets.
Looking Ahead for Day 2
The match is still very much in the balance. England will look to bounce back and build a strong second innings, while New Zealand will hope their bowlers can keep the pressure while bowling too, and get more wickets. With key players like Joe Root and Ben Duckett in the batting lineup, England will be eager to reach and surpass New Zealand’s total. Need to look at the England approach as well, will they still play Bazball cricket tomorrow or they opt for the typical test batting way?
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