Notes from the Basin #2
Five top-of-head thoughts from day two
ENGLAND 435-8 dec
NZ 138-7
1. Gazball is dying a slow, silent-screaming death.
New Zealand have been outclassed at the Basin Reserve, just as they were in the somewhat confected pink-ball test at Mount Maunganui.
Being outclassed is one thing, being out-everythinged another. Out-bowled and out-batted, that’s a no contest, but more worryingly, out-fielded, out-thought and out-bodylanguaged.
They’re just not in the game; passive onlookers at their own party as England commandeer both the keg and the Spotify playlist.
Both David White and Martin Snedden were at the Basin today. If the New Zealand Cricket CEO and chairman are watching that and thinking the current regime is capable of overseeing the next phase of New Zealand’s test cricket, they’re watching a different game than me.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Bounce to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.