uk 499 (Brook 171, Stokes 80, Pope 77, Henry 4-84) and 104 (Bethell 50*) for 2 beats. New Zealand 348 (Williamson 93, Phillips 58*, Carse 4-64, Bashir 4-69) and 254 (Mitchell 84, Carse 6-42) for eight wickets.
that coup grace Bethell displayed rare precocity and notched 50 off 37 balls, which included eight fours and a six, and his maiden half-century hit a full shot over deep square leg.
By the time of that setback, Carse had already torn the heart of New Zealand’s resistance. In his third Test, he has already made a special case to become England’s third seamer. He is certainly not afraid of difficult yards and can extract life from even the harshest of situations, as he showed on his debut for Multan. It shows on the surface through his genuine demeanor and the sheer energy of his actions.
A prime example of this was his landmark wicket on the fourth day. Nathan Smith looked steady for 21 runs, laying his line firmly on short balls and even picking successive boundaries when Carse went too full in the opening over. But he had no answer for his first ball of the day, when Carse actually misbehaved as he bent his back and planted a sharp seamer back into Smith’s shin, keeping the ball low for a leg-side lbw verdict.
Four balls later, Carse took his second and fifth innings of the morning to leave New Zealand deep at 192 for 8, a lead of just 41 at that stage. Matt Henry also had a completion by Fuller. Length, this time due to a quick, swinging delivery that thumps him in front of the middle and leg. He left without any intention of reviewing.
In the last Test series, Tim Southee received raucous and expectant applause. Because there was no doubt about how he would play this particular situation. With 93 Test sixes to his name and up to five innings to post his century, he hit Atkinson’s leg side twice, connecting twice in three balls. But the same bowler hit him hard on the helmet with the second ball and ended the fun with the 11th ball as Root held on for a nice tumbling take at wide long-on.
With only No. 11 O’Rourke in the company, Mitchell decided it was time to up the tempo after moving to his half-century in 132 balls. What followed was a flurry of T20 batting, including a lap through fine leg from Chris Woakes and a trademark launch from Shoaib Bashir’s spin for a six.
The lead passed 100 runs as the umpire called for 30 minutes of extra time before lunch, at which point England’s thoughts may have turned to another memorable 10th-wicket stand in Christchurch. In 2002, Nathan Astle had 222 strikes alongside Chris Cairns. Carse, but Carse, will not be denied. On his return he came in for another spell and in the second over he forced an error with another heavy length when Mitchell was unable to launch Woakes from long-off.
Duckett, meanwhile, was briefly given the task over by Southee, but he was treating him with the respect befitting his legendary career. Midway through the second over, he decided to bin the difference, starting with a scoop at thin leg outside off and culminating in a 16-run third over that included a wide six over good leg.
Likewise, Bethell learned his lesson after being showered with heat during England’s first innings. He soon danced down the pitch to beat up Henry, getting revenge on Smith for sacking him in the first place. Four fours in a single over included a slap-back past the bowler that looked like Kevin Pietersen against Glenn McGrath at The Oval in 2005, and by the end of the match England were halfway to their target off just 42 balls.
Duckett was put to the sword, uppercutting O’Rourke’s first ball to deep third, and Root, fresh from a first-innings duck, made it four in a row but added two more in succession to ensure it. There will be no more accidents.
In the end, New Zealand were flattened with a run-rate of 8.21 overs in an agonizing four-innings defeat in the original Bazball series in 2022. Of course, a lot has changed since then. But give this team a situation where their arms are free, and there are few more astonishing sights in world cricket.
Andrew Miller is ESPNcricinfo’s UK editor. @Miller_Cricket
