100 Runs in First Session Help New Zealand Take Control
Emilio Gay attributed England’s difficulties on the second morning at the Oval to misfortune rather than flawed strategy or execution. Glenn Phillips, Kyle Jamieson, and some unremarkable, often short-pitched bowling enabled New Zealand to add exactly 100 runs to their overnight total in 99 minutes of aggressive batting at the start of the day, gaining command of the second Test.
After facing a tough spell from Jofra Archer late on Wednesday, Phillips might have been particularly surprised that England delayed handing the ball to their senior seamer for over ninety minutes, opting instead for part-time spin from Jacob Bethell when the second new ball was only five overs old. Phillips, who reached exactly 100, was New Zealand’s final wicket before lunch, with the team score at 391. England, scoring at 3.76 runs per over, ended the day at 222 for six.
“Ideally it wasn’t what we wanted to happen, but that’s cricket,” said Gay. “I don’t know about those plans, I’m not in those conversations about bowling. On another day one goes up in the air and we take an early wicket. Joe Root spoke in the morning about just sticking to our plans and seeing them unfold a little bit. We could have maybe got a couple earlier on, but you’ve got to commend the way they played. On another day we get a bit luckier.”
In his second Test, Gay scored his second half-century, although his innings was marked by running out his opening partner Ben Duckett, who had scored 36 off 25 balls while Gay had faced 23 deliveries for only eight runs. Gay reflected on the incident:
“Before lunch a similar thing happened and we actually said – which doesn’t make me look too good – to be careful because Nathan Smith is pretty good, so don’t take a quick single to him, and I did that exact thing,” Gay, who top-scored with 53, said. “The most frustrating thing was how Ben was batting, scoring so freely and putting pressure back on. If anyone was to take one it’s probably me because of how he was batting.”
Phillips looked skyward after completing his maiden Test century, achieved on the day before the anniversary of his father’s death.
“Today is close enough for the moment to matter,” he said. “Obviously he’d have loved to be here to see that, and Test cricket was his favourite format, so I know he was watching.”
With England trailing by 169 runs and Jordan Cox, their last recognized batter, at the crease alongside Archer, New Zealand appear to have the upper hand in the match.
“I suppose you’d probably say so but cricket is a funny game, we don’t want to get too ahead of ourselves,” Phillips said. “We just want to make sure we keep coming back doing the simple things and do them really well for long periods of time.”
