BLACKCAPS In Australia - Hey, We Fought Back!
Bradas
Being beaten by Australia in any sport is one of the worst feelings a kiwi can experience in the sporting realm. Being smoked by a rampant Australian team when you simply don't show up to offer any resistance is utter sporting hell. That's what happened in the first Test up in Brisbane and all we wanted from our kiwi cricketers was some kahunas, some grit and at the very least some intent to match them skill-wise.
We certainly got the desired fight and the BLACKCAPS' premier batsmen in Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor can now kick back on leather recliners, sipping wine and smoking cigars in the Upper Echelon of Test batsmen. I would have been satisfied if the kiwis fought valiantly and came up short, so for Taylor and Williamson to not only put an expensive price on their wickets but to also dominate Australia's bowlers and score freely was lovely.
As Channel Nine's commentary team consistently remind us, scoring runs in Australia is difficult and you're not a great batsmen until you do so. While this is one of many staples from Nine's commentators, there is some truth at play here as Taylor and Williamson showcased their ability to play all round the wicket, off the front-foot and off the back-foot.
This is the difference between Taylor/Williamson and the other BLACKCAPS' batsmen as the likes of Martin Guptill, Tom Latham and Brendon McCullum simply aren't as well-rounded.
Once again we saw Guptill and Latham get starts with Guppy victim to a good nut in the first innings and then he played an innings which kinda sums up his Test career in the second dig. Guptill is hell-bent on playing straight, displaying admirable determination and patience but then he gets out. The game situation may have forced Guptill to play some shots, instead he went further into his shell which is fine if he cashes in later on; scores of 23, 23, 1 and 17 are incredibly frustrating.
Latham is also an inbetweener with scores of 47, 29, 36 and 15. We need one of these two to go big after they have dealt with the new ball, although I must reiterate the fact that this is much better than having both openers back in the sheds early on. The less work that Williamson and Taylor have to do against the new ball the better.
There was fight and immense skill, as well as the rather comforting feeling of knowing that this bowling group can bowl a lot better. While the WACA pitch certainly helped the batsmen, the kiwi bowlers once again struggled to build pressure as a unit and subsequently see how Australia's batsmen deal with that pressure. In saying this, the bowlers were far better in Perth than they were in Brisbane as Tim Southee, Doug Bracewell and Matt Henry showed signs of life.
Southee took 4/97 in the second innings, Bracewell took 3/143 across both innings' and was the most accurate of the kiwi bowlers while Henry picked up Joe Burns and Steve Smith in the first innings. The missing pieces to this puzzle however were Trent Boult and Mark Craig who went for over four runs an over in either innings.
We hold Boult to the highest of standard because we know what he's capable of and for the BLACKCAPS to win Tests, they need Boult to consistently trouble batsmen let alone not leak runs. I understand that this pitch was kinda flat and what not but I refuse to toe this line when we basically saw a BLACKCAPS bowling attack without Boult at his best.
The positive with Boult is that this is so strange for him and us as fans of his. It feels like this is just a hump and that he'll be back firing quick, swinging deliveries down the pitch for entire overs. Despite all of this, Boult took a couple wickets in either innings as he showed when he gets it right, he's difficult to handle. Again, Boult is world-class and that's what we expect from him.
Craig is a far more interesting conundrum. He took 3/123 in the first innings as Australia went for a whack and then went wicketless while conceding 4.50 runs an over in the second. While Boult makes you feel like this is just a blip on his radar, we simply don't know whether Craig is the guy to take the BLACKCAPS forward and this series is only furthering that view.
I don't really mind the lack of a genuine all-rounder in this team as it's made up for by having a four-pronged pace attack, which will be difficult to handle if they are all on-song. Boult offers lefties, Southee offers a unique package of height and smart use of the crease where he angles the ball and can move it either way, Bracewell offers swing, seam and accuracy while Henry is the hustler who earns wickets with effort. There's variety there and they give Brendon McCullum plenty of options, which would be so much better if Craig could bowl more than one maiden in a Test (Craig had three maidens in the first Test). Working in Craig's favour though are the six wickets he has taken in this series so far, as many as Southee. Wickets win you Tests so that's nice, it's just that when Australia's batsmen are set and in the zone, Craig can't help the team by holding up his end.
We saw some fight from the BLACKCAPS and even though Taylor and Williamson (Williamson, once again) matched Australia's skill with the bat and showed improvement with the ball, the BLACKCAPS once again failed to play at the level we know they can. This shouldn't be a negative though as it not only shows how our expectations of the BLACKCAPS have changed but we can also sit smug, safe in the knowledge that if the kiwis get it right then they can push for victory in Adelaide ... where we have no idea what is going to happen.