BLACKCAPS BATSMEN

Ross the Boss, aye? He just loves playing the West Indies. He had three digs in this one, getting trapped in front by Roach for 93 in the first Test but getting that famous 17th century soon enough with his 107not in the second innings at Hamilton. In between he was knicked off for 16, but don’t let that distract you. Of his 17 tons, four of them have now come against the West Indies, a team that he averages 68.06 against. The last time the Windies rocked up in Aotearoa he scored 217*, 16*, 129, 131 and 2*… so that’s 495 runs, dismissed just twice, in a three-Test series (remember the good ol’ days of three-Test series?).

This is mad because Taylor hasn’t scored more than 60 in his 10 innings over in the West Indies, meaning he’s doing the damage against them in NZ. No surprises, given what he did last time they were here, but add it all up and guess what his average against the West Indies is in New Zealand? Whatever you said, you were probably wrong:

Ross Taylor vs West Indies (in NZ):

7 MAT | 11 INN | 776 RUNS | 217* HS | 110.85 AVE | 4 100s

Maaaaate, how about them apples?

The next big story was Tom Blundell’s debut heroics with that century. He only scored 31 runs combined in his next two innings so there wasn’t an encore performance, but you score a not out hundred in your first bat and that average is playing with house money for the first year or so of your international career (maybe a lot longer with Blundy, who might not even play the next Test when BJ Watling returns). Similarly Colin de Grandhomme must have saved some fireworks from Guy Fawkes as he and Blundell put on 146 runs for the seventh wicket in that first Test, taking the Blackcaps from 281/6 to 429/7 and setting up a massive lead that’d end up as an innings victory.

CDG’s best Test score before this series was the 57 he hit against South Africa in March. He’d gotten a few other starts but his 105 (74) was the first time he’s really cashed in like that. A 71-ball century will do that for ya – the fastest maiden Test ton ever (for what that’s worth – it’s also tied-ninth fastest ever and second quickest for New Zealand). When he followed that up with 58 in the second Test, it meant he’d passed 50 in three straight Test innings (despite the eight month break in between). He hit eight sixes in this series. Check out that strike-rate, nobody else on either team even came close – not even Tim Southee or Trent Boult. Got that batting average up above 35 as well, not bad Colin. Not bad at all.

Tim Southee with the fourth best batting average for NZ!? Times are changing! Yeah… or maybe he just got a decent not out and only played one match. That’ll be it. Still, nice to see Timmy chipping in, with he and Boult adding 61 for the final wicket in the first innings at Hamilton before he was involved in a 34 run unbeaten partnership with Rossco in the second. Two relatively substantial late-order contributions there. Same for Trent Boult, who batted twice and scored 55 runs without dismissal. Not to mention the entertainment value of Boult’s, erm, unorthodox technique. Whatever works, chieftain.

Not fantastic for Tom Latham or Hank Nicholls, who will have obviously preferred to cash in like certain buddies. Nicholls scored 67 in his first knock but only got 13 and 5 in The Tron. It’s hard to be too critical of players when they only get three chances to do what they’re picked to do, though. Latham was never out for less than 22 but also never scored more than 37. Three starts and nothing to brag about.

Mitch Santner isn’t scoring runs? Sure, and the Pope’s a Catholic. He’s passed 50 twice in 21 Test innings which at New Zealand’s rate of playing is about once every 18 months, but he averages 25.47 so there’s something there to work with. We’re just waiting for him to get that big score which pushes that number up into all-rounder territory. Batting at six he scored 17, 24 and 26. Also, he faced more deliveries at the crease than Windies opener Kieran Powell did.

Jeet Raval still has a Test average of 44.50 after 15 innings as an opener which is magnificent for a New Zealander. Six times he’s passed 50… with a top score of 88. He started with a 42 but was then caught behind after 220 minutes of batting. He followed that up with a solid 84, picking up the scoring-rate but falling short of that maiden Test century. They’re great starts to the innings as far as the team goes and when he was dismissed cheaply for 4 in his third attempt it was only the second time he’s been out for single figures and he’s still never been out in the first half hour of an innings.

Which brings us to Kane Williamson. Only 98 runs in three knocks. Top score of 54. Hey chill, Winston. He scored 176 in his previous Test, he still scored three Test tons in 2017, he’s still scored at least 40 in seven of his last 11 Test innings (the other four: 2, 2, 1 & 1). It didn’t happen for him here but he’ll probably carve up when England come to town in a few months.

WEST INDIES BATSMEN

This series began with the West Indies easing their way past the 50-run partnership mark for the opening wicket and looking decent. And then Neil Wagner came on to bowl. Next thing they were skittled for 134. Things were better after that but they never exactly went wild either, with total scores of 319, 221 & 203 without a single player getting to triple figures.

Even then it was mostly down to Kraigg Brathwaite. The opener’s average of more than fifty shows that he at least was able to spend some time at the crease – facing 444 balls which is more than double any of his teammates and more than any kiwi managed. After Ross Taylor he was the best performed batsman in this series and it’s just a shame for him that he got done by Santner in Wellington so close to a hundred. His wicket in that second innings there sparked a collapse of 88/8 as the Windies were rolled 67 runs shy of making the Blackcaps bat again. He was the first wicket to fall in the first innings too, which led to a run of 75/10 after being 59/0. He then captained the second Test and, thankfully, got some more help from his buddies. Roston Chase, mostly.

There was some fighting stuff from Raymon Reifer on debut, the leftie sticking around for nearly 200 balls all up but unable/unwilling to really put the runs away to match the time at the crease. At least he got a not out in there to do the average some favours. Can’t really count him towards the overall stuff when he didn’t score more than 29 in a single knock so there’s a huge drop-off from Brathwaite to everyone else. Shimron Hetmyer scored 66 at the Basin but didn’t do much else other than getting small starts. Shai Hope, the hero when the Windies beat England a few months back, got bounced by Wagner third ball to start his tour and there wasn’t much else to talk about. And Kieran Powell? Mate, the opposite of Jeet Raval here as he got a pair in the second Test. Faced six balls all up as a Test opener, that’s probably not what you visualise walking out there. It’s a shame because he scrapped hard for a couple 40-odds in Welly, going after Wagner and the others in the second of those with a couple sixes. But a Test match pair kinda spoils the small victories of the previous one.

Roston Chase had a couple moments. His 64 runs were easily the best that any visiting batsman managed in the fourth innings chase that concluded the series. They were never gonna get too close to the target of 444 but Chase stuck around while others were sinking. Didn’t do anything valuable before that, however.

Then we have the poor lad Sunil Ambris. Out for a golden duck hit wicket in his first bat in Test cricket and the joker goes and treads on the stumps again next game! It’s one thing to do that once against Neil Wagner, it’s a whole other thing to do the same against Trent Boult. He scored an 18 in between, getting off the mark with a six. Oh and then in his fourth go he broke his arm and had to retire hurt. Quite the eventful introduction to the top level – he’s only had four innings and already he’s one of only 13 players to be out hit wicket multiple times (shout out Dennis Compton with his five) and the only bloke ever dismissed hit wicket in consecutive matches.

BLACKCAPS BOWLERS

Well, there was that Neil Wagner guy. His particular style of short pitch bowling continues to tear things up but he’s also taken wickets in other forms with pure swing bowling so he’s far from a one-trick pony. His numbers stack up against any other bowler in world cricket over the last two years and he affirmed that with his new career-best 7/39 on the opening day of the series. The only shame is that he missed out on a 10-for with 2/102 in the second gig, copping a few whacks in the process as he went at 4.63 rpo.

Despite that he still did his usual thing and took five wickets in Hamilton and, bingo, 14 for the series. That’s 14 wickets in a two-Test series, magnifico. Average of 18.28 with a wicket every 28.5 balls… so one in better than every five overs. That’s top class. It’s already established that Neil Wagner is New Zealand’s best Test bowler (statistically, anyway) but it would be remiss not to acknowledge – as you may have heard on The Niche Cast this week – that Wagnuts is so much more than that too. He’s Aotearoa’s best bowler, full stop.

Trent Boult didn’t do half bad here either, did he? Ten wickets all up as a constant threat, he had innings figures of: 2/36, 2/87, 4/73 & 2/52. That four wicket haul fifteen of at least four in a Test innings. He also has a very Wagner-esque tendency to chip in, having gone wicketless in just six of his last 50 Test innings. His tenth wicket made it 200 in Test cricket too. He's the sixth New Zealander to get there.

Matt Henry looked a tad toothless in his first go but came back with three wickets in the second innings at the Basin to do some help to that bowling average – it’s all the way down to 46.52 now! He then made way for Tim Southee who put up some respectable statties. Two wickets in each frame, didn’t leak too many runs. De Grandhomme did his reliable thing of bowling a straight line for bugger all runs and getting a couple spare wickets as a reward. It’ll take him doing this against a much stronger team (and outside of Aotearoa) to convince everyone but with a batting average of 35.54 (s/r 98.98) and bowling average of 26.10 (s/r 60.8) he sure looks like an all rounder so far. But yeah, he’s never played a Test match outside of New Zealand so judgements withheld.

Speaking of withheld judgements, what are we supposed to think about Mitchell Santner when he doesn’t even get a bowl in the first fielding effort (did get a sweet run out though), bowls 17 overs for 1/25 in the next, doesn’t get a bowl in the third and then takes two cheapies at the end to polish things off in his fifth over? Test bowling average of 37.05 with a batting average of 25.47 – CDG’s average differential is +9.44 and Santner’s is -11.58. Yet Santner’s batting ahead of him at six and getting twice as many overs.

Santner’s BBI remains at 3/60 and he barely even got a go in this series so it’s just nice for him that he got those last two wickets. He sure seemed to dig it. All of these kinds of stats are skewed by New Zealand not playing enough Tests but they’re not gonna be playing many more in the future so it’s no biggie in saying that Santner hasn’t bowled 20 overs in an innings since October 2016 in India and only seven times all up in his 17-Test career while there have been 12 innings in which he either bowled fewer than 10 overs or didn’t bowl at all. Including three of the four bowling innings this series and five of the last six in total. Seddon Park is usually known as a bit of a turner and it’s Santner’s home for Northern Districts yet in four Tests there Mitch has bowled a mere 43.5 overs, with five wickets at 28.00. It’s fair to say that he needs to do more to prove he’s worth his spot but it’s also fair to say he’s not getting much of a chance to do so.

Yo but he’s on a hat-trick for that first ball against England!

WEST INDIES BOWLERS

Also not a huge amount to celebrate here, although Kemar Roach was clearly their best bowler throughout both statistically and also with the old eye test. He was able to keep things fairly tight on a consistent basis, as evidenced by his 15 maiden overs, and chipped away with three wickets in each Test. No less than you’d expect from a bowler who averages under 30 in every international form of cricket.

His new ball partner Shannon Gabriel started inauspiciously with 1/90 in Wellington (and it was the ninth wicket) but got a bit more reward with 4/119 in Hamilton, albeit at a run rate of 4.76. He got two more scalps in the second innings there. Not enough to save the average but the strike rate was okay and it was all much better than Jason Holden managed. He only played the one Test, after being suspended for their slow over rate in that one, but those numbers aren’t pretty.

Raymon Reifer actually bowled quite well in his Test debut replacing Holder in the side but he didn’t get the wickets to reflect that. Similar to his batting in that the application was there yet it was all a little conservative. As for Roston Chase, suffice to say that spin bowling was not the most popular dish on the menu for the two captains in either match. He got through some overs, unlike Santner, only to cop a few too many boundaries and nowhere near enough wickets. He got fully taken to in the NZ first innings in Hamilton, going 0/90 from 13 overs at 6.92 rpo.

And Miguel Cummins was similar to Roach except a little worse. An average a couple runs higher, economy rate a tad above and a strike rate a few balls worse off. He took at least two wickets in every innings though. What that did was drag his career average back under 40, which is nice. He started off with nine wickets in his second Test (against India, with 6/48 in the second) but a poor run against Pakistan in the UAE ballooned those numbers back up and he’d only played one Test match in the prior 13 months until this series. So that’s something.

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