Glenn Phillips steadies New Zealand as England fight through lively Oval session

New Zealand 291 for 7 (Blundell 51, Phillips 49*, Bethell 2-8, Baker 2-63) vs England

After one of the briefest Tests ever played on English soil, and a build-up marked by its own turbulence, The Oval offered a return to more familiar rhythms. England’s altered pace attack made steady inroads on a warm day that began 30 minutes late after morning drizzle, only for play to finish with Glenn Phillips weaving and swaying in the evening sun as Jofra Archer charged in to the roar of a hopeful crowd.

New Zealand, put in and then reduced to 107 for 4 midway through the afternoon, steadied themselves through a resilient 81-run partnership between Tom Blundell and Daryl Mitchell, a pairing that has served them well before, most notably on their 2022 tour of England. Blundell then combined with Phillips to continue the recovery after Mitchell fell for the second time on Sonny Baker’s debut.

Blundell, spared on 34 after replays showed wicketkeeper James Rew had grounded the ball while completing a catch down the leg side, was New Zealand’s only batter to reach 50, although six of the top seven made double figures. Phillips brought the urgency, just as he had in the chaos at Lord’s, striking six crisp boundaries from his first 21 balls and repeatedly denying England any easy foothold.

As Brendon McCullum had anticipated, Baker was quickly embraced by the Oval crowd. He bowled with pace, celebrated sharply and finished as England’s most successful seamer, but the rest of the attack also had moments. Matthew Fisher collected only his second Test wicket four years after his first, while Archer, back in whites after missing the Lord’s Test because of IPL commitments, added bite and hostility to England’s spell.

The defining contest of the closing phase came between Archer and Phillips. The sixth-wicket pair had added 75 from 90 balls, with Phillips doing most of the scoring, before Joe Root returned to his senior quick for a fourth spell. With the field arranged for short-pitched bowling, Archer forced Phillips into repeated evasive action during a gripping spell in which the batter went 36 minutes, and 20 balls, without scoring.

At the other end, Jacob Bethell removed Blundell and Nathan Smith, giving Root a productive return to captaincy in Ben Stokes’ absence. Still, England’s over rate, which left them 13 short of the scheduled 90, could attract closer scrutiny from the match officials.

Root, leading England as interim captain for the first time since 2022, had little hesitation in choosing to bowl after the delayed start. England named a heavily changed side, including three debutants and as many as five players with one cap or fewer, while New Zealand were left to navigate the absence of Kane Williamson.

The toss went Root’s way, but the conditions presented a different challenge from the opening Test at Lord’s, where 16 wickets fell on day one. Although there was some early green in the surface, The Oval has generally favoured batters in recent years, and the prospect of runs grew as the cloud lifted and the sun strengthened.

Fisher, handed his first Test cap on Root’s previous tour as captain in the Caribbean, delivered the early breakthrough. In his opening spell, he found extra movement off a short delivery and Devon Conway gloved it down the leg side, with Rew taking a confident maiden dismissal behind the stumps.

Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls, recalled at No. 3 after Williamson’s sudden retirement, negotiated the first hour cautiously. Root soon rotated his fast bowlers, introducing Baker from the Vauxhall End in the 12th over. Baker’s third ball seamed and bounced past Nicholls’ shoulder to Rew, and England briefly thought they had another leg-side catch, only for DRS to show the ball had struck thigh pad rather than inside edge.

Latham gradually settled, cutting loose for his first boundary after an hour by flicking Josh Tongue through midwicket. Nicholls, too, relied mostly on controlled nudges before a pair of upper cuts helped New Zealand reach 50. Archer, back for a second spell before lunch, finally received the wicket his bowling had threatened when he squared up Latham and Bethell took a fine two-handed catch at gully.

Rachin Ravindra announced himself immediately, whipping Archer for four from his first ball and repeating the shot a couple of overs later. A pristine straight drive off Tongue brought up New Zealand’s 100, but Ravindra’s fluency ended soon after when a loose shot gave Baker his first international wicket, Bethell again holding the catch at gully. Tongue then removed Nicholls shortly after lunch, leaving New Zealand four down and searching for a substantial innings.

Mitchell looked capable of providing it after being dropped by Jordan Cox on 2, a difficult chance at leg slip, and surviving an lbw review against Fisher. He drove Baker forcefully through cover, while Blundell’s own boundary later in the over signalled a shift in momentum. Root responded by turning to Harry Brook’s medium-pace option, but Mitchell was untroubled, stepping out to launch four more runs over the off side. Blundell then pounced on an Archer loose ball as New Zealand closed the afternoon session in increasingly positive shape.

Source link