When Kane Williamson set England 273 in 75 overs at Lord’s, there were only two ways in which a result could have been achieved. England might have collapsed against the New Zealand fast bowlers, or – against all odds – they might have gone for the chase and even pulled it off.
None of these happened. England never went for the chase. The New Zealand pacers bowled with pace and precision on the final day, but could not break through more than thrice. England finished on 170/3, Dom Sibley staying there through the 70 overs for an unbeaten 60.
Bereft of several first-string choices, and none barring captain Joe Root capable of shifting through gears, this was the sensible approach in the end.
New Zealand resumed the day on 62/2, with Tom Latham and night-watchman Neil Wagner at the crease. Wagner survived an lbw shout off the very first ball he faced. He then flashed at almost everything, aware of his freedom. He hit two fours off Stuart Broad’s first over of the day, but an attempted pull off Ollie Robinson went to James Bracey the next over.
Robinson, claiming all three wickets to fall till then, lost his precision after that. He conceded a two. The next ball went for four byes.
Bracey got repeatedly bungled by the swing, seam and the ball dying just in front of him. England sorely missed the glovework of Ben Foakes, the man he replaced following a tragicomic injury to the latter.
Robinson overpitched one to Ross Taylor, who responded with a full-blooded drive. For the next few minutes, Taylor versus Robinson perfectly embodied how the teams approached. Taylor came out all guns blazing, targeting Robinson, as was evident from the extravagant flicks and swings. One of these yielded a six over mid-wicket before he survived an lbw scare.
Moments later, Taylor was fortunate to get away after getting nailed on pads by James Anderson. He would have been out, but England had wasted their last review on him some time ago. Four balls later, Mark Wood lured him for a drive and had him caught by Bracey.
New Zealand’s intent for a declaration became evident. They might have wanted to settle for a target of 300, but then came the rains. The newspapers became makeshift cover, caps and hats were put on, the perceptive fans put on raincoats, and Henry Nicholls walked back amidst the drizzle after a top-edge was leapt upon by Rory Burns.
The umpire called for an early lunch eight balls later. New Zealand had already accrued a lead of 272, and Williamson decided to give an entirety of the remaining two sessions to their much-vaunted pace attack.
The England openers batted over 23 overs for 49. However, the start was not as solid as the scorecard suggests: both men had their moments. On another day, they might have been 49/5, but this was their day. Edges fell short; close misses happened; lbw appeals were turned down; and Burns copped a blow on the chest and Sibley on his elbow. Then Wagner finally set up Burns with a peach of a delivery.
Sibley took 19 balls to get off the mark. Iffy against Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson, he was often indecisive about whether to play or leave. With every ball that missed his bat, there was talk about his idiosyncratic stance, how his head fell over the line, making him prone to leg before wicket. The signs of impending doom were all around his stay, only that it never came.
Sibley survived because he is aware of his limitations. His game is based on constraints. He does not possess extravagant drives or emphatic pulls, so he does not attempt these either. He is at his best while wearing down the opposition, allowing others around him to capitalise, which he did today.
For New Zealand, Wagner picked up two wickets, including that of Root. Wagner came as an indefatigable figure who kept forcing things even in dying moments of the game.
Brief scores
New Zealand 378 (Conway 200; Robinson 4-75) and 169/6 decl. (Latham 36; Robinson 3-26) drew with England 275 (Burns 132; Southee 6-43) and 170/3 (Sibley 60*; Wagner 2-27). Player of the Match: Devon Conway.