First established back in the 1860s after swampland produced by a massive earthquake was drained by prisoners from the Mount Cook Prison, the Basin Reserve in Wellington feels like a pretty special place.
Though updated over time, and sitting inside a busy roundabout, the historic ground has retained an old-world charm. The grass bank that horseshoes around the outfield – broken up by a couple of handsome grandstands and the new Ewen Chatfield pavilion – looks a particularly inviting place from which to watch sport.
There has been a fair bit to take in over the years, too. As well as cricket, first staged in 1868 when the Wellington Volunteers faced the crew of the HMS Falcon, the Basin Reserve has witnessed both rugby codes, Australian rules football, field hockey, swimming (somehow), boxing, cycling, wood-chopping and even the Highland Games. On Friday, the first of three sellout days in this second Test, comes Bazball.
Admittedly not a new sport per se, England’s revamped approach to the longest format has got tongues wagging in the country. After the one-sided series opener in Mount Maunganui, the discussion locally has centred on how New Zealand can respond. So far the stock answer from the hosts has been to continue trusting the methods that delivered the World Test Championship two years ago, despite four straight defeats by England in the past 10 months.
Ben Stokes has sensed something different developing out in the middle, however, with the hosts attempting adjustments such as some of the defensive lines sent down by Tim Southee’s attack at Bay Oval. Having been part of a team that has struggled to reverse momentum previously, such as his maiden series, the 5-0 whitewash in Australia back in 2013-14, he knows the feeling.
“We’re very clear about what we’re going to do,” said the England captain, back in a city where he briefly lived before, aged 12, his family moved to the UK. “It’s good to know that teams are having to react to what we’re doing. If that’s the case, then you’re not winning the game [necessarily], but you are winning that moment.
“We have been on that side of the fence before, where you’re scratching your head and you start changing plans every 45 minutes because things haven’t worked. The one thing that is good for us at the moment is the clarity in which we operate.
“And, yes, we do occasionally change our plans. But we know exactly the reason why we’re doing it as opposed to changing it and going: ‘Oh, I hope this works.’”
Alec Stewart has returned to his role as Surrey’s director of cricket, having taken a temporary leave of absence due to a family illness.
At the start of January, former England wicketkeeper Stewart, 59, decided to step away from his day-to-day duties with the county in order to care for his wife Lynn, who was beginning a new course of treatment for cancer.
His wife was diagnosed with cancer in 2013 and, while the situation is ongoing, her health has improved to a level that Stewart can return to the role he has held with Surrey since 2014.
“I want to thank everyone for their well-wishes and thoughts during a difficult time,” Stewart said on the Surrey website. “I am thankful for the club’s understanding, and I look forward to the season ahead.”
While Stewart was on leave, chief executive Steve Elworthy had taken on director of cricket duties for the county.
Stewart had been linked with an England selector’s role in November last year, but it went to Luke Wright.
During his lengthy tenure at the Kia Oval, Stewart has guided Surrey to two County Championship triumphs – the most recent in September – and helped several players represent England.
Rain permitting, the next five days may well inform us whether a psychological grip has truly taken hold, but for New Zealand there are some positives going into the match. Matt Henry, a seasoned campaigner, will bolster the attack following the birth of his first child, while their last three Tests at the Basin Reserve have been comprehensive victories over Bangladesh, West Indies and, most impressively, India.
The switch back to the red Kookaburra ball and daytime hours also means some of last week’s peril is removed, the hosts’ previously solid top order having twice crumbled under lights. The pitch here was green 48 hours out from the toss, although looks are often misleading in this part of the world; when the wind is up (often) and the sun is out (variable), surfaces tend to play truer than they look.
Though unlikely to change his top seven, and confirming Jack Leach will play, Stokes held back from naming an XI early. Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson were all bowling out in the middle on Wednesday, the latter looking the stiffest after last week’s exertions and received some treatment from the medical staff. Matthew Potts and Olly Stone were hitting the mitts harder than all three, the pair both desperate to catch the eye should a vacancy arise.
While a 2-0 series victory would make it seven Test wins in a row for England – a run last achieved back in 2004 under Michael Vaughan – Stokes insisted he would consider this four-week tour a success regardless of the final scoreline. He and the head coach, Brendon McCullum, have tried to keep their players in the present but thoughts are starting to turn towards the summer’s Ashes campaign.
To that end, Stokes confirmed he will, if required, cut short his time in the Indian Premier League in order to prepare fully for the one-off four-day Test against Ireland at Lord’s on 1 June. Were Chennai Super Kings to make the final on 28 May, it would leave just three days to get home and prepare; on a £1.6m contract after a two-year break from the tournament, he intimated he still would come home early in this scenario.
In the case of others, Stokes said it will be decided on an individual basis. “I’ll ask them what they want to be ready for the Ashes – what they want out of that week [against Ireland].”
New Zealand: Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wkt), Michael Bracewell, Matt Henry, Tim Southee (capt), Neil Wagner, Blair Tickner
England: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Ben Foakes (wkt), Matthew Potts, Stuart Broad, Jack Leach, Jimmy Anderson
One would think that Jofra Archer and Mark Wood will be recalled early from the IPL regardless of their intended involvement at Lord’s, with Pakistan’s fast bowling injury crisis during England’s 3-0 win last December underlining the perils of switching from T20 to Test cricket without a proper build-up in overs.
These are the pressure points being managed in an ever-crowded schedule and a far cry from the days of Wellington Volunteers versus HMS Falcon or competitive wood-chopping. Stokes will continue to put Test cricket first, even if the sport at large is starting to splinter.
