His work for the winter done – with the ball at least – a weary Jack Leach reflected on the progress he believes he has made.
Leach’s fifth five-wicket haul in Test cricket was vital to England’s cause, shutting down New Zealand’s second innings for 483 after a collapse of five for 27 by the hosts. It was primarily a case of endurance, the 61.3 overs he sent down dwarfed only by the 69.5 on a heartbreaking pitch in Barbados a year ago.
Add in the 17 overs, three for 80 first time around, and that the innings were made back to back by Ben Stokes enforcing the follow-on, the left-armer spinner’s fatigue was understandable and his role as the seam attack ran out of gas significant.
“I feel like I have come on a lot,” said Leach, a cricketer who admits his previously fragile confidence has been alloyed by the ever-encouraging captaincy of Ben Stokes.
“Stokesy has talked about wanting to challenge me in lots of different situations. I have learned a hell of a lot and things I will take forward – how I prepare, thinking about county cricket and bowling longer spells.”
Asked about his captain’s message after sticking New Zealand back in, Leach replied: “He said: ‘Give everything you have got. Sometimes it is just hard graft. You have to keep going, give that bit more and enjoy the graft rather than worry about things not happening.’ That was the message – to enjoy being out there, you are playing for England and trying to win a Test match. “What we have seen is, the more we enjoy it the better we play. And it worked.”
Leach’s returns from five Tests this winter are 285 overs, 25 wickets at an average of 40 apiece. The 31-year-old revealed at the start of this tour he no longer sweat the last of those digits, Stokes having consistently set attacking fields and placed the focus solely on making breakthroughs.
In Wellington, not renowned for aiding the spinners, he struggled with the winds at times, but had a strong sounding board in Jeetan Patel, the England assistant coach who spent the best part of two decades playing here.
“He is always throwing ideas at me and our relationship has really grown,” said Leach. “He is helping me a lot. He is someone who had a very strong action and could keep going, bowling long spells.
“His message is: if the opportunities are not there in certain [domestic] games, it is about me doing that in my practice.”
