The battle between the Three Lions and Kiwis in the ENG vs NZ second Test at Edgbaston ended in a comprehensive win for the visitors who clinched the series 0-1. It took them just 10 overs in their second innings to romp up an eight-wicket victory and hand England their first series loss since 2014. There was quality in the crowd that turned up at Birmingham but the cricket produced by the English team failed to live up to the hype produced by the fans in the stadium.
In this piece, we’d look at how the ENG vs NZ second Test unfolded over the course of four days.
“OOO JIMMY, JIMMY JIMMY JIMMY ANDERSON!”
James Anderson created history in this match as he featured in his 162nd match to become the most capped English player in their Test history. Anderson is the only fast bowler who has taken more than 600 wickets in the longest format of the game and is just four wickets away from leapfrogging the legendary Indian bowler, Anil Kumble. The consistency the 38-year-old pacer has shown is remarkable and it qualifies him truly as a modern great of our game.
FIRST SERIES WIN FOR NEW ZEALAND IN ENGLAND SINCE 1999
With this win at Edgbaston, New Zealand pulled off their first series win in England since 1999. New Zealand were head and shoulders above their opponent in this two-match Test series and the gulf in class became quite apparent in the second Test. They also handed England their first home series defeat since the one they got against Sri Lanka back in 2014. It would be a certain eye-opener for the Three Lions who have some crucial series coming up against the Indians and the Aussies.
NEW ZEALAND DEMONSTRATE BENCH STRENGTH
New Zealand made six changes coming into this match which was the second-most by any team in Test cricket. Not only did their changes work but it seemed like not even one player in that squad is struggling for form currently. The team management have plenty of selection headaches ahead of the important World Test Championship final against India.
ENGLAND’S BATTING LOOKED EXTREMELY FRAGILE
Nasser Hussain on the end of the third day gave a passionate review of the current generation English batting lineup. Many have made the excuse of rotation in this series that has brought about this series loss for England but that isn’t entirely true. If you look at the top five batters from the team which took the ground at Edgbaston, then you’d see five players who are their first-choice players, and apart from Joe Root, none have credentials of being successful at Test cricket. These players who are backed by selectors aren’t producing the desired results needed at the highest level of the game. The transition of this squad hasn’t gone as smoothly as expected and there are far too many players in the team who are unsure about the batting technique and also lack the confidence to be successful.
Read: World Test Championship Final: Glance At The Playing Conditions
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