Key events
England Women are also in action against South Africa in Bloemfontein. On the first day of his Test debut, Maia Bouchier made a fine debut century and Nat Sciver-Brunt confirmed his all-time greatness. His consistent brilliance, especially with the bat, is mind blowing.
The weather is forecast to be better after lunch therefore there will certainly be many stories. Otherwise, it’s always India v Australia at the Gabba. It depends, iffy forecast there as well.
“Evening Rob” writes Kim Thong. “I lost the last two days in Germany. Although a large part of the Germans are crazy about sports, I can confirm what everyone knows. No one has the slightest interest in cricket of any kind.
“I thought to myself, could it be possible that those who were responsible for preparing the fields of the school of games were always shocked by the imperial measures, voices and instruments used to create them?
“Eg. Here is a list of imperial measurements used in cricket and their metric conversions;
Cricket pitch The length of 22 cubits (66 feet) is about 20.12 meters
Cricket pitch A width of 10 feet is about 3.05 meters
space limit It typically ranges from 50 to 90 yards equivalent to 45.72 to 82.29 meters
The length of the bat Maximum of 38 inches, which is about 96.52 centimeters.
The weight of the ball Between 5.5 and 5.75 ounces or about 156 to 163 pounds
“If we are slightly suspicious – for example, the pitch could be 20x3m – maybe the staff on the ground in the village of Gschlachtenbretzingen, located in Baden-Württemberg (really exists), will they be less restrained?”
Anyone interested in cricket in Germany? Say it like Ben Kohler-Cadmore!
Delayed start
It’s raining in Hamilton so play won’t start until 10pm GMT as scheduled. I don’t know what else to say to you.
I am with Colly. Although England were not great yesterday, the game was turned around by a spell of fast bowling by Will O’Rourke that any of the great West Indies of the 1980s would have been proud to bowl.
The beginning
Oh well! England’s hopes of a 3-0 series win were dashed by Will O’Rourke and friends in Hamilton on the second day. Now they—and we, though I think you are free to go to bed if you wish—must endure another calamity. For the next two sessions, England bowlers are likely to see how Sisyphus felt.
New Zealand will be back on 136 for three, a lead of 340, with Kane Williamson on 50 and Rachin Ravindra on 2. England will be telling themselves they can chase anything. But even in a year of unexpected Test cricket, England feels impossible to win.
That he does not want to play today is of no use. It is an important day for Shoaib Bashir, who has a poor end to his first year in the Ophthalmology Test. Bashir is perhaps England’s biggest concern ahead of his big year. He looks tired, more mentally than physically, and it will take him a few months.
Bashir can still finish on a high. The three-wicket would make him the second-lowest bowler to score 50 Test runs in a calendar year (Kapil Dev was the youngest in 1979). Even allowing for the inordinate volume of Test cricket England have done, it was a beautiful thing and a reminder – to us and more importantly to Bashir – that what he accomplished was far from normal.