England vs. New Zealand – First Test Review: England’s victory not quite so comprehensive…

England’s dramatic victory on the fourth day of the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s was certainly a perfect way to begin the international summer of cricket (if indeed, you are an Englishman!). Led by fast bowlers Stuart Broad and James Anderson, England’s bowlers skittled the Black Cap line-up for just 68 in their second innings, to romp to victory by 170 runs.

The result, however, rather flattered England, who, up until the morning of the fourth day, were struggling at 180-6, just 205 runs ahead. In fact, after dismissing England for 213 in their second innings on the fourth morning, Brendon McCullum’s men must surely have felt a victory of their own was well within their sights. In the end, their own dismal display with the bat, in conjunction with a two brilliant spells of bowling from Broad (7-44) and Anderson (2-23), crushed any hopes they might have harnessed prior to the final innings of the match.

So, firstly the positives for England and after some rather uncharacteristically flat bowling performances in the previous series, their seam attack was back and all guns blazing at that. In the first innings, the leader of the unit Anderson lead by example, passing 300 Test match wickets as he picked up figures of 5-47. His ability to swing the ball both ways caused the Kiwis numerous problems, with only Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor providing any sort of resistance. Steve Finn also managed to pick up four wickets, which must have been a big boost for his confidence, after a slow start to the summer with his county Middlesex. Thus, if the first innings was all about Jimmy, then the second was undoubtedly all about Stuart Broad, who claimed the man of the match award for his stunning eleven over spell. Broad has come under criticism in recent times for bowling too short and thus it was unsurprising that his success here was because of his much fuller length. As George Dobell of ESPN Cricinfo rightly points out, despite his mercurial nature, Broad has the ability to truly become a world-class bowler.

Elsewhere, Joe Root on his Lord’s debut continued his sparkling early season form with two maturely manufactured knocks of 40 and 71. The young Yorkshireman, who scored 179 whilst captaining the Lions against the Black Caps last week, looked every bit the man in form, playing shots all around the ground, as he took his first-class total for the summer to 757 runs. His frustration at being dismissed by Tim Southee in the second innings underlined the high expectations Root has of himself and it was clear that he was disappointed to have failed in his quest for a three figure score. It is surely only a matter of time before his name ends up on the coveted honour’s board. Nonetheless, his performance on an occasion where so many experienced batsmen struggled, shows that this lad has an exceedingly bright future ahead of him at international level.

Minus the performance of Root and Jonathan Trott’s fifty, there was little else to shout about from England’s batting ranks. First time around, nearly all of England’s top order got starts, and yet none went on to post a big score. Had it not been for Root and Trott’s century-stand in the second innings, England could well have found themselves staring defeat in the face. Matt Prior for one will certainly be hoping that his pair is not a sign of things to come this summer, for England’s wicketkeeper-batsmen, vice captain and 2012 player of the year has a critical role to play within this side. Elsewhere, Nick Compton’s performances will come under increased scrutiny should he continue in the same vain, for many believe that Joe Root is a better long term prospect at the top of the order.

As for New Zealand, despite good knocks from Taylor and Williamson, their second innings showing clearly suggests a lack of nous when dealing with a swinging ball. The Black Caps must quickly develop a strategy for dealing with the deadly lateral movement provided by the English seamers or resign themselves to a series loss. The Kiwis will, however, be pleased with the efforts of their bowling attack, which at one stage looked like they had placed their side in a potentially winning position. Tim Southee’s match figures (10-108) will have been a particularly pleasing highlight for the tourists, and Trent Boult’s potential in swing-friendly conditions is also something which England cannot ignore. The possible return to the side of experienced left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori, is also a promising development, as the Kiwis look ahead to Headingley. For if their batting line-up can back up their bowling and fielding performance in this match, then there is no reason why McCullum’s men can’t snatch a series draw from the second and final Test.

England meanwhile will be hoping to build upon this performance in the second Test and bounce back from their below-par displays in New Zealand. Should Anderson and Broad hit their straps once again, and the batsman kick on from those solid starts, then in reality, Alastair Cook’s men should comfortably win the series. However, as highlighted, England’s victory at Lord’s was by no means an inevitability and the Kiwis are without doubt capable of upsetting the odds at Headingley.