England v New Zealand Test Series 2026

[Arthur Crabtree]

O'Rourke has a FC that suggests he might be up there with the worst batsman ever to play test cricket....

Well, at least they got his wicket out of the way.

[sussexpob]

The take hasn't proved popular in the past, but is there anyone more overrated than Kane Williamson in recent test memory, btw? Whenever the ball does anything, he does nothing.

If its SL with their worst ranked bowling line up ever on these new Kiwi wickets that become historically flat/easier to bat on as the game goes on... averages 300
If the West Indies board is in a dispute with their players and half of them go on strike leaving Darren Bravo (yes darren, not Dwayne) bowling first change medium lollipops... Man of the Series...

If it swings, spins, bounces... well, hes bang average. Higher 30s average vs the big 3, averages 21 away to SA, 20s in SL.... and so on.

[Arthur Crabtree]

There was plenty of chat over the winter about England not respecting the pathway between fc and Test cricket, particularly in relation to Jacob Bethell. Maybe they think the argument was ended by his Ashes ton.

But since then he quite ostentatiously hasn't played any fc cricket. This issue is only going to go away if he keeps scoring hundreds because it's not just that he doesn't prepare in the county game, he actually has no background at that level either.

Well in this game he has scored 20 runs for twice out, missing the ball both times.

[mikesiva]

Agnew is right. This is a poor Lords pitch.

The ball that kept that low and dismissed Bethell on the SECOND day is just not good enough.

[Durhamfootman]

It was probably the worst, but it wasn't an outlier

[alfie]

Yes I think the question of "is this pitch fit for purpose ?" has been comprehensively answered.

As DFM mentioned yesterday , that first ball of the match barely lifting off the surface should have been a clue. The bounce was dodgy from the start and has only got worse. Nothing Bethell could have done with the ball that got him today , among other dismissals ; and it was obvious that this was preying on all the batsmen's minds and causing a lot of hesitant and ineffective play - resulting in what would normally be seen as just getting out through bad batting . I am cutting them all a bit of slack for this one .

Has made for a rather entertaining couple of days , especially for us bowlers But while no one can reasonably object to a lot of swing or seam movement (made trickier by the damp and overcast skies) the crazy uneven bounce that has seen a plethora of bowled and lbw dismissals is just not acceptable for a Test Match. Not going to shoot the groundsman as preparation is often affected by weather to an extent hard to allow for (and this centre square gets a lot of wear and tear) ; but it is a pity that this 150th should be so influenced by a rotten pitch. And those with tickets for day four might be a bit p.ssed off - unless the Saturday weather extends the action ...

[alfie]

In light of the above I think it highly unlikely that NZ get anywhere near this target. If they do it is going to take some batting magic from someone ! But I suppose we can't absolutely rule out a miracle chase so hope that weather lets the game proceed on Saturday - and we see how the England bowlers back up their first innings efforts. All three of them have been excellent - as have their Kiwi counterparts - and used the favourable conditions superbly with the odd exception of some misguided and unnecessary short balls on a couple of occasions. They'll want to finish this quickly and enjoy some time off : may even be allowed a glass or two without censure

Have to praise both Gay and Smith for their batting efforts on day two. Very difficult conditions and the debutant handled them well , albeit with a little good fortune re fielding and drs errors from the Kiwis. He could hardly have picked a trickier situation for a first match so all praise to him for staying calm and top scoring. And Smith - who had a bit to prove - went some way to calm the doubting murmurs with a nicely judged mix of solid defence and well chosen boundary strokes : a very important knock after that middle order collapse . Shades of Perth must have been haunting all England until he and Atkinson steadied the ship !

Whatever happens today we probably can't read too much into the result , given the dodgy pitch. But the new and the recalled members of the England team look likely to be pretty satisfied with their games so something to be grateful for : and I think the Red for Ruth cause will have raised a few quid despite the weather

[Durhamfootman]

yes... it's hardly been a fitting pitch for the milestone occasion

[Arthur Crabtree]

Looks a solid enough England pace attack. Except the selectors might want to get Archer back in. Presume Tongue's spot is the most secure.

[Durhamfootman]

is there anyone more overrated than Kane Williamson in recent test memory,

I can't recall ever picking him in an FL team

[sussexpob]

Yes I think the question of "is this pitch fit for purpose ?" has been comprehensively answered

I am not aware of any examples of the ICC sanctioning pitches of this type where the variation of bounce leads to lower bounce on a slow track. Just look at the Mirpur controversy of recent times, where that black soil pitch also dries and gives prodigious turn from day 1- the ICC have found them to be satisfactory. Also England's last tour of Pakistan included a pitch at Rawalpindi similar to this where England grumbled about the turn and low, variable bounce... was not sanctioned.

Pitches deemed "unfit" have historically been uniquely two types; fast/bouncy wickets where the ball takes off from good lengths, and dead tracks where no assistance exists for every bowler type. As an example of the first, the last in memory I can remember was the Newlands 2024 test India v South Africa, where SA were bowled out for 55 on a track that was bouncing around peoples ears from a good length. An example of the second is again Rawalpindi in 2022, but that demerit point was removed because Pakistan appealed the decisions pointing out that a match produced a result and 39 wickets inside 5 days, therefore the sanction made no sense.

There is also a trend in England's journo's to moan about any pitch that is remotely difficult to bat on. Every time we face a ball turning in India or Asia, every cries the pitch should be set on fire.

[sussexpob]

The ball that kept that low and dismissed Bethell on the SECOND day is just not good enough.

I remain to be convinced about how much of an outlier the pitch is, and how this is a difficultish pitch exposing how rubbish modern techniques are when faced with any challenge. Bethell was dropped a few balls before playing on the back foot to half volley, trying to transfer his weight forward with planted feet, and succeeding in airing it to gully wildly. He was again playing back to a good length ball with no foot movement to the wicket ball. If this is Jacques Kallis in 2004 getting a stride in with a straight bat, does he get bowled to that?? No.... he wouldnt.

And how can we exactly expect different? This is a batsman who averages under 30 in FC who disrespects the game to the point he doesn't think its necessary to actually prepare for test cricket. He hasn't faced a FC ball in 6 months. Would he have looked so inept if he'd played even ONE game as a warm up?

[sussexpob]

Was the same in Rawalpindi last time. Harry Brook's dismissal was used as an example of the poor state of the pitch, and England moaned all week after about it.... Brook steps out his crease with his whole body outside of the off stump line, and tried a cross batted shot to a ball that turned a long way. Not sure you can blame some low bounce for the fact the ball clanged the stumps, its just outrageously poor batting.

Stay in the crease, play the ball late, and he'd have flicked it off his pads with no danger.

[Arthur Crabtree]

is there anyone more overrated than Kane Williamson in recent test memory,

I can't recall ever picking him in an FL team

KW was weirdly hyped from the start and that made me resist at the start. But he had a solid career and has an amazing average which marks him out as a great player. On his way down now though.

Most overrated for me was Muralitharan, as he played by different rules from most other players. Otherwise, Jonty Rhodes didn't have much of a Test career, but got an excess of positive press.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Looks like 11 balls were bowled. I don't think that's enough to save on refunds anymore.