Brydon Carse bowled England to a commanding victory in the primary Test against Recent Zealand, underlining his status as a rising star in Christchurch.
Carse caught the attention on unhelpful pitches in Pakistan in his debut series, but showcased the total extent of his match-winning abilities with a 10-wicket haul in Christchurch.
The Durham seamer followed up figures of 4 for 62 in the primary innings with a destructive six for 42 to kill off Kiwi resistance on day 4 on the Hagley Oval.
He took three of Recent Zealand’s last 4 wickets to depart the tourists with a delicate chase of 104.
Jacob Bethell
That was simply enough for Jacob Bethell to get in on the act, the 21-year-old scripting the proper finish to his debut by reaching 50 not out and hitting the winning run as England romped home by eight wickets.
His 37-ball cameo, including three fours and a six, offered a tantalising glimpse of his quality, however the heavy lifting had already been done with the ball.
When record wicket-taker James Anderson was ushered into retirement last summer it was to make room for bowlers like Carse, whose mixture of pace, bounce and outright hostility mark him out as a potentially devastating prospect and an Ashes threat next winter.
Anderson himself took 10 in a match only thrice in a profession that brought him 704 Test scalps, while the last English seamer to achieve this overseas was Ryan Sidebottom in 2008.
The dimensions of Carse’s achievement in only his third appearance is much more remarkable given he last took a first-class five-for greater than three years ago.
Ben Stokes
There was one worrying moment when Ben Stokes withdrew himself from the attack midway through his fifth over with concerns over a stiff back, however the skipper deemed himself fit enough to remain on the sector and direct operations.
Stokes has missed 4 of England’s last seven Tests with a hamstring injury, only just resuming full bowling duties following a long-standing knee grievance.
England will want to watch his condition ahead of the second Test in Wellington but at this stage there aren’t any major concerns.
England held all of the cards in the beginning of play, Recent Zealand starting six down with a wafer-thin lead of 4.
Carse took it on himself to get things moving, kicking off with a barrage of bouncers early on before zeroing in on the stumps to assert his rewards. He struck twice in his fourth over, umpire Ahsan Raza raising his finger for a pair of lbws.
Brydon Carse
Nathan Smith was first to go, Carse coming wide on the crease and jagging one back off the pitch, and Matt Henry was beaten by a full-length delivery that exploded into his front pad at shin height.
That sealed a maiden five-wicket haul but Carse was not finished yet, returning late in an prolonged opening session to complete off a stubborn last-wicket stand of 45 between Daryl Mitchell and Will O’Rourke. Mitchell tried to collar him down the bottom but failed to seek out the center and picked out the catcher at long-off.
Mitchell’s knock of 84 ensured England’s chase would have some substance and so they proceeded to peel the runs off with abandon.
Zak Crawley was caught and bowled by Henry for a single as he followed up his first-innings duck in disappointing fashion, but Duckett and Bethell launched 54 off the subsequent 33 balls.
Tim Southee was rinsed for 27 in three overs, looking every inch a person heading into retirement at the top of the series.
Duckett was caught for 27 off O’Rourke’s first ball but Bethell took charge. He looked entirely at home in his surroundings and can look back with particular fondness on an enormous pull that landed 20 yards back on the grass banks.
Finding Form
England’s win flipped the shape book on its head. Stokes’ side arrived fresh from a 2-1 defeat to Pakistan and with three losses of their last 4 games, while Recent Zealand celebrated a sensational 3-0 whitewash in India only weeks ago.
Now, though, it’s the hosts who’ve inquiries to answer with the dropping of Will Young looking an error following his heroics in that series.
England can have wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson available after he joined the squad as injury cover, but might be tempted to depart the gloves with Ollie Pope and retain a winning formula with Bethell at three.
