Unbelievably, the situation entirely changed during the third test between England and New Zealand when the English batting collapsed was witnessed and the team managed to score 143 at the loss of all wickets. New Zealand was well represented by their bowler James O’Rourke who was the chief cause of the collapse because of his fiery and unrelenting spells throughout a ventful day devoted to the contest at batting.
The match that was expected to be a classic, took a dramatis ending when England came under forty overs after starting brightly in the test. Reason for New Zealand’s win in the third test of the test series could be traced back to O’Rourkes five wickets taken, resulting in a complete collapse of the England batting.
O’Rourke’s flamboyant Performance
If sailing to victory was to be attributed to O’Rourke then it’s fair to say that sailing to defeat was also attributed to him because he was a major contributor to Englands defeat. Being a right arm fast bowler he was able to make full use of conditions at Old Trafford and bowled an aggressive length which further resulted in consistent pickets of the England side. His precision targeting of both the stumps and the batsmen outside edge was able to generate impeccable pace and bounce that successfully disrupted the all the Englishyers.
Early in the innings O’Rourke’s first wicket came when he clean bowled Zak Crawley, a crucial wicket which set the pace for the rest of the day.
Crawley, who had shown a lack of consistency throughout the series, was out as he edged a delivery that pitched on the off stump and moved away just enough for the wicketkeeper to complete an easy catch. This first wicket provided the breakthrough and set in motion a flurry of wickets that were to follow in quick succession.
While O’Rourke was at it, he never took his eyes off the top order. After a while, he profited from the wicket of Ben Stokes, the captain of England- the man had looked solid but was not able to cope with the pressure. Stokes who is mostly dependable at the wicket, got a good short-pitched ball that started to rise just as he expected. A poor shot was played to defend it to the point where the ball was looped into the short leg’s hands. This was a crucial moment for the match as England’s hopes of consolidating their innings were dashed when their captain was dismissed.
With each passing moment as wickets began to fall, the confidence of O’Rourke soared high. He ruled over the English middle order after targeting them and did not have to wait for long before getting rid of Joe Root, Harry Brook, and Jonny Bairstow who was back into the changing room. The leading batsman of England, Root was able to score only a paltry 15 runs only as he edged one from O’Rourke’s swinging and pacey delivery which ended up in the hands of a slip fielder.
Bairstow and Brook were both taken out by O’Rourke when he bowled short deliveries and kept both of them under matchmaking pressure.
When O’Rourke’s bowling came to an end, he had taken 5 wickets for a mere 34 runs, which nearly threatened to leave the English team at a junction of collapse. I remember his overs. Wickets came in waves and his armory had a seven pronged star, and over a push New Zeland were set to chase down an absolutely approachable 143 runs.
England’s Batting Problems
What made things worse for England with each passing moment was the fact that there weren’t any partnerships building throughout their innings, and this was particularly a problem on the third day, as well. Rut of the middle order was shaky, once the upper order was misplaced, the remaining offered no signs of life. For some odd reason, the English men who were batting looked absolutely lost against O’Rourke and their inability to deal with his pace meant they have to go back inside quite early on.
After those initial setbacks, England’s batters did not try to make an impact in the match and couldn’t aqcuire any partnerships. During the matches, Ben Duckett helped strengthen England’s position and gave them an edge as he kept the team afloat, but this time he was only able to put up 10 runs which was not of much help. There were some eye-catching moments by Ollie Pope and Harry Brook, but they both threw those promising moments away with reckless shots that rather weakened the inning rather than making it stronger.
For most of the English players this was an absolute disappointment because they were expecting to face a tough challenge in this Test series.
Once again did their grievous batting weaknesses get exposed, and this time it was against a pace dominated New Zealand who were bowling at their very best throughout the match.
New Zealand’s Flawless Execution
The bowlers of New Zealand displayed a great degree of execution. Of course, O’Rourke had the strongest individual performance, nonetheless his other colleagues made sure that the English team optimized their scoring opportunities. Matt Henry and Neil Wagner backed O’Rourke in a disciplined display of bowling and prevented any English batsman from getting settled in the crease. With a good line and length complimenting Wagner’s short ball skills and close fielders, Henry was able to create a pressurized environment that never let up.
The New Zealand captain, Kane Williamson, was able to assist his bowlers in maintaining the correct approach and mentality for the game. There has been recent splendor in New Zealand cricket due largely to his captaincy, and it’s possible how he affected things in this Test was not subtle at all. New Zealand fielding turned out to be top notch, including vital catches taken at crucial moments and crucial junctures.
Looking Ahead: The Response From England
After this innings with a batting score of 143 all out, England’s team had to think of a pretty bad scenario following this game. With nearly a 100 run lead, it was now time for New Zealand to get comfortable and go for the win.
Ability to comprehend and devise a plan at least in their third outing of the series was England’s aim.
English batting plan fell apart once more with the top order being scant strong enough to deal with the likes of Kyle Mills and Shane Bond. Despite sharing all caution this squandered defeat may impact adversely on them in terms of their confidence level and from the moral aspect. They need to think through how they have gone about their batting plan, and what they need to change to be able to mount any attack let alone beat New zealand given its strength in the current phase.
Conclusion Analytical Thoughts
The spectacular achievement made by James O’Rourke on the 3rd Test’s 3rd day is and surely will be the turning point of the game. As a consequence of his spectacular 5 Wicket haul, England rolled over and made the score of 143 allowing New Zealand to gain a reasonable upper hand in the ensuing match. O’Rourke’s superb spell as well vividly explained the vital place of pace bowlers in the test arena because of their ability to fracture solid detents batting would change the scenario of that game completely. This enormous loss has compelled England to formulate a better plan that will actually work for them in regaining their degree of competitiveness against New zealand’s well drilled 2nd innings.
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