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Hello world!
Well, then. This feels like the day this Test, and with it the outcome of the series, will be decided. New Zealand start it on 86 for five, still 194 behind, and with 15 wickets falling on day one everything is skuttling along at great pace. With Will O’Rourke, who has so far taken 16 balls over his zero after coming in as nightwatchperson, nursing a Test average of three the responsibility falls on Tom Blundell and Glenn Phillips to dig their side back into the contest.
Day one featured another spectacular success for Harry Brook, whose 123 took his average in away Tests to 91.50, 11 and a bit behind Don Bradman and 22 and a bit ahead of anyone else (to have played at least 10 away innings) in the history of Test cricket (for completeness, his home average of 38.05 is good enough for 311th in that list).
He’s obviously a wonderful player, but given that he is assumed by many to be the team’s next captain, having dipped his toe into the captaincy waters across this English summer, I found his interview with the BBC for today’s TMS Podscast interesting: along the way he admits that “to be honest I try to stay away from the toss talks and chats” and also that “I’m the worst at judging pitches”. His uncluttered thinking – inasmuch as he thinks at all rather than simply relying on instinct he thinks about his own job and not about anyone else’s – is clearly one of the reasons behind his success and perhaps when Ben Stokes’s time comes to an end England will be better off looking elsewhere.
Anyway, and most importantly, welcome!
