Debutant Sonny Baker claims two wickets as England hold New Zealand in check

Two wickets from debutant Sonny Baker helped England move from off-field drama to on-pitch matters as a new-look team held New Zealand in check on day one of the second Rothesay Test.

Joe Root’s return as captain after four years leant a sense of familiarity but with five changes from the winning team from Lord’s, three new faces and one notable absentee in the form of Ben Stokes, it was an unproven XI which stepped out at the Kia Oval.

While Stokes is expected to answer questions imminently over his role in the curfew-breaching incident that has dominated the cricketing news cycle for the last 10 days, Root stepped in to pick up the pieces as England held the tourists to 291 for seven.

There were a pair of successes for the energetic Baker, first catches for fellow debutants James Rew and Jordan Cox as well as an early breakthrough for Matt Fisher on his comeback appearance.

Misses

But it was not plain sailing as Root resumed leadership duties. With no Stokes to call on as all-rounder, Harry Brook was called on to bowl three overs of his occasional medium pacers in the afternoon, and there were a couple of half-chances that went down involving the new arrivals.

Cox, stationed at leg-slip in one of several tactical gambits from Root, dropped a tough chance from Daryl Mitchell on two. Later in the day, Rew held on to a low leg-side catch off Tom Blundell only to scrape the ball along the turf as he completed his dive.

By stumps the two difficult misses had cost England 59 runs.

Jacob Bethell’s handiwork was impeccable, though, taking a screamer at gully and hanging on again to help Baker open his international account. Called on to chip in four overs of left-arm spin in the closing session, Bethell then picked up two bonus wickets to rash strokes.

Root was leading his country for the 65th time, extending his own record, and won the toss just in time to try and make use of lingering cloud cover that quickly disappeared.

With Josh Tongue the sole survivor from the bowling line-up that started the series – Gus Atkinson stood down alongside Stokes, Ollie Robinson out injured and Shoaib Bashir dropped – it was uncertain territory.

Fisher stepped up to open the bowling on his adopted home ground and removed Devon Conway with the loosest delivery of an otherwise tidy opening spell.

Haul

Having swung the ball nicely into off stump on several occasions, he dragged one down leg and brushed the glove on the way through to wicketkeeper Rew.

That was the only breakthrough in the opening 20 overs, which included a lively initial burst from Baker, who hit 91mph on his first day in Test cricket.

Jofra Archer grabbed a second before lunch, Bethell with an outstanding grab from Tom Latham’s rapid leading edge. A lunch score of 75 for two left honours even, with England hardening their grip with two more at the start of the afternoon’s play.

Tongue forced Nicholls onto the back foot and bowled him off a thick inside edge before Baker had his big moment, persuading Rachin Ravindra to flash straight to Bethell.

After expensive, wicketless outings in his ODI and T20 debuts, the Hampshire quick celebrated emphatically.

Blundell’s 51 added ballast to New Zealand’s middle-order, sharing stands of 81 and 75 for fifth and sixth wickets.

Baker doubled his haul when he had Mitchell (44) caught off the splice from a well-directed bumper and Blundell slogged Bethell’s left-arm spin straight to Root at mid-wicket.

Archer was unlucky to get no reward for a spell of hostile short balls that left Glenn Phillips ducking, diving and hitting the deck in a gutsy 49 not out, but Bethell cashed in when Nathan Smith toe-ended a full-toss to Cox.

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