What a victory?

England won the second Test against New Zealand with a day to spare but not everyone is convinced by the victory

25-Feb-2013

Andrew Strauss and Michael Vaughan check for drops of rain as the start of play is delayed, England v New Zealand, 1st Test, Lord's, 3rd day, May 17, 2008

England won the second Test against New Zealand with a day to spare but not everyone is convinced by the victory. Up until the final day of play, when they at last found their stride, England have been outscored at every opportunity by New Zealand in this home-and-away set of matches, writes Mike Atherton in the the Times.

Even in Napier and Wellington, matches that England won in the winter, and at Lord's last week, in conditions more familiar to England, New Zealand's run-rate was comfortably superior. (At Old Trafford, in the first innings, England scored at 2.58 per over, New Zealand at 4.21.)

This presents two problems. One, it gives England less time to bowl out the opposition; two, and just as importantly, it is a good barometer of the balance of power between the teams.

In the Guardian Lawrence Booth writes that England's ability to dig themselves out of holes is to be applauded, but their tendency to be there in the first place is not.

However, the Telegraph's Simon Hughes hails Michael Vaughan's decision to use the heavy roller on the day-four pitch as a masterstroke.

The witchcraft of Daniel Vettori was removed. The day before he had made the ball jump, whistle a rhyme and vanish past the bat. Now it was just a plain Jane. The occasional delivery still spun, but the England batsmen subtly denied him a stranglehold with cleverly angled singles. Andrew Strauss's left-handedness - meaning his pads were always a second line of defence to the turning ball - was also an advantage and Kiwis' coach John Bracewell admitted that his side had been taught a ''a really good batting lesson".

In the same paper, Geoffrey Boycott praises Andrew Strauss's century and says if he sticks to his plans, Strauss may become the top-order batsman that England have been wanting - one to stay in and give the innings a platform. Meanwhile, Richard Hadlee cannot recall a Test match in which New Zealand have been in such a commanding position midway through the third day, only to lose it a day later.

Also read Rob Bagchi in the Guardian. Jeremey Coney's humourous and shrewd commentary during the New Zealand series has brought back memories of the past master, he writes.

England

Nishi Narayanan is a staff writer at ESPNcricinfo