Notes from Trent Bridge
Ollie Pope's tick, NZ's many new ball bowlers, Alex's angle, Leach's use, throwing runs away and Michael Bracewell scouting report
Ollie Pope's dives
There is something that I picked up in this Test that I had not noticed before. Ollie Pope has a tick. He dives back into his crease when the ball is hit back to the bowler.
And I do mean dive. I don't mean he gets back in his crease with a panicked turn or that he thrusts his bat behind him. Those are normal things. Pope sees the ball coming in the general direction of the bowler and launches himself at the crease by jumping and landing on his chest. He's often flat on the ground, while the ball is safely nestled in the bowler's hands.
It is weird that he does it before the bowler has even taken the ball, and usually even when the ball has gone nowhere near the stumps. It's not panic of being run out, it's pre-panic of being run out.
For instance, there was a ball where it was smashed back to Kyle Jamieson, who had to dive to save it. He's so tall, he was basically at full stretch at cover, and he was sprawling out to get the ball. Yet at the same time, Pope was on the ground at the non-strikers.
It was like someone yelled bomb, but only Pope and Jamieson heard it. And I have counted four times that happened in Pope's innings.
He also batted well. I am not sure this makes me feel any better about him batting in the top three. And this was the kind of free-scoring pitch I think suits him. But this was a significant knock for his immediate future.
Matt Henry and the four new ball bowlers (Is Neil Wagner done?)
New Zealand picked Ajaz Patel at Lord's, then didn't bowl him because they don't think he is that good. That was where they should have probably played Neil Wagner.
Here they dropped Patel, and they replaced him with Henry. I like Henry, but I struggle to see what he adds to this attack that they don't have. He's about Boult's pace, so they have that covered. He is more of a seamer than the others, but with the wobbleballs their attack also has that covered.
He brings some problems because he is a new ball bowler. And so is Southee, Boult, and probably Jamieson. I am pushing it with Jamieson because he can bowl anytime. But he would be at his best with the new ball, and if Southee or Boult struggled, he could always take that job.
So they needed a guy who could bowl with the old ball if this pitch got flat. If only they had the world's best old ball bowler, like say, Neil Wagner in their squad.
Henry going at over five an over for the first 20 overs didn't help that. And he was unlucky, Pope hit 12 runs in two balls with the top edge of his bat. But he didn't bowl well and he didn't get the new ball. That could be a coincidence. But when the ball got old, and England were set, New Zealand had no bowler - outside of Boult - who could maintain any pressure.
Wagner might have been pretty handy even if Henry does something great in the last innings. Am I reading too much into this, or does New Zealand think Wagner might be close to being done?
Alex’s angle
There is something in this match that got me angry. Alex Lees batted the best he had in Test and looked much freer. And finally able to score.
But one of his shots is this wide chop at balls that are not very good. The problem isn't the line. It is the way he attacks, which is with a massively angled bat that he sort of chops down with.
Here is my main issue, from a very wide ball, that should really be a gimme or easy leave, he has created an attacking shot that he can be dismissed from three different ways.
The huge angle means he's a bigger chance of edging into the cordon. That part is fairly normal, but he's somehow made it so much worse. Because of the way he chops down on it, he also slices it to point three times in this knock. You really should not be caught at point playing this shot. It's a wide throw-down ball. And then finally he twice almost dragged it back onto his stumps.
It does feel unfair having a go at his only attacking shot. But not only did it eventually get him dismissed, it looks like it always will.
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