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England patience pays off as disciplined batsmen set a firm foundation

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England showed early signs of delivering on their promise to play patient, ‘proper’ cricket, as Ben Stokes’s unbeaten half-century completed a disciplined batting display on the opening day of the First Test against New Zealand at Mount Maunganui.

The tourists reached stumps on 241 for four as Stokes ended the day not out on 67, after Joe Denly and Rory Burns had also made fine fifties, with the only real disappointment being captain Joe Root’s dismissal for just two.

In the build-up to the first Test of Chris Silverwood’s tenure as head coach, the talk had been of a new England approach, built on a desire to bat time and post big first-innings totals, and that move was reflected in the inclusions of Dom Sibley and Ollie Pope in a new-look batting line-up.

While the low-scoring start they made here was as much down to New Zealand’s excellence with the ball — Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Colin de Grandhomme bowled economically on a pitch that offered little assistance, restricting the visitors to around two an over, until Stokes and Pope (18 not out from 23) kicked on against the new ball late in the day — this was a more-than-satisfactory start.

Root won the toss on a glorious morning at the Bay Oval, hosting its first ever Test match, giving debutant Sibley the chance to make an instant impression.

He got off the mark from his first ball with a trademark four through midwicket, eventually scoring all 22 of his runs to the leg-side, but Burns was fortunate to survive on 10 when New Zealand decided not to review an appeal for a catch behind off Southee and HotSpot showed the faintest of nicks.

Burns and Sibley looked on course to achieve a feat that has so often escaped England openers in recent times — lunch without loss — when Sibley edged De Grandhomme to Ross Taylor.

Denly strode out to join Burns, reuniting the partnership that England had belatedly stumbled upon with some success towards the end of the Ashes, and the pair built nicely as Burns brought up a battling fifth Test half-century off 135 balls by finding the leg-side boundary.

Cheap loss: Joe Root fell for two (REUTERS)
Cheap loss: Joe Root fell for two (REUTERS)

He was gone soon after, however, caught by BJ Watling to become De Grandhomme’s second victim, and when Root, back in his favoured slot at four, followed him back to the pavilion after a scratchy two off 22, it looked as if the Black Caps had seized control.

If there is one man they must be sick of the sight of, however, it is Stokes, and England’s talismanic all-rounder emerged once more to steady the ship, picking up where he had left off in the summer.

Denly drove Neil Wagner crisply through cover for four to bring up his 50, before lifting the tempo by dancing down the pitch and crashing Mitchell Santner back over his head for the lone six of the day.

He was not the only one, then, ­letting out an audible groan when he was dismissed for 74, edging Southee’s smart delivery to Watling at slip to ensure the wait for that elusive maiden Test century goes on, but the partnership of 83 had by then put England back in control.

Stokes soon moved to a half-century of his own and then accelerated, striking Boult for three successive boundaries before he was let off the hook by Taylor at slip, who was too slow to react as the batsman slashed at a wide one and ended up letting it through his hands for four more.

Pope, in his second coming in Test cricket after a brief introduction against India last summer, looked assured, scoring four boundaries in his 18 before close, and with the likes of an in-form Jos Buttler and Sam Curran to come tomorrow, England will be eyeing the 400-plus total that would put them fully in command.

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