It was a day of drama and intrigue at The Oval as England and New Zealand clashed in the second Test, with the contest hanging precariously in the balance at stumps on Day One. And what a difference 45 minutes made – or rather, didn't make – for the home side! New Zealand, sent in to bat by skipper Ben Stokes, looked set to wreak havoc on the English bowlers early on, but a late surge from Jacob Bethell turned the tables and left England smelling sweetly of victory.
For much of the day, New Zealand had the bit between their teeth, with several batsmen chipping in to build a solid score that looked set to leave England reeling. But our attack struggled to find top gear, allowing the Kiwis to motor along at a healthy pace and threaten to steal a march on us as the close of play approached.
That's when Bethell stepped up to plate, claiming two vital wickets that injected new life into our camp and sent New Zealand's tail into panic mode. The youngsters' timely breakthroughs not only stemmed the flow of runs but also exposed the Kiwi lower order, leaving the match looking like a whole different ball game come the morning.
The decision to bowl first on what looked like a cracking batting pitch will be scrutinised in the days ahead, but Bethell's heroics have certainly given us reason to believe our captain's call was spot on. Now we need to build on this momentum and wrap up the Kiwi innings sharpish come Saturday morning – before getting on with building a big score ourselves to put the pressure back on NZ.