December 6, 2024 • 10 mins
Jacob Bethell and Ben Duckett have powered England into what shapes as an unassailable position approaching tea on the second day of the second cricket test against New Zealand in Wellington.
The visitors are 211 for three, a lead of 366.
Duckett has been dismissed for 92, with Bethell's wicket falling earlier for 96.
England cricket great David Gower joined Piney to dig into the team’s strong performance.
“One thing they've really enjoyed is a month and a half ago they're in Pakistan on dead pitches, turning pitches, and struggling. Suddenly we come here to New Zealand, and hey, there's bounce and there's movement and we have a very strong team attack.”
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Fine
from Newstalk z B.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
David Gower one of the true greats of English cricket
eighty two hundred and thirty one runs and one hundred
and seventeen Test matches, fifth on the list of all
time Test run scorers for England another three thousand, one
hundred and seventy and one days. He took a liking
to our bowling, actually in colored clothing three centuries in
the space of sixteen days against US in January nineteen
(00:33):
eighty three. Twenty six thousand first class runs in a
glittering career which spanned nearly two decades. He's now a
hugely respected cricket broadcaster and analyst and joins us from
the base in reserve. David, thanks so much for taking
the time. The first out today, it's been England's, without
a doubt, a one hundred and fifty five run lead
which they're starting to build on. How strong is England's
(00:56):
position in this Test match right now?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Yeah, well, very good morning, good afternoon. Whatever it is,
very strong, very strong, leaves enjoy It's only one thing
they've really enjoyed, is yeah, a month and a half
and ago they're in Pakistan on dead pitches, turning pitches
and struggling. Suddenly we come here to New Zealand and hey,
there's bounce and there's movements and we have a very
(01:20):
strong steam attack which is enjoying that. And of course
they have Harry Brooke who somehow manages to make runs
when no one else does, so it's been a bit
of a perfect storm for them. I would have to
say that the way this morning went with a hat
trick from Gus Atkinson which will cheered him up no
end as well. It just shows at the moment how
(01:42):
confident England is and the pressure they're able to exert
on New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
How much of this Morning's and things in effect, the
entire New Zealand First and Things was down to bed
batsmanship or was it on the whole really good bowling
from the likes of Edkinson and cars Well.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
I would I would veer to what's saying was good bowling,
and the reason for that is this. Do you look
at yesterday's play, New Zealand had England four down for
forty or so, give or tape. It was a pitch
with a bit of movement, a bit of bounce, and
it looked very much like it would be a bowlder's day.
Two men, only two men out of whatever he was
(02:23):
fifteen or so on day one made it look any different.
Harry Brook is in ridiculously good form and has that
extra ability which allows him to do things we others
can't or won't or you wouldn't even dare try. I mean,
for instance, watching him yesterday morning suddenly deciding to step
aside and hit hit a length ball over extra cover
(02:45):
for six. That moment change the dynamic of the day.
I mean, New Zealand don't have people necessarily who are
either in the form wall with the confidence to try
and do that sort of thing when they're up against it.
Harry Brook somehow decides that he can and will and
he gets away with him. Mean, there will be days
in the future where it doesn't quite work for him,
where that over confidence shall we say we'll work again.
(03:06):
But yesterday it changed the game. And as I say,
when two men out of fifteen sixteen batsmen are the
only ones to make it look like a batting pitch,
that gives you a clues to the advances the bolder
should have had and I think England obviously recognized that
when they came to their term with the ball. And
at the moment you've got Bright and Cass who is
leading this England attack. And yet he's only playing as
(03:28):
you know, he's only got a handful of Test matches
to his name. But he's big, he's strong, and he's
loving the fact that these pitches give them a bit
of bounce.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
I want to come back to cars in a moment,
because he's come galloping onto the Test scene. But just
on Harry Brook. How does he compare David to the
other young English betters you've seen emerge in recent times.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Well, he's head and shoulders above him many many ways.
I mean he's the figures are ridiculous away from home,
especially where he is literally bradman esque and in a
modern era which is ever so different to Bradmon's era.
When you're averaging one hundred overseas and with hundreds was
the eight hundreds to his name? I think overseason have
(04:07):
read of this small number of Test matches. I said
to him the other day, actually forget playing at home,
just go broad and keep smacking hundreds, you know, take
take the summer off. But he he has this. I
mean people I spoke to people about saying three years
ago now watching him at Yorkshire where he plays his
county cricket, and they were all purring in appreciation of
(04:30):
his talents. But the big difference is this. I mean,
there are people who come through with the ability to
play shots, orthodox shots, some of the new shots as well,
who look like proper players. He looks like a proper player.
That added dimension that he is able to play shots
that in this longer form of the game we only
(04:50):
normally see where when there's people in color clothing and
white balls and bright lights and razmataz. I mean the
good the good news that I would suggest is that
you know, Test cricket needs all the fans he can get.
He is the sort of man that will persuade people
to come wat Test career as well, because it's all
part of it nowadays. But England as a whole, mean
(05:12):
England have a style of play at the moment and
the sort of players who can use it, which means
they do try and entertain and what they will entertain,
and when they try and do it not purely for
entertainment purposes, because it serves to try and win them games.
But Harry, Harry is just I mean pretty much unique
at the moment, I suggest in amongst the greats of
world cricket. I mean, before he's before you can call
(05:34):
him a great grade, you've got to say, well, it's
given another five years see what it's like over a
decade or so. But at the moment he is just
awesome to watch.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
It's been a tremendous first couple of years for him,
Brian and Cars. He's only just arrived. This is his
fourth tist ten for in christ Church, another four here.
But he's twenty nine years old. Can you tell us
any more about him?
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Well, there's lots about him. His backstory is obviously a
South African upbringing. His parents kind of sent him to
England as an nineteen year old to experience a bit
of light, you know, out of South Africa, a different country,
but are growing up. And I saw a picture the
other day after which came out of the Times of
London with a nineteen year old Brydon cast with Damadere
(06:19):
studs arriving in Durham basically, which is not the place
for Darmindere studs necessarily, don't you know? The good folk
of Durham takes slightly different view of that. The thing
as mean as you say, it's actually it's a ten
year story, a bit of a wild child. When you
played some club cricket there with the club he playfer
looked after him. Durham then spotted him on their radar.
(06:41):
I mean, Durham be very good actually picking up really
good players, identifying players both batsman and bowlers from all
sorts of places, actually some of them quite unorthodox. And
Durham has a very good sort of pace bowling set up.
I mean lots of other people up there coming through.
I mean Matthew Pots is another one from Durham who's
in this England squad who's benefited from that ethos Up there,
(07:03):
you've got Ben Stokes as another well. I say, good
Durham man. You know christ Church and Durham, and it's
an atmosphere which allows you to learn and grow up
and become what you are. So I mean Cars is
not exactly an overnight success. But now that he's found
what works for him, and now that England have found
(07:25):
someone who will run in hard for a long long
time each and every day, the one thing they will hope,
of course, is that the workloads doesn't put extra strain
on him. But he's strong. He's really strong. He doesn't
he doesn't winned at all about fast bowling. He loves it,
obviously when things are going well, everyone loves what they're doing.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Brendan McCallum is going to take over as England's white
ball coach next month. He's already revolutionized the way the
team play the red ball cricket. What do you expect
from him in the white ball role, David Well, I mean.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
It was a role that he as a player excelled in.
I think the thing for England with their white ball crickets,
they've kind of lost confidence since that Worke Cup win
and I won't mention that again. Since that they have
I wouldn't want to bring that up. They have lost
(08:20):
some of the magic that made them by the Barrister
Margins World Cup winners. And one of the things I
think he needs to do is take the culture that
he's promoted to the Test side back to the white
day side white ball side. Just Butler, for instance, who
is still one of the world's great white ball players,
I think could do with just a little bit of
(08:41):
something to restore confidence in his leadership. And then it's
just it's the fine tuning. I mean, ours is not
not all about technicalities, is he No, I mean very
rarely here and talk about technicalities with the Test side,
you know, he is about building confidence, about creating an atmosphere,
creating the rights throughout and see in the rooms, and
(09:03):
about just sort of trying somehow to get the best
start of players, which he's managed to do by and
large very successfully with this Test side. So that's that
sort of magic he's going to have to try and
weave for the for the one day side.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Yeah, we went and see what happens there. Just before
you go. Do you remember that month in January of
nineteen eighty three when every time you played against us
you scored a century and the Blue England kit, Well,
do you know what I do, I'm not surprised or
we just said we couldn't get you out. You were
stroking us to all parts of Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Fine, it's it's very good to be to remember. That
made me feel make me feel good again. The I
mean this, that's just I've seen it, you know what
I mean. I hate to confess I have seen it
on YouTube. The was the I think the best of
those was the one fifty in Brisbane, Yes, which was
just a lovely day where even the knicks went before
(10:00):
and the ones out in the middle went over the
boundary and I was staying. In fact, I was with
friends in Pakistan on the tour or month and a
half ago, and they, you know, I didn't have to promblem,
so let's have a look at this. You know, had
big screen that YouTube. Lo and behold they were clicking
on the one fifty eight in Brisbane's pretty kind of
you past past the Scotch. It's it's nice to have
(10:24):
those memories intact as well as all I can say.
It's a long time ago, but crowd time, it's croud times.
I bear they were well.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
I wonderful to jet here, David, thanks for being so
generous with your time all the bustier.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
Thanks mate, my pleasure. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Take care for more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine.
Listen live to news Talks it'd be weekends from midday
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Fine
from Newstalk z B.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
David Gower one of the true greats of English cricket
eighty two hundred and thirty one runs and one hundred
and seventeen Test matches, fifth on the list of all
time Test run scorers for England another three thousand, one
hundred and seventy and one days. He took a liking
to our bowling, actually in colored clothing three centuries in
the space of sixteen days against US in January nineteen
(00:33):
eighty three. Twenty six thousand first class runs in a
glittering career which spanned nearly two decades. He's now a
hugely respected cricket broadcaster and analyst and joins us from
the base in reserve. David, thanks so much for taking
the time. The first out today, it's been England's, without
a doubt, a one hundred and fifty five run lead
which they're starting to build on. How strong is England's
(00:56):
position in this Test match right now?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Yeah, well, very good morning, good afternoon. Whatever it is,
very strong, very strong, leaves enjoy It's only one thing
they've really enjoyed, is yeah, a month and a half
and ago they're in Pakistan on dead pitches, turning pitches
and struggling. Suddenly we come here to New Zealand and hey,
there's bounce and there's movements and we have a very
(01:20):
strong steam attack which is enjoying that. And of course
they have Harry Brooke who somehow manages to make runs
when no one else does, so it's been a bit
of a perfect storm for them. I would have to
say that the way this morning went with a hat
trick from Gus Atkinson which will cheered him up no
end as well. It just shows at the moment how
(01:42):
confident England is and the pressure they're able to exert
on New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
How much of this Morning's and things in effect, the
entire New Zealand First and Things was down to bed
batsmanship or was it on the whole really good bowling
from the likes of Edkinson and cars Well.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
I would I would veer to what's saying was good bowling,
and the reason for that is this. Do you look
at yesterday's play, New Zealand had England four down for
forty or so, give or tape. It was a pitch
with a bit of movement, a bit of bounce, and
it looked very much like it would be a bowlder's day.
Two men, only two men out of whatever he was
(02:23):
fifteen or so on day one made it look any different.
Harry Brook is in ridiculously good form and has that
extra ability which allows him to do things we others
can't or won't or you wouldn't even dare try. I mean,
for instance, watching him yesterday morning suddenly deciding to step
aside and hit hit a length ball over extra cover
(02:45):
for six. That moment change the dynamic of the day.
I mean, New Zealand don't have people necessarily who are
either in the form wall with the confidence to try
and do that sort of thing when they're up against it.
Harry Brook somehow decides that he can and will and
he gets away with him. Mean, there will be days
in the future where it doesn't quite work for him,
where that over confidence shall we say we'll work again.
(03:06):
But yesterday it changed the game. And as I say,
when two men out of fifteen sixteen batsmen are the
only ones to make it look like a batting pitch,
that gives you a clues to the advances the bolder
should have had and I think England obviously recognized that
when they came to their term with the ball. And
at the moment you've got Bright and Cass who is
leading this England attack. And yet he's only playing as
(03:28):
you know, he's only got a handful of Test matches
to his name. But he's big, he's strong, and he's
loving the fact that these pitches give them a bit
of bounce.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
I want to come back to cars in a moment,
because he's come galloping onto the Test scene. But just
on Harry Brook. How does he compare David to the
other young English betters you've seen emerge in recent times.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Well, he's head and shoulders above him many many ways.
I mean he's the figures are ridiculous away from home,
especially where he is literally bradman esque and in a
modern era which is ever so different to Bradmon's era.
When you're averaging one hundred overseas and with hundreds was
the eight hundreds to his name? I think overseason have
(04:07):
read of this small number of Test matches. I said
to him the other day, actually forget playing at home,
just go broad and keep smacking hundreds, you know, take
take the summer off. But he he has this. I
mean people I spoke to people about saying three years
ago now watching him at Yorkshire where he plays his
county cricket, and they were all purring in appreciation of
(04:30):
his talents. But the big difference is this. I mean,
there are people who come through with the ability to
play shots, orthodox shots, some of the new shots as well,
who look like proper players. He looks like a proper player.
That added dimension that he is able to play shots
that in this longer form of the game we only
(04:50):
normally see where when there's people in color clothing and
white balls and bright lights and razmataz. I mean the
good the good news that I would suggest is that
you know, Test cricket needs all the fans he can get.
He is the sort of man that will persuade people
to come wat Test career as well, because it's all
part of it nowadays. But England as a whole, mean
(05:12):
England have a style of play at the moment and
the sort of players who can use it, which means
they do try and entertain and what they will entertain,
and when they try and do it not purely for
entertainment purposes, because it serves to try and win them games.
But Harry, Harry is just I mean pretty much unique
at the moment, I suggest in amongst the greats of
world cricket. I mean, before he's before you can call
(05:34):
him a great grade, you've got to say, well, it's
given another five years see what it's like over a
decade or so. But at the moment he is just
awesome to watch.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
It's been a tremendous first couple of years for him,
Brian and Cars. He's only just arrived. This is his
fourth tist ten for in christ Church, another four here.
But he's twenty nine years old. Can you tell us
any more about him?
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Well, there's lots about him. His backstory is obviously a
South African upbringing. His parents kind of sent him to
England as an nineteen year old to experience a bit
of light, you know, out of South Africa, a different country,
but are growing up. And I saw a picture the
other day after which came out of the Times of
London with a nineteen year old Brydon cast with Damadere
(06:19):
studs arriving in Durham basically, which is not the place
for Darmindere studs necessarily, don't you know? The good folk
of Durham takes slightly different view of that. The thing
as mean as you say, it's actually it's a ten
year story, a bit of a wild child. When you
played some club cricket there with the club he playfer
looked after him. Durham then spotted him on their radar.
(06:41):
I mean, Durham be very good actually picking up really
good players, identifying players both batsman and bowlers from all
sorts of places, actually some of them quite unorthodox. And
Durham has a very good sort of pace bowling set up.
I mean lots of other people up there coming through.
I mean Matthew Pots is another one from Durham who's
in this England squad who's benefited from that ethos Up there,
(07:03):
you've got Ben Stokes as another well. I say, good
Durham man. You know christ Church and Durham, and it's
an atmosphere which allows you to learn and grow up
and become what you are. So I mean Cars is
not exactly an overnight success. But now that he's found
what works for him, and now that England have found
(07:25):
someone who will run in hard for a long long
time each and every day, the one thing they will hope,
of course, is that the workloads doesn't put extra strain
on him. But he's strong. He's really strong. He doesn't
he doesn't winned at all about fast bowling. He loves it,
obviously when things are going well, everyone loves what they're doing.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Brendan McCallum is going to take over as England's white
ball coach next month. He's already revolutionized the way the
team play the red ball cricket. What do you expect
from him in the white ball role, David Well, I mean.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
It was a role that he as a player excelled in.
I think the thing for England with their white ball crickets,
they've kind of lost confidence since that Worke Cup win
and I won't mention that again. Since that they have
I wouldn't want to bring that up. They have lost
(08:20):
some of the magic that made them by the Barrister
Margins World Cup winners. And one of the things I
think he needs to do is take the culture that
he's promoted to the Test side back to the white
day side white ball side. Just Butler, for instance, who
is still one of the world's great white ball players,
I think could do with just a little bit of
(08:41):
something to restore confidence in his leadership. And then it's
just it's the fine tuning. I mean, ours is not
not all about technicalities, is he No, I mean very
rarely here and talk about technicalities with the Test side,
you know, he is about building confidence, about creating an atmosphere,
creating the rights throughout and see in the rooms, and
(09:03):
about just sort of trying somehow to get the best
start of players, which he's managed to do by and
large very successfully with this Test side. So that's that
sort of magic he's going to have to try and
weave for the for the one day side.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Yeah, we went and see what happens there. Just before
you go. Do you remember that month in January of
nineteen eighty three when every time you played against us
you scored a century and the Blue England kit, Well,
do you know what I do, I'm not surprised or
we just said we couldn't get you out. You were
stroking us to all parts of Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Fine, it's it's very good to be to remember. That
made me feel make me feel good again. The I
mean this, that's just I've seen it, you know what
I mean. I hate to confess I have seen it
on YouTube. The was the I think the best of
those was the one fifty in Brisbane, Yes, which was
just a lovely day where even the knicks went before
(10:00):
and the ones out in the middle went over the
boundary and I was staying. In fact, I was with
friends in Pakistan on the tour or month and a
half ago, and they, you know, I didn't have to promblem,
so let's have a look at this. You know, had
big screen that YouTube. Lo and behold they were clicking
on the one fifty eight in Brisbane's pretty kind of
you past past the Scotch. It's it's nice to have
(10:24):
those memories intact as well as all I can say.
It's a long time ago, but crowd time, it's croud times.
I bear they were well.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
I wonderful to jet here, David, thanks for being so
generous with your time all the bustier.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
Thanks mate, my pleasure. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Take care for more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine.
Listen live to news Talks it'd be weekends from midday
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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