Mini-session Analysis, 1st test, NZ Eng, University Oval, Dunedin 2012/3

Here is the final mini-session analysis for the first test between New Zealand and England at University Oval, Dunedin, New Zealand

A mini-session is (normally) half a session, either between the start of the session and the drinks break or the drinks break and the end of the session. Occasionally a long session will have 3 mini-sessions where it will be broken up with 2 drinks breaks.

Mini-Session	Score	Winner
2-1a	England 35/3 off 17	New Zealand
2-1b	England 46/2 off 14	New Zealand
2-2a	England 54/3 off 17	New Zealand
2-2b	England 32/2 off 7	Draw
2-3a	New Zealand 45/0 off 14	New Zealand
2-3b	New Zealand 45/0 off 13	New Zealand
2-3c	New Zealand 41/0 off 15	New Zealand
3-1a	New Zealand 49/1 off 17	Draw
3-1b	New Zealand 75/1 off 18	New Zealand
3-2a	New Zealand 64/2 off 15	England
3-2b	New Zealand 83/3 off 16	Draw
4-1a	New Zealand 58/2 off 8.4	New Zealand
4-1b	England 29/0 off 11	England
4-1c	England 29/0 off 11	England
4-2a	England 50/0 off 17	England
4-2b	England 31/0 off 15	England
4-3a	England 49/0 off 16	England
4-3b	England 46/1 off 17	New Zealand
5-1a	England 41/1 off 18	Draw
5-1b	England 54/0 off 18	England
5-2a	England 32/1 off 13	New Zealand
5-2b	England 21/1 off 15	New Zealand
5-3a	England 39/2 off 19	New Zealand

Final update, click here
New Zealand win the mini-session count 12 - 7, but the match is a draw

First drinks, Day 2: New Zealand lead the mini-session count 1-0

A commanding start by New Zealand. Cook was dropped on 9 off Boult, but it only cost 1 run, as Wagner did to England's batsmen what he's been doing to NZ domestic batsmen at this ground for 4 years now. Trott and Bell are going to have to bat well to get the initiative back. - Mykuhl

Lunch, Day 2: New Zealand lead the mini-session count 2-0

England started off the hour well, but a couple of breakthroughs and it was advantage New Zealand again. Boult has now bowled 9 overs for 14 runs, and had a wicket and a catch dropped. And he's probably been the least impressive of the bowlers. - Mykuhl

Middle drinks, Day 2: New Zealand lead the mini-session count 3-0

Bruce Martin didn't have a great start to his international career dropping the English Captain, but he's made up for it by dismissing Trott, Prior and Broad. It was a typical spell from Martin: some fantastic deliveries and some awful ones, but the result of it was that he's put England in more trouble. If he's causing this much trouble on a pitch like this, he might be a real handful if it starts to break up. - Mykuhl

Tea, Day 2: New Zealand lead the mini-session count 3-0

The English tail scored their runs quickly, but New Zealand wrapped it up before they did too much damage. - Mykuhl

Drinks, Day 2: New Zealand lead the mini-session count 4-0

New Zealand continue their good start. Rutherford hasn't really been worked over like I was expecting, but Fulton has looked a little suspect to the ball coming back at him. However he's countered that by hitting a lot of balls on to the leg side, to encourage the bowlers to bowl outside off. It will be interesting to see when he decides to start unleashing his cover drive. At the moment he hasn't played one. - Mykuhl

Final Drinks, Day 2: New Zealand lead the mini-session count 5-0

More runs from New Zealand. They looked like they were taking it easier, but they scored faster. Rutherford brought up 50 on debut. His father got his 5oth run in his 9th innings. Quite different starts to their careers really. - Mykuhl

Stumps, Day 2: New Zealand lead the mini-session count 6-0

That brings to the end one of the best days in recent memory for New Zealand. England were poor all day. The wickets were often to loose shots, the bowlers struggled to hit the right lengths and they put down Rutherford twice.

Tomorrow will be interesting, as England will look to strike back. The big question will be how New Zealand respond to the increased intensity. - Mykuhl

First drinks, Day 3: New Zealand lead the mini-session count 6-0

A steady start to the day's play. New Zealand started off scoring quite freely, but once Fulton's wicket fell, Williamson made sure he didn't throw his away. The highlight was Hamish Rutherford bringing up his hundred with a drive through extra cover. There are not many better ways to do it really. - Mykuhl

Lunch, Day 3: New Zealand lead the mini-session count 7-0

It felt almost like there were two different games being played this hour. At one end the English bowlers had Williamson and then Taylor under some pressure. At the other end Rutherford was plundering the bowling. Rutherford scored 52 of New Zealand's 75 runs in that hour. - Mykuhl

Middle drinks, Day 3: New Zealand lead the mini-session count 7-1

England finally had the better of New Zealand in an hour. The new ball did it's job, and removed Rutherford first ball, and then Taylor departed a couple of overs before drinks. New Zealand have a lead of 152. They will want to extend that lead to be at least 250 by the end of the day. - Mykuhl

Stumps, Day 3: New Zealand lead the mini-session count 7-1

I combined the 5 overs after tea with this mini-session to make it long enough to be meaningful. New Zealand have pushed the lead up to 235 England took quite a few wickets, but Southee and McCullum hit their runs quite quickly and as a result tied up the hour. It feels like the race is on for this match between New Zealand and the rain. If England manage to score 400 in their second innings, New Zealand are still only going to have to chase 150. - Mykuhl

Change of innings, Day 4: New Zealand lead the mini-session count 8-1

An absolute whirlwind start by New Zealand. McCullum and Martin left no doubt as to what their intentions were. McCullum hit three of his first ten deliveries for six. Once he got out, Martin carried on swinging at almost everything. - Mykuhl

Drinks, Day 4: New Zealand lead the mini-session count 8-2

A solid start for England. Boult in particular has bowled some challenging deliveries, but so far no chances have been created. - Mykuhl

Lunch, Day 4: New Zealand lead the mini-session count 8-3

More good progress from the English openers. Their first objective would have been to make it to lunch. They can tick that off the list. - Mykuhl

Tea, Day 4: New Zealand lead the mini-session count 8-5

Slow going this hour from England, but they still haven't lost a wicket. It's hardly T20 style cricket, but it's a test of character for both teams. - Mykuhl

Final drinks, Day 4: New Zealand lead the mini-session count 8-6

49 runs in the hour, it's good cricket from England. Martin has asked a couple of questions, particularly of Compton, and Boult has keep the batsmen under some pressure, but these two have been very solid. - Mykuhl

Stumps, Day 4: New Zealand lead the mini-session count 9-6

Boult got a well deserved reward for his bowling. He's taken 1/34 off 19, and 9 of those runs have been off edges. It's been England's day without a doubt. However they are still slightly behind overall. New Zealand will need to take 4 or 5 wickets before lunch tomorrow to have a realistic chance to win the game. - Mykuhl

First drinks, Day 5: New Zealand lead the mini-session count 9-6

The formula gave that hour to New Zealand, but I honestly think that the draw was a lot more likely after that hour than before. New Zealand's bowlers managed to ask a couple of questions, but they didn't bowl enough deliveries on the stumps really. On a pitch that keeps low, you need to make the batsmen pay if they miss. - Mykuhl

Lunch, Day 5: New Zealand lead the mini-session count 9-7

A great hour for England. They have almost worked themselves into a position where they have a sniff at winning this match. If they were to score 150 in this session, and then declare, New Zealand would be chasing 180 at 6 an over. They would certainly try it on, which might mean the England could have a chance to win the match. However that's a remote possibility, just like the chance of New Zealand winning has become almost non-existent. - Mykuhl

Middle drinks, Day 5: New Zealand lead the mini-session count 10-7

The slight glimmer of hope for England that had appeared has now dried up. New Zealand also has almost no hope of a win anymore either. The only chance for a New Zealand victory now is for 3 wickets to fall before the new ball, and then Boult and Southee to clean up the tail with the new ball. - Mykuhl

Tea, Day 5: New Zealand lead the mini-session count 11-7

Steven Finn's epic resistance has finally ended, but he has well and truly done his job. He batted for longer in this test than in the rest of his career combined. It was a fantastic effort. Without him there frustrating the New Zealand bowlers, his team may have fallen over, but that's something that we'll never know. - Mykuhl

End of match, Day 5: New Zealand take the mini-session count 12-7

The English batsmen did sufficient to hold on for the draw. Prior and Bell survived the new ball, and in the process denied the New Zealand bowlers the wickets they needed to have a chance to win the game. Trent Boult had the scarcely believable figures of 1/49 off 35 overs. He doesn't really have a reputation as a particularly difficult bowler to score off, but the English batsmen were not in a mood to take risks. - Mykuhl

Quick preview of NZ Eng match in Dunedin

I thought I'd missed the boat to do a preview of this match, but the rain has come to my rescue.

Here are a few thoughts about a couple of the match-ups I'll be looking forward to.

1. James Anderson vs Peter Fulton.

	Early in Fulton's career he got out a lot to the ball leaving the bat. He had a tendency to chase it, and as a result often ended up getting out. Since he was dropped from the NZ team he has made a real effort to focus on this, and in looking through his innings over the last couple of years, I could only find 2 where he had been dismissed to this type of delivery.
	However whenever a batsman makes a change to their technique there is always a question as to what new weakness it will open up. If he is looking for the one going away, then Anderson's ability to move the ball back in might be something that causes him some problems.

2. Steven Finn & Stuart Broad vs Hamish Rutherford.

There was an obvious plan in Queenstown to try and bounce Rutherford out. Finn and Broad both seem to have a tendency to try the short ball anyway, so if they sense blood they may be prone to giving Rutherford a real working over. If Rutherford is up to it, however this could give him something to attack, especially if they stray outside off, as he is very quick on the cut shot.

3. Kane Williamson vs Kane Williamson.

Can the boy wonder keep his game simple enough to play one of the innings that he's shown us previously he is capable of? Or will he get over-complicated in his approach and find another new way to get out.

4. Joe Root vs Ross Taylor.

There seems to be a theory that Ross Taylor is weak outside the off stump to off spinners. As a result Jayawardene had offies bowling outside off to him, and left a big gap for him to cut. Taylor left or defended the ball about 40 times. It will be interesting to see if Cook replicates this tactic. The extra bounce on the NZ wickets would normally mean that this wouldn't be such a good tactic, but given the instructions that the groundsman seems to have been given by the NZ camp this might be quite effective.

5. Brendon McCullum vs the media.

	McCullum is walking a very tight line in terms of public perception. He's played some outstanding cricket on this tour, and yet people still somehow blame him for Ross Taylor no longer being captain. (They tend to ignore the fact that Taylor wasn't dropped as test captain, but instead chose to step down).
	Even before that he was constantly under pressure. If he played his natural game (where he was generally much more successful) he was described as arrogant and irresponsible. If he played more conservatively (where he often was less successful) he was described as flaky, and not having the right temperament for test cricket. When he scores a hundred it's described as lucky, if he gets a fifty he gets criticized for not going on, and if he gets out for less than that there are calls for his head. The only way for him to win over the public is for him to play a series of outstanding innings that lead the team to victory. Perhaps if he gets his series average over 150 people might start to appreciate his contribution.

6. Monty Panesar vs Brendon McCullum.

Monty has dismissed McCullum a lot of times. In the last double-header series Panesar got McCullum 6 times. In fact, most left-armers who have bowled to McCullum have dismissed him a lot of times. Almost a quarter of his dismissals have been to left-arm spin, and they have often got him out when he was well set. Panesar will be relishing the opportunity to resume this particular battle.

7. BJ Watling vs James Anderson.

	Watling dominated the 2nd string bowlers in the NZ XI match in Queenstown. He scored 66* and 89* and hardly looked troubled. Since he's put the gloves on his record is remarkable. He's scored more runs in his 5 test innings with the gloves than in the 14 previous without them. While 5 innings is hardly statistically significant, I was privileged enough to watch most of them live, and he was batting very, very well.
	However in the ODI matches he came up against James Anderson, and looked significantly less assured. He faced 24 balls, scored 8 runs and was dismissed twice. The winner of that battle may well be decisive in the outcome of the match.

8. Trent Boult vs Alistair Cook.

Throughout Cook's career he has had a tendency to get out early to left arm swing bowlers. So far in Trent Boult's career he has often dismissed the most important batsman in the opposition team (in 10 tests his victims include Hussey, Amla, Kallis, Sangakkara, Tendulkar, Jayawardene and Gayle). Particularly if the ball is swinging, the Cook/Boult battle could be intriguing.

9. Tim Southee vs Nick Compton.

Compton seems to have an issue against the short pitched ball, and while Tim Southee is not express, he does have the ability to bowl a surprisingly quick bouncer. He managed to dismiss a few English batsmen with it in the Eden Park ODI match, and Compton might find himself on the end of a little chin music from Southee in this test.

10. Bruce Martin vs Kevin Pietersen.

Just like the battle between McCullum and Panesar, Pietersen has a history of getting out to left arm spin, and Bruce Martin will know that. However KP likes to dominate, and Martin has a tendency to be quite expensive, so there may be some fireworks if they get to face each other.

11. Joe Root vs Joe Root.

Root has only been dismissed once in the internationals in this tour. However he is likely to want to hold himself back a bit in the test matches. He took the foot off the accelerator in the Eden Park ODI, and immediately started to look a little more vulnerable. Good attacking players often do worse when they try to play a defensive game. How Root finds the balance between attack and defense could be vital to his success at this form of the game.

12. Neil Wagner vs Matt Prior.

	Prior has a good record against left-arm pace bowlers, but he has shown a tendency to get out to bowlers who mix their pace up well. Wagner has dropped his pace a little in search of more swing, and since doing that has started to rediscover his form. He is still capable, however, of the odd ball that screams through as well as having a reasonable slower ball.
	The thing that will work in Prior's favour is that his new technique is designed for pitches with less bounce, and the Dunedin wicket is likely to keep a bit low. If it starts to go up and down a bit, then Wagner might be the one with the weapons to dismiss Prior.

There are bound to be other battles arising during the match, but these 12 will be some I'm watching for.

Here's a good preview (from before the toss) with a couple of the cricket writers from the NZ Herald. I got to spend a bit of time with David Leggat while in South Africa, and was quite impressed with his ability to read the game.