The short trip from Hamilton to Mount Maunganui passes through the beautiful landscape and picture-perfect scenery you’d expect from New Zealand.
Before Cyclone Gabrielle makes landfall on the North Island at the beginning of next week, however, the first winds and torrential rains on Sunday changed the landscape.
Due to the cancellation of domestic flights to the nearby Tauranga Airport and the absence of indoor facilities other than a beautiful marquee that will probably wind up being used as a glorified kite, preparations for the first Test on Thursday at Bay Oval are expected to be significantly delayed.
The two-day match against the New Zealand XI in Hamilton, along with the seven rigorous preparation sessions they’ve had since coming to the nation at the end of February, have England unconcerned.
They stopped for a BBQ at Casa del McCullum along the route, which is located at a perfect halfway point just outside the town of Matamata, because they were in no rush to get down on Sunday evening. Additionally, they don’t appear to be rushing for the series opener, their seventh pink-ball Test, from all reports.
“It’s a bit gimmicky,”
Ollie Robinson, a seamer, commented on day-night matches in general. Perhaps an expected opinion coming from an Englishman, given that they have lost five of their six games by large margins.
The most recent one took place nearby in Auckland in 2018 and resulted in a humiliating innings and 49-run loss when they were knocked out for 58 in their first innings.
“They’re trying to get crowds and change the game a little bit. But the way England are playing Test cricket at the moment, I don’t think that needs to happen. We could stick to how we’re going and we’re entertaining people as we are so I’m not sure if it’s necessary really.
“Just traditional Test cricket – there’s nothing wrong with it to start with. I don’t think we need to play these pink-ball games.”
The main issue, which is not unique to this set of players, is the ball. In particular, the Kookaburra variation, which has been utilised most frequently in the 23 day-night matches so far.
The range of complaints includes colour loss and varied levels of hardness depending on the batch. Naturally, there was also minimal support from the seam or the air. The struggle of batters to adapt their eyes appears to be the greatest threat to the twilight time.
“I think they’re all different. Every time I play with it, they’ve been different. Some have swung, some have seamed and some are harder. Some are softer. The warmup game the other day, I got hit with a 65-over-old ball and it hurt more than a brand new ball. It’s just like a rock.
“I’m not a massive fan of that, no. We’ve been trying to get them to swing this last week and they’re very inconsistent and the seams a bit grippier in the surface. They’re just not a traditional cricket ball.”
In his experience, Robinson has had success with the pink Kookaburra. He has used it three times, all in Australia, taking 12 wickets at a strike rate of 24.41 in two Test matches during the most recent Ashes series (Adelaide and Hobart) and against Australia A for the Lions at the MCG in February 2020.
If you include a game in which Sussex played the Dukes equal of Glamorgan in 2018, his overall pink average lowers to 21.06, which is nearly first-overall class’s average of 20.71.
He has definitely found a way to make it work for him, whether he likes it or not. So, it would be reasonable to believe that he would continue this week in his newly acquired opening role.
When Robinson returned to the team for the second Test against South Africa last summer, it was something he both took and gave from Stuart Broad. Broad told Ben Stokes before the game at Old Trafford that the 29-year- old merited first choice after he overcame general fitness concerns.
The captain gave his approval, and in the final two games of the summer, Robinson took 12 wickets at an average of 15 as England overcame a 1-0 lead against South Africa.
“To get that opportunity to bowl with Jimmy [James Anderson] at the other end was really special for me and my career. And Broady was really good about it as well.”
“Every morning he’d tap me on the back, good luck, go well. Talk to me at mid-off every other ball. So the three of us have got a really good relationship about it. And it’s been going really well for the last 18 months.”