ENGLAND IN NEW ZEALAND, 2018

I get to 20 and I think I'm like Bradman: Mark Wood

by Cricbuzz Staff • Published on

Mark Wood and Jonny Bairstow added a 95-run partnership for the eighth wicket © Getty

England's No. 9 batsman Mark Wood praised the role of his batting partner Jonny Bairstow in ensuring there was no pressure on the former as he scored his maiden Test fifty to help England recover from a shaky position on Day 1 of the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch on Friday (March 30).

From 164 for 7, Wood and Bairstow took the visitors to 259 for 8 when the former was dismissed for a 62-ball 52. The partnership ensured England didn't start on a completely wrong footing like they did in the first Test, which New Zealand went on to win comfortably to take a series lead.

Wood talked up the 'fun' he had, and the joy of putting together a resurrecting stand alongside Bairstow, who he has played with and against since he was 11.

"I had loads of fun but the worrying thing is I've got a fifty before a five-for, so I've done that the wrong way round," Wood said in a post-day press conference. "I loved batting with Jonny, a lad I've played with and against since I was about 11 years old. So nice to do it with him at the other end."

Wood came in for Craig Overton after missing the first Test and was pleased to contribute to the team's cause. He credited his success to his batting partner as the Yorkshireman kept it simple for him. "When I went out to bat we were in a bit of trouble. Jonny knows I like to have a bit of fun out there, so it made it easier - just having a laugh and seeing how it goes. It just put my mind at ease and you forget the situation you are in."

The batting performance marked Wood's return in whites after a period of eight months. His batting average before the innings was 16.84 with a previous best score of 32. The Durham speedster anticipated a chance in the second Test, which prompted him to work hard in the nets.

"I worked hard in the nets this week thinking I might play this game. I get to 20 and I think I'm like Bradman, that's the problem, I try too many shots. It was nice having Jonny there, he kept it fun, kept it calm whereas sometimes I think I get a bit ahead of myself and try too much."

The lower-order batsman also threw light on hatching a plan with Bairstow to turn things around. He sat back in his crease and premeditated the lengths to be successful especially when it came to dealing with Neil Wagner. "[Neil] Wagner was bowling a lot of bouncers. More often than not I knew where the ball was going to be. Me and Jonny talked about a plan and we could set up. When I first got in, [Tim] Southee had done a lot of the damage and was nipping it around so it was harder."

The wreckers-in-chief - Tim Southee and Trent Boult - who had snarled 14 wickets between them in the first Test, once again tormented the English batting line up on Day 1. Southee pipped Boult to a fifer this time and finished the day with figures of 5 for 60. Boult nipped three wickets and at one point England were reeling at 94 for 5. Then Ben Stokes added a few runs with Bairstow before Boult strangled him down leg. Broad was the next to depart and then began the counter-attacking partnership.

Wood credited New Zealand bowlers for making the most of the morning conditions but reckoned he and Bairstow turned the momentum in England's favour once again.

"Maybe there was panic stations at one point but New Zealand bowled really well this morning. Maybe it felt like we just changed the momentum a little bit and brought it back in our favor. We rotated the strike well, that's one of the things Jonny does - he runs well between the wickets."

The real trouble for England came during a small passage of play after Lunch when they lost Joe Root, Dawid Malan and Mark Stoneman for the addition of just one run. Yet, Southee - who picked his seventh five-wicket haul to join Chris Cairns with 218 Test wickets - felt the Bairstow-Wood stand helped the visitors dig deep.

"That little burst after lunch was good for us with three quick wickets then England dug deep and that partnership was a crucial one for then."

Southee, who is now joint-fourth in the leading wicket-takers list for New Zealand, felt the wicket is good to bat on if you hang around on it. The New Zealand pacer not only praised Bairstow's enviable form throughout the summer but also the grit shown by England's lower-order.

"One thing to come out of it, it shows that once you get in and the ball gets a bit older the wicket is reasonably good. I think it's pretty even, it would have been nice to finish them off this evening but credit has to go to the way the lower [order] of England stuck in. The way that Jonny has played all summer so we know he's a big wicket and a dangerous player which he showed at the end."

© Cricbuzz

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