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Astle's brutal onslaught
Wisden CricInfo staff - March 12, 2002
Nathan Astle's double century was the fastest in Test history, coming off just 153 balls. The second hundred came up from just 39 balls, which is also a record. Astle outdid Adam Gilchrist's 212-ball double-century in the first Test of Australia's current series against South Africa, at Johannesburg.
It was also Astle's highest Test score, his eighth Test hundred, and his third against England. He beat his previous-best, from only two Tests ago, of 156 not out against Australia at Perth. Just for good measure, he also passed 3000 Test runs.
Astle and Chris Cairns put on 118, the best tenth-wicket partnership for New Zealand against England, passing the 106 (unbroken) which Astle made with Danny Morrison against England at Auckland in 1996-97.
Astle's innings was the highest by a New Zealander against England, beating Martin Donnelly's 206 at Lord's in 1949.
Astle struck 11 sixes, the most by a New Zealander in a Test innings - beating Chris Cairns's record of 10. Only Wasim Akram, who hit 12 sixes in his 257 not out against Zimbabwe in 1996-97, has hit more.
New Zealand's 451 was the highest score in the fourth innings to lose a Test, beating the 445 India made when they lost to Australia, by 47 runs, at Adelaide in 1977-78. Only England, who made 654 for 5 in the drawn "timeless" Test at Durban in 1938-39, have scored more in the fourth innings of a Test.
This is the first time England have gone 1-0 up after the first Test of an overseas Test series for ten years. The last time was in 1991-92 when they beat New Zealand by an innings and four runs here at Christchurch.
When he cleaned up Adam Parore, Andy Caddick registered his 11th Test five-for. It won't surprise anyone that seven of them have come in the second innings.
Graham Thorpe and Andrew Flintoff put on 281, England's highest sixth-wicket partnership in all Tests. The previous-best, which coincidently was also against New Zealand, was the 240 put on by Peter Parfitt and Barry Knight at Auckland in 1962-63. Thorpe and Flintoff also surpassed the previous-best sixth-wicket stand at Christchurch, 177 by Allan Border and Steve Waugh for Australia in 1985-86.
Thorpe's unbeaten 200 was also his highest Test score. He had previously scored 138 on two occasions, against Australia at Edgbaston in 1997 and Pakistan at Old Trafford in 2001. Thorpe was the first England player to hit a Test double-century since Nasser Hussain's 207 against Australia at Edgbaston in 1997.
Thorpe's was the fourth-fastest double-century in Test history in terms of balls faced (although those details are not known for some early innings). Thorpe faced 231 balls in reaching 200, and was briefly third on the alltime list before Astle's innings. Ian Botham remains in second place with his 220-ball 200 for England v India at The Oval in 1982.
Flintoff recorded his maiden Test century from only 114 balls. His previous highest score was 42 against South Africa at Johannesburg in 1999-2000.
Only four higher innings than Flintoff's 137 have been made by an England No. 7. Top of the list is KS Ranjitsinhji, who hit 175 against Australia at Sydney in 1897-98. But Ranji usually batted at No. 3 or 4, and came in late in this game because he had been suffering from a bout of quinsy. Joe Hardstaff junior made 169 not out of England's 903 for 7 v Australia at The Oval in 1938, and Derek Randall cracked 164 against New Zealand at Wellington in 1983-84. The fourth one was Ian Botham's legendary 149 not out against Australia at Headingley in 1981. Oddly, there have been two other 137s: by Maurice Leyland against Australia at Melbourne in 1928-29 (England had earlier used a nightwatchman), and by Les Ames against New Zealand at Lord's in 1931.
England scored 400 runs in a day for the first time since 1962, when they reached 406 for 2 after the first day of the fifth Test against Pakistan at The Oval.
Daniel Vettori's wicket-drought continues. Since taking 3 for 17 in the first one-dayer, he has figures of 0 for 269 from 65 overs against England.
Matthew Hoggard's 7 for 63 was his first five-wicket haul in Tests. His previous-best figures were 4 for 80 in the third Test against India at Bangalore in December 2001. Hoggard is playing in his sixth Test, in which time he has taken more wickets (22) than he has made runs (18).
Hoggard's figures were the best by a seam bowler in 83 Tests between England and New Zealand, passing the 7 for 74 taken by Lance Cairns at Headingley in 1983. The best figures by an English seamer were 7 for 75, by Fred Trueman on this ground in 1962-63.
New Zealand's 147 was the lowest score by a home side in the first innings of the first Test of a series against England for 24 years, since a Packer-ravaged Australia were skittled for 116 at Brisbane in 1978-79.
It was also the first time England had dismissed their hosts for less than 300 in the first innings of the first Test for 11 years, since they bowled out Australia for 152 at Brisbane in 1990-91. On eight of the 12 occasions between then and now, the home side had scored over 400.
Nasser Hussain, who was playing in his 67th Test, scored his tenth Test century, and his first since his 109 at Kandy just over a year ago. Five of his hundreds have come in the first innings, and five have come overseas. Hussain's 106 was also his sixth score between 100 and 110.
For the second Test running, England picked a specialist spinner who did not get a bowl in the first innings. In the third Test against India at Bangalore, it was Richard Dawson; here it was Ashley Giles.
Hussain's century was his first against New Zealand. His highest score in six previous Tests against them was 64, at Wellington in 1996-97. Hussain has now scored centuries against all the Test-playing nations apart from Pakistan and Bangladesh (who England have not yet played).
England's total of 228 was exactly the same as their first-innings score in the Christchurch Test of 1996-97. England were also indebted to their captain on that occasion, as Mike Atherton carried his bat for 94. Uncannily, the second-highest score in both innings was 31, scored by Robert Croft then and Ramprakash now. England will be hoping that the similarities continue - they won that 1996-97 match by four wickets.
England were reduced to 0 for 2 for the fifth time in their history. This is the only time they have gone on to win the match.
Marcus Trescothick's duck continued his poor run of form. He has been dismissed in single figures in five out of six international innings in New Zealand, scoring only 47 runs at an average of 7.83.
Ian Butler made his Test debut after only four first-class appearances. This makes him New Zealand's least-experienced debutant since Daniel Vettori played in the second Test of England's 1996–97 tour after only two first-class games.
Mark Ramprakash was making his 50th Test appearance. His stop-start career began back in 1991, against West Indies at Headingley.
© Wisden CricInfo Ltd
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