England may have won the second Test and, with it, the series against New Zealand, but it will seem insignificant in the context of a contest that defied cricketing gravity.
The old rules of Test cricket were torn apart and cast asunder, from Jonny Bairstow’s 77-ball century on the final afternoon to the free entrance that insured a full house on an exciting final day at Trent Bridge.
Teams that scored 553 in their first innings, as New Zealand did, should not lose, according to that logic. Neither should teams attempt to chase down 299 in 72 overs on a last-day pitch, as England did (in 50), their task made more difficult by a rare Joe Root failure.
However, under the leadership of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, two ultra-aggressive athletes, this side has rediscovered confidence in itself and in playing a high-octane brand of cricket that will provide thrills as well as spills.
So gear up for a voyage that will most likely be both exciting and bumpy.
It’s how Eoin Morgan has led England’s white-ball teams to unprecedented success over the last six years, including a World Cup victory.
It needs to be seen whether the philosophy and procedures can simply be transferred to the red-ball side. Test cricket is more difficult and necessitates consistency across a wide range of conditions in order to reach the top.
What is undeniable is that McCullum is the common denominator, with Morgan having been highly affected by him during their time together in the Indian Premier League with the Kolkata Knight Riders.
It’s one thing to talk about a daring, innovative approach, but Bairstow put it into action at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.
Nothing can ever match the blitzkrieg they watched just after tea for many of those present, some of whom may be experiencing Test cricket for the first time. It was both harsh and thrilling, with the ghastly one-sidedness eliciting no sympathy from the ecstatic fans for the New Zealand bowlers.
There has been destructive batting in Tests before, but none that has smashed opponents so viciously and with such speed while still having a chance of winning. It was terrifying to go from hopeful to helpless so soon.
To some extent, it was also self-inflicted. When England were four wickets down and needed 160 from 38 overs, New Zealand used their version of Bodyline, which had Matt Henry and Trent Boult peppering Bairstow and skipper Ben Stokes with short-pitched bowling.
Fours and sixes poured in instead of wickets as Bairstow, in particular, continued to clear the shorter of the leg-side boundaries.
In just four overs, 59 runs were given, which puts it right up there with one of Baldrick’s more hare-brained initiatives as far as cunning plots go. Worse, it infuriated Bairstow and Stokes to such an extent that when New Zealand switched to line and length bowling and reintroduced off-spinner Michael Bracewell, England’s boundaries continued to flow with ruthless regularity.
Many attribute Bairstow’s hard-hitting style to his white-ball prowess, but it somehow feels more thrilling and illicit when done in a Test match.
More memorable, too, and while I don’t recall Bairstow’s T20 or 50-over successes, I won’t forget Trent Bridge, and not just because he missed Gilbert Jessop’s 120-year-old record for the fastest Test century by an England player by two balls (76 balls).
Some records were broken, such as the greatest aggregate runs for a test, 1,675, which was a credit to Trent Bridge groundsman Steve Birks’ superb pitch.
Nottinghamshire CCC also got the tone right by allowing free admission on the final day, albeit one wonders whether this would lead to future complaints from those who paid full money for a less exciting day of cricket.
The grand finale belonged to Bairstow, even though the victory was a team effort. He’s been messed around by the Test team since his debut in 2012, batting in a variety of positions between three and seven and having the wicketkeeping gloves handed to him and then taken away.
So you’d think he’d leap at the chance to promote the new coach and captain’s impact.
When asked, he tempers his enthusiasm by claiming that previous Test captain Joe Root had gotten a raw deal as the team’s captain during the Covid epidemic, when bubble life was at its most restrictive.
Bairstow is known for his loyalty, but if we look back a year to the Lord’s catastrophe, where England, led by Root, failed to chase down New Zealand’s 273 in 73 overs on the last day, we can see how the ground has altered.
Given that the match was not part of the Test Championship and hence was not in peril, the team’s decision to play out the draw was a controversy. With such mindset, and following a string of poor performances, it’s no wonder that the captain, coach, and team director have all been dismissed.
This team appears to be determined to do things differently, as evidenced by three statements made by Stokes.
The first was his absolute contempt with which he regarded the idea of whether his England team might become more resilient by learning to play for draws, such as the one Nasser Hussain took over at the turn of the millennium, when he was first made captain. ‘No way,’ he responded, dismissing the very notion of playing for draws.
The second was an order he gave to Bairstow on the final day of the recent test, when New Zealand began bowling bouncers after tea: ‘Don’t you dare hit the ball down.’ ‘Place it in the bleachers.’ The final pledge he made was that his team would “go towards the danger rather than back away from it.”
As manifestos go, it’s more Dan Dare than the MCC manual, and it doesn’t make England a complete squad, at least not yet, because they still need a stronger spinner and a fast bowler who can bowl at 90mph.
But their captain and coach understand that flaws can occasionally be overcome by playing brave, attractive cricket, and that is exactly what they have done so far, much to the delight of England fans everywhere.