Raval’s opening days over?
Even the most battle hardened fan would feel a degree of sympathy for Jeet Raval whose test career hangs by a thread, ruthlessly and loudly observed by Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc yesterday.
‘‘Last chance of your career,’’ Starc chirped at Raval as the Black Caps eyed a mammoth and distant 468 to win the first test in Perth at Optus Stadium in the day-night match.
He followed up by saying how nice it was to have Christmas in Melbourne, venue for the Boxing Day test, especially if you’re not playing.
Next ball, Starc fired in a short one and Raval couldn’t contain the bounce, a simple catch looping off the shoulder of the bat to Nathan Lyon at point.
For New Zealand the killer blow followed when captain Kane Williamson was snared by Lyon’s offspin, the tourists on the ropes at 31-2 at lunch on day four.
Raval faced 28 deliveries in the test and scored a run in each.
Since scoring his maiden test century against Bangladesh at Hamilton in March, Raval’s next nine test innings reaped a total of 66 runs at 7.33.
Sadly, Starc may be right about Melbourne. Coach Gary Stead and Williamson continued the Mike Hesson tradition of backing the incumbents, especially as the Black Caps won six of their last seven series and rose to No 2 in the world.
This can’t go on with Raval, though, his technique still sound but his confidence shot.
Starc knows this, as do all the Australian bowlers.
The problem for the Black Caps’ brains trust is the lack of viable, in-form replacements and leaves a solitary option in the squad: a makeshift one in the form of backup gloveman and batsman Tom Blundell.
Yes, it could be Merry Christmas in Melbourne for Blundell, but not in a way he expected.
Black Caps captain Kane Williamson about to be dismissed caught by leg side catcher Matthew Wade from the first ball of the second innings bowled by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Mitchell Starc Australian fast bowler
The 29-year-old from Wellington scored a century on debut, against West Indies in 2017, and has just two test appearances in all.
He’s batted in the middle order for Wellington, and when captaining New Zealand A against England last month scored 60 and 8 at No 6.
It’s far from ideal, throwing someone into an unfamiliar position against the best pace attack in the world, but the argument is Blundell couldn’t do much worse than Raval on current form.
Another option is BJ Watling pushes up to the top and Blundell takes the gloves, or they shuffle
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the order with Henry Nicholls moving up to the role he filled at the World Cup.
Otherwise they send Raval home and summon a replacement, with Hamish Rutherford or Martin Guptill probably the leading contenders.
Rutherford struggled with concussion after he was hit by England’s Jofra Archer in Whangarei and is highly unlikely, while Guptill is experienced but never nailed it at test level, his last one in India more than three years ago.
It will be more encouraging on the bowling front in Melbourne with spearhead Trent Boult almost certain to return.
He bowled eight overs in the nets, reportedly at 75 per cent in
the leadup to Perth, and was confident of being fit for Boxing Day.
Neil Wagner and Tim Southee were outstanding in 40degC heat at Optus Stadium when Lockie Ferguson suffered calf strain after just 11 overs of his debut.
Wagner fired down 60 overs and took 7-151 on a rock hard surface while Southee was even better, taking 9-162 off 51.3 overs as Australia declared at 217-9 on day four.
It was a phenomenal display of endurance, and the only concern is how much it took out of them ahead of Melbourne.
The 10-day break works in their favour, and no one really knows how much it takes to slam the brakes on Wagner.
This season, since Wagner marked his run up for Northern Districts against Canterbury on October 21, the 33-year-old bowled 267.5 overs in first-class cricket.
That’s 1607 deliveries in the
D Warner c and b Wagner .............................. 43 J Burns lbw b de Grandhomme ..................... 9 M Labuschagne b Wagner ........................... 143 S Smith c Southee b Wagner ........................ 43 M Wade b Southee .............................................. 12 T Head c Santner b Southee ......................... 56 T Paine c Watling b Southee ......................... 39 P Cummins b Raval ............................................ 20 M Starc c Williamson b Southee ................. 30 N Lyon c de Grandhomme b Wagner ......... 8 J Hazlewood not out ........................................... 0 Extras (2b, 1lb, 8w, 2nb) ..................................... 13 Total ......................................................................... 416 Bowling: T Southee 30.2-7-93-4, L Ferguson 11-1-47-0, N Wagner 37-7-92-4, C de Grandhomme 22-8-37-1, M Santner
33-5-111-0, J Raval 13-1-33-1.
Fall: 40, 75, 207, 225, 301, 325, 363, 408,
416, 416.
D Warner c sub (Blundell) b Southee ........ 19 J Burns c Nicholls b Southee ........................ 53 M Labuschagne c Santner b Wagner ....... 50 S Smith c Raval b Wagner ................................ 16 M Wade not out ...................................................... 8 T Head c de Grandhomme b Southee ........ 5 T Paine b Southee ................................................. 0 PJ Cummins c Watling b Wagner ................ 13 M Starc c Taylor b Southee ........................... 23 N Lyon not out ..................................................... 0 Extras (lb 7, w 8, nb 6) ...................................... 21 Total for 9 wkts dec ................................................... 217 Bowling: T Southee 21.1-6-69-5, C de Grandhomme 17-2-47-1, N Wagner
23-4-59-3, M Santner 8-0-35-0.
Fall: 44, 131, 148, 154, 160, 160, 180, 189,
217.
J Raval b Hazlewood ............................................. 1 T Latham c & b Starc ........................................... 0 K Williamson c Smith b Starc ........................ 34 R Taylor c Smith b Lyon .................................. 80 H Nicholls c Paine b Starc .................................. 7 N Wagner b Starc .................................................. 0 BJ Watling b Cummins ........................................ 8 C de Grandhomme c Smith b Starc ........... 23 M Santner b Labuschagne ................................ 2 T Southee c sub b Lyon ...................................... 8 L Ferguson not out .............................................. 0 Extras (1b, 2lb) .......................................................... 3 Total .................................... .................................... 166 Bowling: M Starc 18-2-52-5, J Hazlewood
1.2-1-0-1, P Cummins 14.4-3-46-1, M Wade
2-0-8-0, N Lyon 14.2-2-48-2, M Labuschagne 5-1-9-1.
Fall: 1, 1, 77, 97, 97, 120, 147, 155, 166, 166.
space of eight weeks, all with venom and maximum effort, pounding into the pitch.
By comparison Southee clocked up his 168th first-class over for the season. Of the other fast bowlers in Perth, Starc was a distant second to Wagner with 207 first-class overs this season when he started the second innings.
‘‘Last chance of your career,’’