ENG vs NZ: Wasim Jaffer takes dig at Indian pitch critics after 17 wickets fall at Lord's

The English summer kicked off dramatically when England took on New Zealand in the first test at Lord’s. The Home of Cricket saw New Zealand succumb with just 132 runs on the board. In reply, England started well, but a batting collapse in the third session saw them reeling at 116/7. A total of 17 wickets fell on the first day and many praised the bowling efforts from both sides.

Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer posted a tweet regarding the game as the bowlers received praise for their skills in the ongoing Test. However, Jaffer pointed that had the same happened on an Indian pitch, then it would have been criticised.  “When 17 wkts fall in a day at Lord’s, talk is about skills of the bowlers. When 17 wkts fall in a day at Ahmedabad, talk is about conditions,” he wrote.

Notably, 17 wickets fell on the second day of the Ahmedabad Test played between India and England last year and the pitch was a subject of intense debate. The game was a hot topic in the media as the spin-friendly pitch was heavily scrutinized, especially by English experts and former cricketers. The Day-Night Test saw 13 wickets on Day 1 as England was bowled out for 112, and India was 99/3 after the end of the day’s play. India’s batting collapse on the second day and England’s horrible batting display in the second innings that saw them being bowled out for 81 in reply to India’s 145 as 17 wickets fell on the second day.

New Zealand seamers hit back after a poor show by the batters

Coming to the game, it was all doom and gloom for the New Zealand side when the scoreboard read 45/7. But, some rearguard action from the Kiwis saw them reach 132/10. The new era of cricket for England under Rob Key, Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum seemed to be off to a great start after that bowling performance.

In reply, the English batters were 59 for the loss of only one wicket and a strong start gave them a hope of a commanding lead in the 1st innings. But when Joe Root fell on the score of 92, the crowd at Lord’s witnessed a catastrophic collapse as England lost five wickets for just eight runs in the space of 28 deliveries.

Much like James Anderson and Stuart Broad in the first session, it was the veteran fast bowling duo of Trent Boult and Tim Southee who did the damage for the Black Caps as England found themselves 116/7 after the end of the day’s play.