The County Ground, shrouded in cloud, did not seem like the centre of the universe, cricketing or otherwise, on Friday.
No one resigned, no one was sacked and between the drizzle half of New Zealand’s Test team surreptitiously began their tour of England. Their first day of competitive cricket was a low-key affair.
Kiwi tours of England have started like this before. However, this time once the Test series gets under way it is possible that New Zealand may well start as favourites, which has never been the case before. But not with the side taking part at Taunton.
Seven of the players in their Test squad are currently absent.
Six of them are still at the Indian Premier League: Brendon McCullum, their charismatic captain, Kane Williamson, their best batsman, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, the up-and-coming paceman Matt Henry and the muscular all-rounder Corey Anderson. Moreover Martin Guptill, who has been playing for Derbyshire, is currently injured. Just about all of these can be expected to be in New Zealand’s Test 12.
The positive upshot of all this is that the fixture has first-class status, which adds a little spice. The same will not apply when the tourists move on to Worcester for their final preparations before the Lord’s Test. Then there will be countless comings and goings on a New Zealand side, which may well be reinforced by a trickle of IPL cricketers, making their way from various international airports.
Once the covers were removed, New Zealand were shrewdly put into bat by Somerset’s captain, Peter Trego, and at the end of a truncated day they were 202 for seven. BJ Watling, the stand-in captain and first-choice wicketkeeper, hit an unbeaten 52, Ross Taylor, no longer required by the IPL, an exploratory 32 and Hamish Rutherford a forthright 37.
Batting was never straightforward under unrelenting cloud cover; the pitch was green and the Somerset bowlers were a little less generous than they have been earlier in the season. Somerset have lost all three of their Championship matches this spring.
Josh Davey, who excelled for Scotland in the World Cup, made his first-class debut for the county and dispatched Rod Latham and Rutherford in his first spell. Both were defeated by seam movement and caught behind the wicket from fine deliveries. Given Somerset’s recent form, Davey may be sensing the possibility of promotion.
Tim Groenewald picked up three wickets and Jim Allenby, Somerset’s recruit from Glamorgan, took his first two wickets for his new county as the ball gripped on the damp surface.
No one seemed too bothered when the drizzle returned in the final session. This is a four-day match and the forecast is improving. There should be plenty of opportunities for the eight players in New Zealand’s official Test squad to acclimatise. Meanwhile Trego will obviously be plotting the start of Somerset’s resurgence.
