England cricket player ratings: Jacob Bethell stars against New Zealand but concern for Zak Crawley
Jacob Bethell, Gus Atkinson and Matthew Potts all star with the ball but concerns remain over Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley's form; England fell to a crushing 423-run defeat in Hamilton but took the series 2-1
Wednesday 18 December 2024 07:36, UK
We rate England's players out of 10 after they secured a 2-1 series win but fell to a 423-run defeat to New Zealand in the final Test at Seddon Park in Hamilton.
Zak Crawley - 3 out of 10
The out-of-form England opener has struggled for runs throughout this series. His highest score was 21 in Hamilton but he was dismissed six times in six innings by New Zealand quick Matt Henry.
Crawley also struggled in England's previous Test tour of Pakistan and now averages just above 30. The 26-year-old now has just one half-century in his past 13 innings and his position is now at risk. However, Sky Sports' Michael Atherton believes England are likely to stay loyal to him and he has received the backing of assistant coach Paul Collingwood who said: "With Zak, we're not asking him to be consistent, it's about match-winning moments. We know with Zak that once he gets in, he can hurt teams. I'm telling you, he's ready to hurt someone."
Ben Duckett - 5
Duckett made a high score of 92 in the three-match series but was also dismissed for a duck in Wellington. He was unable to convert his score into a milestone after being dismissed by Tim Southee but, more often than not, added much-needed resistance at the top of the order, particularly as his batting partner struggled.
He also moved third on the leading run-scorers list in Tests for 2024, his 1,149 for the year trailing only India's Yashasvi Jaiswal (1,308) and Joe Root (1,502).
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Jacob Bethell - 8
The Warwickshire youngster had a brilliant tour, both with the bat and ball, staking his claim for a position in the Test side.
Bethell hit three half-centuries in the same number of innings and finished with three wickets to his name. In the final Hamilton Test, Bethell took 3-72, outperforming his more experienced team-mates.
A maiden Test ton was within his grasp in Wellington and he was only a boundary away, but the left-hander perished to Southee attempting a drive.
Joe Root - 6
Root sealed his sixth Test ton of 2024 at the Basin Reserve and continued to be the glue that often held England's middle-order together in seam-friendly conditions throughout the tour.
The Yorkshireman's ton was the 30th of his career, tying India's Rahul Dravid for fifth all-time among the game's most prolific century makers.
As ever, Root's golden arm came into play when he removed Mitchell Santner on 49 in Hamilton, who had rallied the lower-order in New Zealand's 453 in the second innings.
Harry Brook - 7
Brook's tour started magnificently as he notched two centuries and one fifty, rescuing the tourists from 43-4 in Wellington to help guide England to a series win.
He also bowled with the new ball in Hamilton when captain Ben Stokes picked up a left-hamstring injury and while he didn't get a wicket, it showed his versatility as a cricketer.
Ollie Pope - 6
Leading into the series, Pope was struggling for form with his No 3 position in question after struggling in the sub-continent.
His position was further brought into question after Bethell settled himself at the top of the order and with wicketkeeper Jamie Smith certain to come back into the Test fold following the conclusion of his paternity leave, England selectors have tough decisions to make.
Pope's highest score was 77 in the first Test and he took 10 catches as stand-in behind the stumps.
Ben Stokes - 7
While it's too far a stretch to suggest England may have won in Hamilton had their captain not been injured, Stokes' absence in Test matches is always felt.
He was forced to watch the crushing defeat from the sidelines in the final Test. He had his heaviest workload since 2022, bowling 66.3 overs in the away series against the Black Caps - his most in a single series as captain.
This has raised concerns about whether he can fulfill his all-rounder duties. He top-scored with 80 in Christchurch and took seven wickets overall.
"Because he is a captain and an all-rounder, he is so important to that team, but England are diminished when Stokes can't bowl and when he misses Test matches," said Nasser Hussain on Sky Sports News.
Chris Woakes - 6
Woakes played in the first two Tests before he was replaced by Matthew Potts for the series finale. The Warwickshire paceman has struggled overseas but took six wickets at an average of 29.16.
With Potts performing well for England and Woakes already having to make a case for his inclusion overseas, his position too remains tentative with fierce competition to get into the England setup.
Gus Atkinson - 8
The Surrey seamer took England's 15th hat-trick in Test history. Since his scintillating seven-wicket haul on debut at Lord's, he has gone from strength to strength and taken to Test cricket like a duck to water.
He now has a 10-wicket haul, a five-wicket haul, a Test century and a hat-trick to his name and has only been playing for five months.
He finished the New Zealand tour with 12 wickets to his name and a high score of 48 in the series opener in Christchurch.
Brydon Carse - 7
Like Atkinson, Carse continued to impress the selectors. He took a 10-for in Christchurch with a further six scalps in Wellington and closed out with two more in Hamilton.
That takes his series tally to 18 wickets, the highest of any England seamer.
Shoaib Bashir - 6
Bashir was able to lay low for much of this Test, with the England seamers putting in the hard yards.
However, when he was called into action during New Zealand's second innings in Hamilton, he delivered, removing centurion Kane Williamson on 156 and Glenn Phillips for just three to turn things around for England.
He finished the series with seven wickets to his name from his 87 overs.
Matthew Potts - 7
Potts was called up for the finale in Hamilton and made an important impact in the game. He took 4-90 in New Zealand's first innings removing skipper Tom Latham (63), Williamson (44), Glenn Phillips (5) and Mitchell Santner (76), at an economy rate of 3.19.
He then removed Rachin Ravindra (44) during the second innings to finish the series with five-wickets to his name, only one scalp short of what Woakes took across two Tests.
England's Test tour of New Zealand
- First Test (Christchurch): England won by eight wickets
- Second Test (Wellington): England won by 323 runs
- Third Test: (Hamilton): New Zealand won by 423 runs
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