Return To Eden Park. Poem by Michael Walker

The pink- ball test between England and New Zealand
was effectively decided in the very first session,
when I saw a fine spell of unchanged fast bowling,
by Boult and Southee, which routed the English batsmen.


New Zealand's first day-night test also featured their batsmen
for the rest of Thursday, Williamson driving close to a century,
while the left-hander Henry Nicholls scored freely in the air
off the four-man fast-medium attack, and the luckless Moeen Ali.

A pink, waning crescent moon shone above the ground on Thursday,
then came two days' rain which washed out most Friday, all Saturday.
I went back on Sunday when Williamson completed his record century,
and Nicholls went on and on to 145 not out at the 427-8 declaration.


Under a white half-moon, England's batsmen set off for 370, far
away,
yet I saw three of their batsmen back in the pavilion by stumps,
all caught off Boult or Wagner; even so Malan and Ben Stokes
kept their wickets intact confidently until the end of play.

Stokes and Woakes scored slow half-centuries in the second innings,
but both were caught off Wagner when well set and little to follow.
England was all-out for 320, losing by an innings and 49 runs.
Boult and Wagner took three wickets each, but so did Todd Astle the
electric leg-spinner.

-27/28 March,2018.