New Zealand v England: Key phase for Bazball begins with a bang

With that in mind, victory in the first of those games, against New Zealand in Christchurch on Sunday, was a positive start and a statement of intent, not to mention a fine response to the 2-1 defeat in Pakistan that left England with a record of won seven, lost seven during the past year.

Six of those defeats came on spinning pitches, so the question as to whether Bazball can prevail on all surfaces, and in all conditions, will continue, given that next year’s five-Test series against India is at home, but it is Ashes campaigns that primarily decide the reputations of English cricketers followed, in the modern era, by matches against India.

It would be foolish to get carried away with England’s eight-wicket win at Hagley Oval, which owed much to the extraordinary generosity of their hosts in the field, and some wasteful batting from them early in the game.

New Zealand dropped eight catches in the England first innings, five times reprieving Yorkshire’s Harry Brook, whose 171 was more or less the first innings difference, and who was laughing at times at the luck he enjoyed.

The old joke about “let’s hope that he didn’t forget to do his lottery numbers that night” is perhaps superfluous in this day and age, given the riches on offer at the Indian Premier League.

Still, neither Brook nor England can expect such favours in the second Test that starts in Wellington at 10pm Thursday UK time, or in the final match that begins in Hamilton - hopefully not inauspiciously - on Friday 13th.

More than just the start of a defining period for Bazball, the Christchurch Test struck one as a doubling-down on the strategy itself, emphasised, most obviously, by the selection of Jacob Bethell to bat at No 3.

Bethell, who had never previously batted higher than No 4 in first-class cricket, and who has yet to record a century in any format of professional cricket, justified the left-field move with a promising display in the round, showing good signs during - and despite - a low first innings score and then plenty more during an unbeaten half-century that led England home, the 21-year-old cracking eight fours and a six in a 37-ball stay.

“We are not picking people just to wind people up,” Stokes had insisted prior to the match, adding that there is a lot more to selection than simple statistics.

“That’s how Baz and I have operated for a long period of time now,” he said, stressing that “we’ve got a pretty good understanding and, I feel, insight and a good eye for picking players to fulfil a role”.

An obvious example is Carse, whose first-class record for Durham would not, at face value, mark him down as Test match material.

In 44 games for his county, the South African-born Carse has captured 117 first-class wickets at an average of 33.25, with his 10-106 in Christchurch the first 10-wicket haul of his career.

Thus Carse, 29, became the first England pace man since Ryan Sidebottom at Hamilton in 2008 to take 10 wickets in an overseas Test, while his figures were the best by an England quick abroad since Matthew Hoggard bagged 12 in the Johannesburg Test almost 20 years ago.

Neither James Anderson nor Stuart Broad managed 10 in a Test abroad, and Carse now has 19 wickets in three Tests since making his debut in Multan in October.

His hit-the-deck style, aggression and wholehearted approach, combined with subtle skills too, has made him the find of the winter following the emergence last summer of Gus Atkinson; barring injury, both would appear nailed-on for significant parts in the Ashes next winter, while both offer plenty with the bat to boot.

This was an important match, too, for Stokes in the city of his birth. His first innings 80 was a fine effort and complemented by some spirited overs with the ball.

Afterwards, he moved quickly to allay fears of another injury setback when he attributed his decision to come off midway through his seventh over on Sunday to a bit of “wear and tear”, proclaiming: “I’ll be fine for Wellington.”

After a poor and frustrating tour to Pakistan, not helped by the hamstring injury he suffered at The Hundred, Stokes looked more like his old self both in cricketing terms and in overall demeanour.

That said, it remains to be seen whether No 7 is his best position going forward, or whether England’s batting order at Hagley Oval – as flexible as a gymnast – stands the test of time.

Meanwhile, it’s a funny old game, as Jimmy Greaves used to say. Last month, New Zealand won 3-0 in India, then India went and thrashed Australia in the first Test in Perth.

That result will give England hope for the challenge next winter, one they seemed well-equipped to deal with.

A defining period for Bazball has got off to a good start; what the rollercoaster ride brings next is anyone’s guess.