NEW captain, new coach. But the same old England.
The same basic flaws, the same fragility, the same inability to cope with even the first vestige of pressure.
And while Ben Stokes and England walked the walk in the field after talking the talk pre-game, the all-too familiar collapse with the bat brought a hush to replace the excited babble at Lord’s.
A day that had started so well for Stokes and Brendon McCullum ended with a spineless hour to send the First Test back into the balance.
Even skipper Stokes, who had set the tone from the start of play as life after the Joe Root captaincy era began, was unable to avoid being part of the procession back to the pavilion.
Yet until that staggering and abrupt change of direction, Stokes’ new order had at least signalled a fresh approach to end the recent atrophy.
From the toss, wearing Graham Thorpe’s name and cap number 564 as a tribute to the stricken former England middle order batsman, to stationing himself at extra cover rather than his customary position in the cordon, Stokes was at the heart of affairs.
The Durham ace was in the bowlers’ ear between balls, thinking through plans and reacting swiftly.
Of course, it helped that the old guard, in the form of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, and the new in debut-making Matt Potts, bowled with a precision, pace and menace that found New Zealand horribly wanting as they were dismissed for 132 before tea.
Stokes, beginning his stint at the helm alongside McCullum, was responsible for the mindset, the attitude, the controlled aggression.
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It meant he could share the elation, first on the scene to celebrate as Potts’ dream debut unrolled.
Where Root appeared a subdued, weather-beaten figure in the Caribbean, second-guessing himself and allowing the first two Tests to move on too slowly, Stokes brought his attacking philosophy to the job.
As wickets fell, England posted six slips, indicating Stokes’ determination to seize the initiative.
There was no sense of panic, either, when Tim Southee and Colin de Grandhomme attempted a post-lunch counter-attack.
Stokes’ calm reaction helped, before he took the final wicket himself within 10 balls of replacing cramp victim Potts.
Yet the loss of six wickets for 25 in just nine overs, just as the Kiwis were there to be demoralised, was further proof of a deeper malaise than merely England’s cast of mind.
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McCullum and Stokes can change the mentality but cricket still requires technique and obduracy.
That comes over months, not days. And suggests there may be plenty more changes required to get there.
