BJ Watling, who recently retired from all forms of cricket following the ICC World Test Championship final win, was the most valuable asset for New Zealand in their upward trend.
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BJ Watling was one of the silent heroes in New Zealand’s upward curve in the current era. The Kiwis had four great bowlers in Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, and Kyle Jamieson. The batting, in the form of Tom Latham, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Brendon McCullum, and Henry Nicholls was already solid. But, the glue that held the entire team together was wicketkeeper BJ Watling.
The brilliant quality of BJ Watling was his ability to rescue the team at numerous instances. Ever since his elevation as full-time keeper in 2013, Watling has been one of the vital cogs behind New Zealand’s stability in batting. He has chipped in with numerous match-winning knocks, playing the perfect second fiddle to the likes of McCullum and Williamson. On the occasion of his birthday, here is a look at some of Watling’s magnificent knocks in Test cricket.
Perhaps the making of Watling as one of New Zealand’s best. The Kiwis had ended their 12-year barren run against India in Tests by winning the Auckland Test by 40 runs. In the 2nd Test at the Basin Reserve, New Zealand were staring down the barrel. New Zealand were bowled out for 192, with Ishant Sharma taking six wickets. Watling went for 0. Ajinkya Rahane’s ton helped India get a 246-run lead.
New Zealand were staring down the barrel at 94/5. An innings defeat looked certain. But, Watling joined McCullum and the duo would script history. Taking a mixture of caution and aggression, McCullum and Watling slowly erased the deficit. McCullum hit boundaries on a regular basis while Watling was solid in defence. Watling notched up a brilliant century and shared a world record partnership of 352 for the sixth wicket. This symbolised the ultimate fightback.
Watling’s partnership ensured New Zealand avoided defeat. McCullum became the first New Zealand triple centurion in Tests. New Zealand notched up their highest score in Tests and they went on to win the series. McCullum won the plaudits, but Watling had done his part.
The Basin Reserve has some special memories for Watling. A year after his match-saving partnership with McCullum, Watling did it again. This time he partnered Kane Williamson and Sri Lanka were the victims. New Zealand were shot for 221. Kumar Sangakkara’s double ton gave Sri Lanka a 145-run lead.
New Zealand were in trouble at 159/5 but Williamson and Watling steadied the innings. Williamson batted and Sri Lanka had no answers. Watling played the perfect second foil. Williamson smashed his then highest score of 242 and the partnership of 365 became the new world record for the sixth wicket. Watling hit 142 and New Zealand had once again turned a Test match around that they were losing.
Watling enjoyed a golden 2015. In a tense match at Leeds, he once again showed his class. Needing a big lead, New Zealand was being aggressive with many batsmen going for their shots. Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum hit 50s but Watling made the difference.
Watling and McCullum stitched a 121-run stand. The New Zealand keeper stitched crucial partnerships with the tail and notched up a century. Partnerships of 53 with Luke Ronchi and Mark Craig helped New Zealand cross 300. Tim Southee hit 40 off 24 balls as New Zealand finished on 454/8 declared. A combined bowling effort saw New Zealand win by 199 runs for their first Test win since 1999. Watling ended the year 2015 with an average of 48 and was the best wicketkeeper-batsman in the world by a country mile.
On a slow, low pitch at the Bay Oval, England was undone by the discipline of New Zealand. Tim Southee’s four wickets restricted England to 353. New Zealand was closing in on the lead but they were 316/6. Watling found support from Mitchell Santner and the duo took the game away from England. Santner was aggressive with 11 fours and five sixes while Watling held firm.
The partnership of 261 ensured New Zealand had the upper hand. Santner hit his maiden century and Watling notched up his double ton as New Zealand ended on 615/9 declared. Neil Wagner took 5/44 as New Zealand won the match and the series.
New Zealand might not have gotten the ideal result. But, it displayed their never-say-die attitude. The Kiwis were dismissed for 221 in the first innings and West Indies gained a lead of 239. Kraigg Brathwaite and Darren Bravo hit centuries to give the hosts a firm upper-hand. New Zealand were staring at an innings defeat at 212/8 but Watling displayed his grit.
He found great support from Mark Craig who showed he could bat. Watling and Craig showed their mettle and gave a great fight. The 99-run partnership and Watling’s unbeaten 66 off 387 balls showed his discipline and calmness. Although New Zealand lost by 10 wickets, they showed that they could not be bogged down. It was thanks to Watling.
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