‘Heart of a lion’: England’s Brydon Carse hailed by Stokes after 10-wicket haul

As Brydon Carse stood on the grassy field of Hagley Oval, enjoying the bright blue sky above him and relishing the success of his remarkable 10-wicket performance—one that highlighted his abilities as a promising overseas player and helped lead England to victory in the opening Test—this fierce fast bowler was praised for having "the heart of a lion."

When the words come from Ben Stokes, who has those sentiments permanently inked on his back, it certainly carries a lot of weight. Stokes is always in need of talented bowlers for the upcoming challenges, and the arrival of Carse, who recently shone on the challenging pitches in Pakistan, adds to the impressive roster.

In only his third Test match, Carse took control against New Zealand with his short-pitched deliveries and targeted the front pads effectively, ultimately finishing with impressive match statistics of 10 wickets for 106 runs. On top of that, he contributed an unbeaten 33 runs with the bat. Considering that Harry Brook’s 171 included several lucky breaks, it was evident why Carse received the player of the match award in this victory by eight wickets.

"I can't say I predicted this day would arrive," Carse stated after taking six wickets for 42 runs in New Zealand's second innings, where they were all out for 254. "However, I’ve always been driven by the ambition to play at this level of cricket. I’m simply really proud of how I performed today."

In 2008, Ryan Sidebottom was the last English fast bowler to take 10 wickets in a Test match overseas, during the series in Hamilton. Now, with a 1-0 lead and two matches remaining, the current team has a fantastic opportunity to achieve something no England side has done since then: win a series in New Zealand. However, the New Zealand team is unlikely to be as careless in Wellington next week, after dropping eight catches in the previous match.

Similar to Stokes, Carse has a fondness for tattoos, featuring a collection of coordinates on his upper left arm. These coordinates signify the location of his birthplace, Gqeberha in South Africa (which was formerly called Port Elizabeth), as well as the path he took to arrive at the point where he now proudly displays three lions on his chest. His journey hasn't been smooth, facing significant challenges such as a serious knee injury in late 2021 and a three-month suspension this year for mistakenly forgetting that professional cricketers aren't allowed to place bets on cricket matches.

The second pivotal moment involved Stokes, who played alongside him at Durham, stepping in as a mentor, drawing from his own past experiences. He advised him not to let mistakes determine his identity, and now Stokes is enjoying the positive outcomes of that guidance.

The captain of the England Test team remarked, “When comments come from someone with firsthand experience of similar situations, they carry more weight for the person hearing them. He’s aware of the respect I have for him as a player, and I think it could motivate him to give it his all, especially if I’m the one requesting him to pitch in for an extra over.”

Stokes characterized the strong 29-year-old as a versatile bowler, capable of executing short-ball tactics, maintaining pressure, and targeting the pads and stumps effectively. All these skills were evident in this match, particularly on the fourth morning when he dismissed Nathan Smith and Matt Henry LBW within just five deliveries and later returned to break Mitchell's determined defense. Despite the pitch becoming easier to bat on, Stokes grappling with back stiffness, and no other bowlers appearing particularly dangerous, he still stood out.

This marked the first occasion since 2021 that Carse had taken five wickets in a first-class match, making it only the sixth time in his career. Although it was a personally rewarding achievement, it served as a reminder that England is recognizing that Test cricket presents different challenges compared to using a Dukes ball in April, emphasizing that individual skills are more significant than county performance records.

Following a 40-minute lunch break for England to reconsider their strategy for chasing down a target of 104 – most of which, nearly 40 minutes, seemed unnecessary – Zak Crawley, fresh off his first innings without scoring, returned to the crease only to hand a simple catch to Henry after scoring just one run. Jacob Bethell came in at number three and quickly made a name for himself, finishing with an impressive 50 runs off 37 balls. As he took the last run with a square shot, Joe Root, who remained not out at 23 after his 150th Test match, wrapped an arm around Bethell in a moment of camaraderie as they exited the field together.

In one way, the tension had eased since the Hagley Oval pitch was straightforward enough to make an English victory seem inevitable. However, 21-year-old Bethell showed a level of skill and composure that makes his first-class average of 25 seem deceiving. He also has the power to hit the ball a long way, demonstrated by the six he launched over midwicket off fellow newcomer Smith. Stokes commented, "He had the opportunity to really show what he can do," after Duckett had already set the pace in their pursuit with a wild innings of 27 runs off just 18 balls.

Stokes found Bethell’s 10 runs in the first innings quite remarkable for several reasons. During that period, Henry and Tim Southee grabbed the new ball and tested the batsman under gloomy skies, right before New Zealand's unfortunate series of eight dropped catches kicked in. "He had a lot of near misses at the start," Stokes noted. "But I really admired how he took his time, walked to square leg, and then came back ready to face the next delivery. If he maintains that mindset and confidence, I’m certain he’ll do just fine."

Tom Latham, who leads the opposing team to Stokes, had a lot on his mind following the impressive 3-0 victory in India. He had to think about his team's careless fielding, the first innings total of 348 that included a number of easy dismissals, and whether Southee, who has stated that this series will be his final one, has already reached the end of his career.

New Zealand's approach is to stay calm, and the Basin Reserve—where the second Test will be held next week and where they secured a thrilling one-run victory over England last year—serves as a good reminder of this.