New Zealand's Henry Nicholls may not be flamboyant but he gets the job done
A couple days ago, under the blazing London sunshine, New Zealand found themselves precariously placed at 114/3. Though the score might not ring alarm bells instantly, England had just nipped out Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, meaning that Henry Nicholls was the only obstacle between the Three Lions and New Zealand’s string of all-rounders.
Akin to many a time though, Nicholls marked his guard studiously and buckled down for the long haul – gritting his teeth en route a 267-minute essay. In the process, he notched up 61 runs as well, with his knock ensuring that the Kiwis navigated their way out of troubled waters.
However, as has been the case lately, Nicholls’ thunder was stolen by another left-hander and understandably too. To put things into context, Devon Conway continued on his merry way at the other end and ultimately became the 7th male cricketer to register a double hundred on his Test debut.
Unsurprisingly, the entire limelight has been cast on Conway. Not just because he managed to rewrite the history books, but also because of the journey he has endured before finding his feet in international cricket.
To that end then, it might even seem a little unfair to harp about another batter in the line-up, for Conway accomplished a feat that had only been repeated six times previously in men’s cricket.
Yet, on further introspection, one can easily conclude that Nicholls’ innings was something that has become the norm for New Zealand recently. And, that he, in contrast to common notions, could even be the glue that holds together this irresistible New Zealand batting unit.
Nicholls has been an vital batting cog for New Zealand
Nicholls made his Test debut for the Black Caps in 2016 and like many cricketers before him, found it tough to immediately adapt to international cricket. Once he had spent a year, though, he began replicating his domestic form in the Test arena. And, it is fair to say that he hasn’t looked back.
To put things into perspective, Henry Nicholls has scored 1898 runs at an average of 51.29 since the start of 2017. His overall average, on the other hand, stands at 44.26, thereby reflecting the upward trajectory he has charted in the past few years.
Contextually, there have only been three other batters who have scored more runs than the left-hander at a better average. And, rather unsurprisingly, the individuals in question are Kane Williamson (2480 runs at 65.26), Steve Smith (2871 at 63.60) and Virat Kohli (3281 runs at 55.61).
Despite the apparent ton of runs Nicholls has mustered, there remains skepticism around his ability. In fact, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to suggest that the batter is pretty underrated. And, with cricketers such as Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson in the New Zealand ranks, it is understandable that Nicholls hasn’t been looked upon as someone capable of taking the game away from the opposition.
To be blunt, one of the primary reasons for the aforementioned is that he doesn’t qualify as an elegant left-handed batter. Nicholls doesn’t have the grace of David Gower, nor does he drive as fluently as Kumar Sangakkara. And, he is not as much of a maverick as Rishabh Pant.
Thus, the New Zealand middle-order batter has a tendency to slip under the radar, for he simply isn’t as flamboyant as defined by cricketing perceptions. Instead, he is someone who prioritizes calculation over creativity, efficiency over extravagance and of course, substance over style.
The aforementioned qualities were on display during New Zealand’s first innings against England, where despite being confronted by a placid pitch, New Zealand could’ve ceded the initiative had they not been careful.
Nicholls, though, set out his stall and kept leaving anything that was beyond the fourth or fifth stump channel. While James Anderson and Stuart Broad tried to restrict that avenue by bowling round the wicket, the New Zealand batter was determined to only play at the deliveries that he felt comfortable with.
On other occasions, he was willing to bide his time and forced the bowlers to bowl closer to his body or pitch balls that were either on a driving length or short enough to pull.
Of the four boundaries the New Zealand middle order batter scored, three were to deliveries that were either on the pads or down the leg side. Unerringly, Nicholls put those away with a gleaming smile.
The other boundary came when Broad over-pitched on the fourth ball of the 90th over. As a repost, Nicholls planted his front foot down the track and creamed the ball past the non-striker.
To be fair to the New Zealand batter though, he has made it a habit to absorb pressure and then transfer it onto the opposition when the right opportunity presents itself. He did so against the West Indies at Wellington in December 2020 and repeated the dose against Pakistan a month later, this time at Christchurch.
In both those essays, Nicholls took his time, waited for the openings and then cashed in, even as New Zealand found themselves in a spot of bother. Hence, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the left-handed batter continues to consistently pull New Zealand out of the fire.
Consequently, it seems a bit of a travesty that Nicholls isn’t talked of in the same breath as some of his other New Zealand contemporaries. Yet, one feels the left-hander might not mind as long as he can keep trotting up runs.
From the outside, Nicholls seems someone who will remain unfazed by all the white noise and might even ignore all the razmataz. Instead, he will diligently focus on the requisite elements to dig New Zealand out of trouble.
It happened at Lord’s a couple of days ago, at Christchurch in January and at Wellington in December 2020. And, it has been happening since the start of 2017. Maybe then, it isn’t a revelation that Henry Nicholls has morphed into the glue that keeps the New Zealand batting unit together.
As far as his batting aesthetics are concerned, well, he might not be the most flamboyant Kiwi batter to have existed. Yet, there aren’t many who boast the propensity to get the job done, quite like he does.
Seems a decent trade-off, doesn’t it?
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