About a year ago, New Zealand opening
batsman Hamish Rutherford was spending
his days working as a Barista in a coffee
shop unsure of when his next first class
game would be.
On Friday he stormed off University Oval
having achieved the second highest score
by a New Zealander on Test debut, furious
he had been dismissed for 171 and not
been able to add to his side's imposing
first innings lead over England.
As it was, New Zealand finished the rain-
shortened third day of the first test with a
235-run lead over the tourists after posting
402 for seven.
"A year ago I wasn't even playing for
Otago so to debut like I have is special,
especially in front of my home crowd,"
Rutherford told reporters after he posted
the highest score by any opener on debut
against England.
"There were a few dark times where things
go through your head, but I started
working in a coffee shop and doing some
bar work (and) I started to get more life
enjoyment through playing cricket as
opposed to looking at it from a work point
of view.
"Cricket is not a be-all-and-end-all. We're
not saving babies at the end of the day."
Rutherford's simple approach to his cricket
was evident in a 217-ball innings that was
bristling with aggression, exemplified by
22 boundaries and three sixes, yet also
showcased an unerring acceptance of how
he best played his game.
The balls he needed to leave, or defend, he
did. The balls he needed to take on the
body, he did. The balls he felt needed to be
slashed to the boundary were dispatched,
even if several did flash dangerously close
to outstretched hands.
While his runs came from all around the
ground, his highlight reel was dominated
with shots through the offside, with 71 of
his runs coming from backward point
through to extra cover.
One shot in particular, an exquisitely timed
drive off Steve Finn rocketed to the extra-
cover boundary to bring up his century.
The 23-year-old did not go over the top in
his celebrations, jogging down the pitch
with his arms in the air to accept the
congratulations of team mate Kane
Williamson as the crowd rose to their feet.
He quickly settled, however, and refocused
his attentions on continuing to build New
Zealand's lead.
"After you get a hundred you need to reset
and start at zero ... so from a team point
of view I had to kick on as long as
possible ... (and) I was quite angry (when I
got out)," he said.
New Zealand's opening partnership of
Rutherford and Peter Fulton had been
considered a gamble with the lefthander
making his debut while the tall Fulton was
playing his first test since 2009.
The pair lay to rest any concerns with a
158-run opening partnership on a good
batting wicket before Fulton was dismissed
for 55.
England pacemen James Anderson and
Finn, both considered key to putting
pressure on the untested pair, upped the
ante on Friday, Rutherford said, but he was
pleased that he had managed to withstand
their onslaught.
"They're world class bowlers. They
obviously came hard at myself and Fults
early on, which was always going to be the
case," he said.
"But I just tried to keep it simple (and) it
shows the theories, processes and
techniques I've used over the last couple of
years are good enough for international
cricket.
"That's the big outcome from this innings.
Obviously I'll look to improve; I know I
need to do that, but at the moment things
are looking good."
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