New Zealand’s Hamish Rutherford and England opening batting rival Nick Compton have been praised for their maturity in the wake of maiden centuries going into the second cricket Test starting in Wellington on Thursday.
Opposing captains Brendon McCullum and Alastair Cook both spoke of the importance of their inexperienced openers reaching three figures in the drawn first Test at Dunedin.
They were contrasting knocks from two different types of character.
Left-handed home town debutant Rutherford smacked 171 off 217 balls and McCullum said the easy-going 23-year-old hadn’t let the breakthrough innings affect him.
“It was an amazing effort to turn up on debut and in an area where we’ve struggled in the past (opening),” McCullum said.
“And he never changed his mood from before the Test match till after it, so that’s a good sign for the future.”
Gritty Somerset right-hander Compton, 29, justified the selectors’ faith in him after steady debut series against India which featured no score higher than 57 in eight innings.
He scored a duck in the first innings at Dunedin but bounced back with 102 in his second crack.
“Any time you get nought for England you’re under pressure in the second innings,” Cook said.
“I hope it doesn’t relax him too much because that’s what his great strength is.
“His determination, his will to score runs for England or whatever team he’s played for, I think that’s what’s driven him on so far in his career.”