The Athletic has launched a Cricket WhatsApp Channel. Click here to join.He did not quite fully cover his face with his hands in disbelief as Geoffrey Boycott did on his return to the England side at Trent Bridge in 1977 after running out local hero Derek Randall. But Emilio Gay was equally dismayed after he called Ben Duckett for a quick single at the Oval and saw Nathan Smith throw down his new opening partner’s stumps.It was the last thing England needed after enduring a shambolic start to the second day of the second Test which saw New Zealand add another 100 runs to their overnight 291-7. Particularly as Duckett, guilty of a poor drop earlier in the day and desperately seeking a big innings after disappointing recent form, was playing like a dream.He had already struck five fours en route to 36 off 25 deliveries. A player who has not scored a Test century for almost exactly a year was threatening to run riot.What made his dismissal all the more frustrating was that the fledgling opening partnership, nurtured by Northamptonshire, had already escaped a scare when Smith missed an earlier chance to run out Gay. As former England bowler Stuart Broad said on Sky: “It’s pretty unusual for an opening pair to offer two clear run out chances in the first eight overs of a Test innings.”England’s Ben Duckett is run out (Ben Whitley/PA Images via Getty Images)In that context, it would have been easy for Gay, so early in his Test career, to dwell on his mistake, take his eye off the ball and quickly follow Duckett back to the Oval dressing room.Instead, he took a breath, knuckled down and was soon classily stroking Kyle Jamieson through the covers for four to start putting his leading role in the demise of Duckett behind him.There was to be no hundred for Gay in his second Test, as there was for Boycott 49 years ago in his first game for England in three seasons, but there was a second half century in consecutive innings to further prove his readiness for life at the highest level. The 26-year-old certainly seems to be made of the right stuff.That 57 at Lord’s on a pitch deemed ‘unsatisfactory’ for Test cricket by the International Cricket Council (ICC) was worth at least double that to England in a low-scoring match and went a long way towards them winning the first Test.He was equally impressive here at the Oval, not least in his temperament and ability to overcome that setback to make 53 off 114 balls before New Zealand wrestled back the initiative.