Brook & Carse give England upper hand on New Zealand
Harry Brook’s scintillating century is backed up by crucial late wickets from Brydon Carse on the first day of England’s second Test against New Zealand in Wellington.
Second Test, Wellington (day one of five)
England 280: Brook 123, Pope 66; Smith 4-86, O’Rourke 3-49
New Zealand 86-5: Williamson 37; Carse 2-28
England lead by 194 runs
Harry Brook’s scintillating century was backed up by crucial late wickets from Brydon Carse on the first day of England’s second Test against New Zealand in Wellington.
Brook continued his stellar form and phenomenal overseas record with 123 from 115 deliveries. He added 174 for the fourth wicket with Ollie Pope, who made 66.
Either side, having lost the toss and been asked to bat, England were too expansive against the moving ball.
Their first four wickets fell for 43 runs, including Zak Crawley for a skittish 17, and their last four for 21.
After Brook and Pope, Chris Woakes’ 18 was the next highest score in the tourists’ 280.
The value of that total was put into context by England’s collective assault on the New Zealand top order.
Woakes, Gus Atkinson and Ben Stokes claimed a wicket each, but Kane Williamson survived a tight caught-behind review and being bowled off a no-ball, both off Carse.
The paceman would not be denied. An edge off Williamson ended in the gloves of Pope, then a lifter took the glove of Daryl Mitchell to leave New Zealand 86-5, 194 behind.
Best and worst of Bazball
This was a helter-skelter day, the breathless cricket picking up from the previous time these sides met on this ground, New Zealand’s classic one-run victory at the beginning of last year.
Tom Latham became the 17th successive Test captain to win the toss and field here, only for Stokes to claim he would have batted. The visitors were faced with the nipping ball and skilful Kiwis, so responded in the only way they know: aggression.
It was the best and worst of Bazball. Crawley’s flailing was a desperate attempt to reverse an awful record against the Black Caps and Jacob Bethell fell into a short-ball trap. Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Stokes all offered edges. The tail subsided in a blur of four wickets in 16 balls.
In between Brook played his astonishing knock, supported by Pope, who again made a vital contribution batting at number six. They scored at more than a run-a-ball, vindicating an England ethos of attack being the best form of defence.
Only when New Zealand came to bat did normal Test cricket break out, albeit with the ball moving much less. Carse, 10 wickets in the first Test, is a gem unearthed by Stokes and Brendon McCullum and impressed once more.
First was an athletic swoop to hold Rachin Ravindra, then the one-two punch of Williamson and Mitchell.
England are on top and have the further advantage of bowling last on a pitch already hinting at unevenness.
Bradman-esque Brook spares England
Brook made a triple-century in Pakistan in October and a hundred in Christchurch last week. Given the degree of difficulty and the match situation here, and the fact he was dropped five times in the first Test, this was his best knock of the winter so far.
While the majority of his team-mates surrendered either slogging of edging the moving ball, Brook’s strokeplay was staggering. England scored 233 of their 280 runs whilst he was in the middle.
To negate the relentless New Zealand bowlers, Brook busily moved around in his crease. When the Black Caps missed their lengths, Brook pounced. He hit five sixes, three of which were audacious lofts over long-off from pace bowling. One went out of the ground.
His partnership with Pope was the second time the fifth-wicket pair have guided England from trouble in this series and will lead to further questions over Pope’s best position in the batting order.
Brook’s century, reached with a push through point off Glenn Phillips, came from 91 deliveries. Not long after, Pope tried to pull Will O’Rourke and skied to short leg.
The bowlers could not remove Brook, his demise came from his own error. Looking for a single, he was sent back by Woakes and bowler Nathan Smith hit direct in his follow-through.
It began England’s tailend slide but Brook departed with his away average increased to 91.50, edging closer to the great Australian Sir Don Bradman.
Carse floors improved Kiwis
New Zealand improved their sloppy display of the first Test, yet are still looking at a first home series defeat against England since 2008.
Crawley bettered his previous average of 9.88 against New Zealand with a six off Tim Southee from the sixth ball of the match. Crawley became the first England batter, and second in history after West Indies’ Chris Gayle, to hit a six in the first over of a Test.
But Crawley was bowled through the gate as part of a miserly opening spell from Matt Henry. Mitchell highlighted the improvement in New Zealand’s catching with a one-handed screamer at first slip to hold Root, one of Smith’s 4-86. O’Rourke weighed in with 3-49.
When New Zealand began their reply, Atkinson drew the struggling Devon Conway into an edge before Carse took centre stage.
An England review against Williamson for caught behind was turned down, rightly, even though Stokes discussed the decision with umpire Rod Tucker. In the next over, Carse produced a beauty that clattered the off stump, only for a marginal overstep to be detected.
Stokes, fit to bowl, had Latham chop on, then Carse had a hand in the next three wickets. The diving catch off Ravindra, the away nip to get Williamson and bounce at Mitchell. Overall, New Zealand lost 4-27.
