Harry Brook and Joe Root put the Kiwis to the sword
Day 1: New Zealand v England. Basin Reserve, Wellington.
Day 1: New Zealand v England. Basin Reserve, Wellington.
Hello and welcome to the second and final Test Match of England’s winter tour to New Zealand and one I’m entitling “From Wellington with Love”.
Whilst your humble cricketing correspondent pens these words from a near sub-zero England and a small town of Wellington, over 11,000 miles away in another Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, a sell-out opening day crowd basks in the unforeseen sunshine grateful that the expected rain is being blown elsewhere by a strong summer breeze.
Following their thumping 267 run win in the first Test Match, the visiting tourists unsurprisingly remain unchanged whilst the hosts drop both debutants from the first encounter, Scott Kuggeleijn and Blair Tickner, in favour of the experience of batsman Will Young and swing bowling of Matt Henry. New Zealand captain Tim Southee won the toss and immediately inserted England into bat on a cricketing “green top” of a wicket that will offer tremendous assistance early on to his bowlers after sweating under the covers that have protected the strip during the past day or so of rain in a rather picturesque ground known as the Basin Reserve which was once swampland before a centuries ago earthquake raised the playing surface to today’s level and an oval field that now sits squarely, and rather quixotically, in the middle of a ginormous roundabout!
With tea aplenty, chocolate biscuits within easy reach and a hot water bottle grasped to my midriff to beat away the cold of an English winter, here are your three sessions of play, and from Wellington with love.
Act One: Yorkshire pride hold back the Kiwi tide
10.17pm ZAK CRAWLEY caught Blundell bowled Henry (2)
Just 17 minutes and 22 balls into the England innings and Matt Henry reduces the tourists to 5–1 with a thoroughly deserved wicket. Far more impressive than his senior bowler and captain Tim Southee at the other end, Henry immediately nagged away at a brilliant cricketing “length” that troubled Crawley’s opening partner Ben Duckett before the 25 year old Crawley feathered the tiniest of edges through to wicket-keeper Tom Blundell. Crawley will be a mainstay of this England team in the future but he needs a big score from a big innings and soon. This morning, on a tricky, seaming wicket, it wasn’t to be that big score he so desperately needs.
10.29pm OLLIE POPE caught Bracewell bowled Henry (10)
Pope started magnificently and in a typically confident and forthright manner with two glorious boundary 4’s before he fell to that nagging and persistent length of Henry, edging a sharp catch to Michael Bracewell at 3rd slip that the veteran Kiwi almost caught behind him as it flashed to his left. It was a remarkable catch and just six minutes later, he’d better it.
In spades.
10.35pm BEN DUCKETT caught Bracewell bowled Southee (9)
Duckett’s dismissal reduced the tourists to a collapsing 21–3 and Bracewell’s catch was a phenomenal one-handed flying grab he juggled ever so slightly as he crashed back to earth with a bump but with the ball safely pouched in his left hand. 35 minutes in, the Kiwi captain has snagged his first wicket of the morning and his team are using the helpful bowling conditions perfectly.
11.04pm DRINKS BREAK — England 53–3 (Brook 20 not out)
The past, present and future Yorkshire duo of ex England captain Joe Root and Harry Brook stabilise the innings by the game’s first official break of the day. With the senior man Root on 8 not out, Brook has taken the attack to the New Zealand bowlers with a controlled aggression that has seen him race, as usual, to 20 quick runs, and unbeaten at the mid-session drinks break.
12.03am LUNCH BREAK — England 101–3 (Brook 51 not out)
Whilst Joe Root barely scored during the last hour of the morning’s play, preferring to, in the cricketing vernacular, “drop anchor” and protect his wicket, his Yorkshire partner continued in the same vein as before with 10 boundary 4’s on his way to a run-a-ball half century he secured right on the cusp of the lunch break. Brook gave a minor half chance when on 29 as he top edged a lifting delivery from Neil Wagner that seemed to hang in the air for an easy catch, but captain Tim Southee simply didn’t pick up the flight of the ball as it looped high in the air before dropping to earth.
From 21–3 to 101–3, the Yorkshire duo had battled their way to an unbeaten 80 run partnership at the lunch break, firmly ensuring the morning honours went the way of their team.
Act Two: Brook century steers England to a commanding lead
1.43am DRINKS BREAK — England 166–3 (Brook 95 not out)
The Yorkshire pair add 65 runs in the first hour’s play after lunch with Harry Brook again both dominating the strike as well as the New Zealand bowlers. During some spits and spots of rain (combining marvellously with the New Zealand sunshine), Brook opened his shoulders and smashed 44 of the runs scored within the hour including two huge boundary 6’s from the bemused bowling of Daryl Mitchell. The first 6 in particular was a gem and as classic a cricketing shot as you could wish to see, but then again and once again, Brook’s entire innings thus far has been overflowing with such pure run scoring strikes.
Whilst his team-mate has opened up somewhat in the hour’s play post lunch, Joe Root has simply continued along his own merry way, accumulating 42 carefree and determined runs from 103 balls received. He was granted a cricketing “life” when on 31 as he survived a close looking shout for LBW (Leg Before Wicket) from the impressive bowling once again of Matt Henry. It always looked a shade leg side and missing the stumps and despite New Zealand reviewing the original not out decision on field, Root correctly survived.
As at this official break in play for drinks, the Yorkshire pair have added 145 runs in partnership with Brook clubbing 13 boundary 4’s and 2 huge boundary 6’s hence far whilst his senior partner has a single, solitary boundary 4 to his name!
2.42am TEA BREAK — England 237–3 (Brook 136 not out)
Another hour of English and Yorkshire domination as 71 further runs are added in the pre-Tea session of play and for no wickets falling. Taking their partnership to a remarkable 216 runs, both batsmen reached individual milestones within seconds of each other with first Joe Root inking his 57th Test Match half century into the scorebook (from 122 balls received) before almost immediately, Harry Brook cemented his place in the revolution of English cricket with his 4th Test Match century from just 107 balls received. Again Brook took the more attacking, but controlled attacking, approach, now giving the hapless Neil Wagner some cricketing “tap” as he bludgeoned him all around the Basin Reserve.
From here it was rather plain sailing (in growing overhead gloomy conditions) as both batsmen remained unbeaten at the tea break with Brook racing ahead of his partner on 136 not out (from just 131 balls received!) and Root 72 not out from 148 balls.
With the overhead clouds now matching the darkness of an English winter at 3am, your humble cricketing correspondent departed for bed.
Act Three: Root century just in time before rain ends play early
Starting the final session of play on 237–3, the unbeaten pair of Brook and Root added a further 78 quick fire runs post tea break in the hour or so of play before rain curtailed the day’s play an hour and a half, and 25 overs early. Whilst Brook added 48 runs to finish the day 184 not out and his highest ever Test Match score to date, Root just managed to secure his century before the rain descended to remain 101 not out overnight, and his 29th all time Test Match century in a quite brilliant career.
One might argue that Root was batting today with his heir apparent but there’s very little argument that England have fought back from a tough opening half an hour in tricky conditions to utterly dominate the day’s play. With a sweating wicket being protected by the covers from the overnight rain, one foresees another difficult opening hour on day 2 before batting again becomes rather easy on a wicket full of runs. 500+ must be the first target for coach McCullum and captain Stokes before they unleash the legendary pair of James Anderson and Stuart Broad to put New Zealand under the pump at the close of day 2.
All of which is to come.
See you tomorrow!
Afterword
“Harry Brook’s just carried on, while Joe Root’s just played an innings of pure and utter class. He’s looked in total control, it’s been pretty ruthless — I can’t even remember a false shot in tough conditions.
“The celebration there was more emotion — there was quite a telling interview in between the Test matches when he said he struggled to find where exactly he fits in the side.
“There’s no doubt about it, he wants to be the number one batsman in the team and in the last few games other people have been getting the headlines. When you’re a great like he is, he’ll still want to be number one. That will mean a lot to him.”
Ex England Captain Alistair Cook via www.btsport.com
“We were both moving around in the crease trying to put the bowlers off their lengths. Obviously there was a little in the pitch early on, so we tried to negate that really. I think he (Root) was more excited with me getting my hundred than I was! He’s unbelievable to bat with and I’ve played plenty of games with him now and I enjoy every game”.
Harry Brook on his partnership with Joe Root via www.btsport.com
Thanks for reading. Hopefully this has piqued your interest in the grandest of all games and if so, please see the links below to my daily re-caps from the first Test Match in Mount Maunganui:
England take charge after Day 1 in Mount Maunganui
12 wickets tumble under the New Zealand lights.medium.com
Blundell century keeps New Zealand hopes alive in Mount Maunganui Test
But England retain a slender lead entering Day 3.medium.com
Broad rips through the Kiwis as the “Bazball” revolution gathers pace
England 5 wickets away from another astonishing win.medium.com
6 in 6 for the McCullum and Stokes cricketing revolution
Another statement of intent victory ahead of an Ashes Summer.medium.com