England 124 for 4 (Brook 51*, Pope 29*) vs New Zealand
This time, New Zealand did not give them any help – having dropped eight catches in England’s first innings final time round, they swallowed every thing that got here their approach, the decide being Daryl Mitchell’s one-handed snag off Joe Root. However Brook and Pope proved that assault is the perfect type of defence for this England facet, rattling off an unbroken stand of 81 off 80 balls to even issues up at lunch.
Though Zak Crawley hit 10 off the primary over of the day, which included lofting Tim Southee again over his head for an imperious six, it shortly grew to become clear that England’s aggressive methodology was going to be examined to the fullest in useful situations for the New Zealand assault – albeit that the early cloud cowl had already burned off by the beginning of play, and many of the morning session occurred below clear blue skies.
Crawley eclipsed his Christchurch tally by taking two off Southee’s first ball, and by the tip of the over he had surpassed his meagre common in Assessments towards New Zealand. However Henry was in no temper to permit liberties on the different finish, bowling a maiden to Ben Duckett earlier than discovering the opener’s exterior edge with the second ball of the fourth over, Latham scooping a low likelihood within the first signal that New Zealand’s catching was again on top of things.
Having thrown the bat repeatedly at Southee – sometimes with success – Crawley then discovered himself in Henry’s crosshairs. The bowler’s third consecutive maiden featured an unsuccessful try by Crawley to come back down the pitch at him, and Henry then picked up his wicket for the third time in as many innings with a peach of a supply in the beginning of the eighth, nipping the ball again by way of the gate to hit the highest of center and leg – Crawley’s tentative ahead defensive emphatically breached.
The introduction of Smith for the wayward Southee solely added to England’s problem, Jacob Bethell overwhelmed on each edges throughout one other maiden. Henry conceded his first runs in the beginning of his fifth over, Root pushing three by way of the covers, however that was to be his solely scoring shot as an injudicious waft at Smith produced a thick exterior edge and a flying one-handed catch from Mitchell at first slip.
At 26 for 3, England have been in strife – though marginally higher off than when Brook walked out within the first innings on his earlier go to to Basin Reserve. Twenty months in the past, England have been 21 for 3 earlier than Brook rescued them with a scintillating 186 from 176 balls.
It didn’t take him lengthy to get going this time round, both. Brook smoked the primary boundary off Henry from his tenth ball, however misplaced one other associate when Bethell was suckered into gloving Smith’s bumper down the leg facet to Tom Blundell, having hit the earlier two balls again down the bottom for 4.
Pope, having flicked his first ball for 4, survived a direct hit when known as by way of for a good single by Brook, who then determined to focus on boundaries: Smith’s fourth over ransacked for 20, together with an audacious inside-out drive for six over cowl. Will O’Rourke was cracked for 4 second ball by Brook, and Pope then took back-to-back fours off the returning Southee, the fifty stand developing from simply 37 balls later in the identical over.
With lunch approaching, Brook repeated his on-the-up thrash over the additional cowl boundary off O’Rourke, a single off the subsequent ball taking him to a 47-ball half-century, and inspiring the notion that one other rescue act was within the offing.
Alan Gardner is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo. @alanroderick
