Harry Brook seems unstoppable, especially with his superb performance in this Test. His eighth Test century, the seventh one scored abroad, was crucial in England’s total of 280 at the Basin Reserve.
England’s appreciation for Brook’s contribution deepened as New Zealand struggled, reaching 86 for five under the evening sun. Brydon Carse, coming off a ten-wicket haul in Christchurch, made pivotal breakthroughs by dismissing Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell.
England are not yet favourites to win, but those two wickets, in the day’s final 20 minutes, felt a step closer to a series victory.
Brook’s absence would have significantly impacted the match. After starting the winter with a triple century in Multan, and recently scoring 171 at Hagley Oval, he showcased his skill in adverse conditions in this match. His innings of 123 off 115 balls on the challenging first morning of the second Test was a masterclass, interrupted only by his run-out.
Ollie Pope contributed a sparky 66, his second successive half-century from No 6, but no one else passed 17 in an innings marred by two collapses: four for 43 against Matt Henry and Nathan Smith after New Zealand won an important toss, then six for 63 either side of tea.
Yet it was the brilliance of Brook’s batting that will linger in the memory. ‘Crisis – what crisis?’ may as well be the Bazballers’ motto, but Brook took the insouciance to another level, advancing at Smith and lifting him over extra cover into the traffic on Kent Terrace. The over cost 20: the counter-attack had begun.
England took control on the first day of their second Test against New Zealand in Wellington
Harry Brook hit his eighth Test hundred as he extended his phenomenal overseas record
Twice more, off Will O’Rourke and Smith, Brook danced at the bowler and launched over the off-side ropes, a stroke so replete with risk that you need supreme confidence and hand-eye coordination to achieve it. A pull off O’Rourke and a off-drive from Glenn Phillips’s off-spin completed a quintet of sixes.
Before long, he was bringing up a 91-ball century, his second-fastest (after 80 against Pakistan at Rawalpindi two years ago), and England’s 11th-fastest of all time. Only two players have two entries apiece in that top 11: Brook and Ian Botham.
At Hagley Oval, his dashing strokeplay was punctuated by five drops. Here, he gave a chance only on 50, when a direct hit from Smith – gathering the ball in his follow-through after Pope hurried for a single – would have brought his downfall.
When Smith did hit the stumps in the last over before tea after Brook advanced too far down the track and couldn’t regain his ground, he had taken his Test average to 61.80, and his average abroad to 91.50, second only to Don Bradman. Don’t forget that his strike-rate is 88. These are ludicrous figures. As if it wasn’t already obvious, England have their next great.
Flourishing in his slipstream was Pope, who is in danger of making so good a case for the No 6 role that he may have to stay there.
Only the manner of his dismissal was a letdown. The over after he got away with a miscued pull off O’Rourke, he made the same mistake, this time providing a simple catch for Rachin Ravindra, running to his left from short leg.
The rest had come and gone in a blur. Zak Crawley became the second player, after West Indies’ Chris Gayle, to hit a six in the first over of a Test, but lost his partner Ben Duckett for a duck, edging Henry to second slip, and was then bowled by Henry himself for 17.
Joe Root, on three, fiddled Smith to first slip, where Mitchell held a screamer, before Jacob Bethell – after two neat straight-drives – was strangled down leg for 16 by the same bowler.
England’s Brydon Carse (right) took two crucial, late wickets to put England in the driving seat
Carse built on his Christchurch ten-for by taking the crucial wickets of Williamson and Mitchell
In the first Test, Brook and Pope had put on 151 in 31 overs. Now, they managed 171 from 26.2 – even more, even faster. But from 217 for four, the departure of Pope opened the floodgates.
Ben Stokes followed in O’Rourke’s next over, edging defensively to second slip for two. And the run-out of Brook triggered a swift conclusion, a helter-skelter innings epitomised by Smith’s figures of 11.4-1-86-4.
The game remained in the balance throughout the final session. Gus Atkinson prolonged Devon Conway’s struggles when a loose drive flew to Brook at second slip, while Carse made Williamson look as human as he has all series.
The ball that England thought had removed him was unplayable: straightening after pitching, it beat Williamson’s defensive prod to knock back off stump, and send Carse freewheeling towards cover in celebration.
But England did not let the no-ball call distract them. Stokes had Latham chopping on for 17, his first Test wicket since July, and it was 64 for three when Ravindra’s inside edge ballooned off his pads in the general direction of short square leg. Haring towards the ball was that man Carse, who dived at full length and held a stunning catch: 64 for three.
Carse was irrepressible now, steaming in to find Williamson’s edge with another peach, then inducing a leg-side glove off Mitchell. In both cases, Pope completed the honours behind the stumps.
England finished the day with Carse bowling to six slips and two leg gulleys, and nightwatchman O’Rourke fighting for survival. Fifteen wickets and 366 runs: it was just another day in the Bazball office.
