Lunch New Zealand 32 for 4 (Williamson 16*, Watling 7*) trail England 307 (Bairstow 101, Wood 52, Southee 6-62, Boult 4-87) by 275 runs
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
For arguably the first time on the Test leg of their tour of New Zealand, England’s cricketers could claim the outright ascendancy in a contest by lunch on the second day at Hagley Oval, as Stuart Broad and James Anderson built on Jonny Bairstow’s first-innings century to tear into New Zealand’s top order.
By lunch, New Zealand’s innings was in disarray at 32 for 4 – not quite the depths of 27 for 9 that England themselves had been at Auckland last week, but a decidedly rocky position all the same, given that England had themselves clambered their way to a very serviceable 307, having at one stage been floundering on 164 for 7.
The man of the moment was Broad – restored to the new-ball duties after Chris Woakes had taken over as Anderson’s partner at Auckland, and determined to prove a point. From the outset, he bowled a full and threatening length, notably quicker than many of his lacklustre spells during the Ashes, and he didn’t take long to get on one of his trademark ‘rolls’.
First to go was Tom Latham, who strode onto the front foot to Broad’s third delivery, and climbed into a hard-handed drive to a ball that nipped off the seam and grazed through to Bairstow for a duck. And with the first ball of his fourth over, he added the key scalp of Ross Taylor for 2, whose wild swishing drive to another full-length ball outside off ended up in the hands of Alastair Cook at first slip.
In between whiles, Anderson made his mark as well, tormenting Jeet Raval’s edge with consistent outswing to the left-hander, and eventually snicking one through to Bairstow for 5. And England’s morning might have got even better two balls later, when Kane Williamson survived an excruciatingly tight review for lbw – he was reprieved on umpire’s call after being struck just outside the line by a big inswinger, but the general consensus was that umpire Erasmus had turned down the initial appeal because he thought there had been an inside-edge.
However, England didn’t have to wait long to make amends on DRS – as Henry Nicholls, a centurion at Auckland, was nailed in front of middle by a big inducker from Broad, and sent on his way via a review for 0. There was time before the interval for Jack Leach to send down his maiden over in Test cricket.
The clatter of New Zealand wickets completed England’s most uplifting session of the series, which began with the completion of Bairstow’s fifth Test century, as England added a further 17 runs to their overnight 290 for 8.
Bairstow had resumed on 97 not out, and clipped a single off Trent Boult in the fifth over of the morning to cruise through to his hundred from 164 balls – his second on this ground this winter, following his series-winning onslaught in the fifth ODI earlier this month.
He was aided in his efforts by the debutant Leach, who eventually fell for 16 in the next over from Tim Southee, a fine delivery that pitched on middle and leg and held its line through to the keeper.
That was Southee’s sixth wicket of the innings, and Boult ensured that New Zealand’s opening partnership once again shared the first-innings spoils when Bairstow holed out to third man for 101.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo