Harry Brook and Joe Root delivered superb hundreds to save England‘s sinking ship in the Wellington Test against New Zealand after Matt Henry struck twice in quick succession to reduce England to 21-2. Tim Southee, captain of New Zealand, took Ben Duckett’s wicket to reduce England’s score to 21-3 after seven overs.
Just as New Zealand believed they had a chance to bowl out England cheaply, Root and Brook forged a partnership of 294 unbroken runs to surpass the 300-run mark. The gods of rain then intervened. After 65 overs, England’s score was 315-3.
The tremendously gifted Brook is undefeated with 184*, while the dependable Joe Root is batting with 101*.
The 32-year-old English batsman scored his 29th Test century and is approaching 11,000 runs in red-ball cricket. In roughly 129 Tests, Root has an average of nearly 50.
The 24-year-old Brook scored his fourth Test century in his sixth encounter. In Tests, he now averages 100.87 and has a healthy strike rate of 99.38.
Only Matt Henry and Tim Southee could take wickets for the Kiwis. Neil Wagner, a left-handed fast bowler, allowed 101 runs in 17 overs at a rate of 5.50 runs per over.
While the weather showed no prospects of improvement, the umpires called a halt to Day 1’s play.
The inaugural Test match in Mount Maunganui was won by England by 267 runs. The British are in a commanding position in the second Test in Wellington and hope to sweep the series by a score of 2-0.
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