England are on the verge of victory against New Zealand in the first Test after Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse and Harry Brook produced a dominant performance for the Christchurch tourists.
The Black Caps are 155-6, leading by just four runs, with Woakes (3-39) taking the key wicket of Kane Williamson (61) lbw before beating the next ball, Tom Blundell (0).
Woakes’ fellow seamer Carse took 7 wickets in the match, claiming 3-22 to put England 1-0 ahead in the three-match series.
Previously, Brook (171) – dropped for the fifth after four reprieves on day two, Ben Stokes (80) – his best Test score since the 2023 Ashes and a low-order cameo from Gus Atkinson (36 off 48) and Carse (24) 33 not out) lifted England from 319-5 overnight to 499 for a first-innings lead of 151.
Williamson registered back-to-back half-centuries in the first Test before falling lbw to Woakes.
Carse was largely ineffective in New Zealand’s first dig and Woakes, who scored just one run with the bat, removed Devon Conway (8) and Rachin Ravindra (24) after making Tom Latham (1) his first wicket of the match.
Williamson backed up his first 93 runs and passed 9,000 runs in a Test, while Daryl Mitchell (31no) steadied New Zealand with a partnership of 69 runs, but Woakes’ twin strike and Carse’s lbw dismissal of Glenn Phillips (19) took England to the crease. I broke it down. Bang on top.
Latham’s players largely had themselves to blame, even taking into account Brook’s brilliance and England’s excellent bowling. Eight catches went down and the hosts gifted wickets with several loose strokes as they batted on day one.
Harry Brook averaged over 60 in Test cricket for England after hitting 171 at Hagley Oval.
Brook adds some stunning numbers as Stokes finds form.
Brooke is only the third Englishman to pass 150 twice for New Zealand after Joe Root and Walter Hammond, and he scored 183 in Wellington in 2023, with his average of 60.05 the least England appearance. Among batsmen, he is second only to Herbert Sutcliffe (60.73). 20 tests.
The Yorkshireman has now made seven centuries in his first 22 Tests and is the eighth fastest to reach 2,000 runs by innings (36).
However, Brooke survived on the 18th. If Phillips had hung in the gully, England would have won 77 and lost 5. Then on Friday, scores were 41, 72, and 106, and on Saturday morning, at 147, Phillips took to the turf once again. I inflated the fishing line into the canyon again.
Phillips made three of eight New Zealand drops and spilled Carse for five from deep behind point, but pulled off a jaw-dropping one-handed catch at back point on the second day to remove Ollie Pope for 77 and make it 151-151. I finished it. Run the stand with Brook at 71-4.
Brook and Stokes extended their sixth-wicket partnership from 97 to 159 on day three when England were bowled out for 140 in the morning. Striker Brook hit five fours and a six over Tim Southee (2-85) over the pavilion roof. for a long time.
Ben Stokes recorded his highest Test score since the Ashes Century against Australia at Lord’s in 2023.
Cass bats and bowls for England
Brook’s luck eventually edged out Matt Henry (4-84) to wicketkeeper Blundell, but Stokes – who has conceded just 53 runs in four innings in Pakistan this autumn – scored 63 and 40 runs with Atkinson and Carse respectively before being hauled out. was recorded. Henry stay away.
Atkinson and Carse hit five sixes and six fours between them, and the former was looking for 50 for 118 against Sri Lanka at Lord’s in August but picked out Phillips (3) off the bowling of debutant Nathan Smith. -141).
After Shoaib Bashir (5) was last out and pushed Henry to midwicket, England immediately made inroads with the new ball. Latham pushed Woakes to Brook in the third over and Conway hit Carse to a diving Atkinson on middle. ninth.
A phallus position of 23-2 became 64-3 soon after Ravindra fell into the short ball trap. Captain Stokes laid out Carse and spooned Jacob Bethell from deep square.
Bryden Cass (right) impressed for England with the ball in Christchurch, taking seven wickets in the match.
England were heading for victory within three days at Hagley Oval when Woakes sent on Williamson and Blundell. New Zealand were 133-5 and still 18 points behind at that stage. But they will now be hoping to get things done early on day four.
England’s Test tour of New Zealand
- First test: November 28 – December 2 (Christchurch)
- Second test: December 6-10 (Wellington)
- Third test: December 14-18 (Hamilton)
