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New Zealand set England 258 to win second Test after Williamson century

WELLINGTON: Record-breaker Kane Williamson stroked a superb century Monday to steer New Zealand to 483 all out in their second innings and set England a target of 258 runs to win the second Test in Wellington.

Former captain Williamson hit 132 and Tom Blundell was last man out for 90 as the hosts fought back after being asked to follow on at the Basin Reserve.

England were 48-1 in their second innings at stumps after opener Zak Crawley, on 24, was bowled by a delivery that nipped back from New Zealand skipper Tim Southee.

Ben Duckett was unbeaten on 23 and nightwatchman Ollie Robinson on one, leaving England needing 210 more runs on Tuesday’s final day for a 2-0 series sweep.

The tourists won the first Test by 267 runs.

“We’re excited about chasing that (target) down tomorrow,” said England spinner Jack Leach, who took 5-157.

“We know how we want to go about it and it’s a case of us sticking to that process. We’re confident.”

New Zealand need nine wickets to pull off only the fourth victory by a side following on in the history of Test cricket and square the two-match series.

“It would be pretty special,” Williamson said of New Zealand’s historic bid.

“It’s pretty exciting going into day five and we want to make sure our bowling is on. 0There’s all to play for.”

‘Immaculate’

The hosts resumed their second innings on Monday at 202-3, still trailing by 24, but Williamson led the charge with his 26th Test century.

It fell to England’s new batting star and part-time seam bowler Harry Brook to claim Williamson’s prized wicket.

After grinding down England’s bowlers, Williamson was finally caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Ben Foakes off a fine edge after a sixth-wicket partnership of 158 with Blundell.

Williamson trudged off to hearty applause from the Wellington crowd after dragging New Zealand back into the match.

It was his second standing ovation of the day, having eclipsed Ross Taylor in the morning session to become New Zealand’s most prolific Test batsman with 7,787 runs.

His partnership with Blundell helped New Zealand fight back after England declared their first innings at 435-8 then scuttled New Zealand for 209, before inviting the hosts to bat again.

New Zealand can join an elite club if they win — only England, twice, and India have won a Test after following on.

Williamson, who survived a close shout for a stumping when on 45, handed his side a fighting chance after frustrating England alongside Blundell, with support from Henry Nicholls and Daryl Mitchell before lunch.

Blundell hit Stuart Broad to the boundary as New Zealand passed 400, then Williamson also smacked England’s seamer for four to bring up his hundred — his first since scoring two tons against Pakistan in December 2022.

New Zealand folded quickly once Williamson departed and he was full of praise for Brook’s bowling.

“He didn’t miss his length, he was immaculate. He’s a special player,” Williamson said.

With the former captain gone, Michael Bracewell went in sloppy fashion, run out for six as he inexplicably failed to ground his bat.

Foakes whipped off the bails from Ben Stokes’ laser throw in the deep when Bracewell should have been home comfortably.

New Zealand lost their last four wickets for just five runs, Blundell last out when he edged Leach to Joe Root at slip going for a big hit.

Latham, Conway lead New Zealand fightback to frustrate England

WELLINGTON: New Zealand are contemplating the possibility of a rare Test win after following on, having dug in with the bat on Sunday to set up an absorbing last two days of the second Test against England.

The Black Caps unearthed some much-needed tenacity to reach 202-3 in their second innings at stumps on day three in Wellington, closing within 24 runs of the tourists.

Their gritty response after being asked to follow on was founded on half-centuries by openers Tom Latham and Devon Conway.

Kane Williamson was a patient 25 not out at the close, needing just four more runs to surpass Ross Taylor as New Zealand’s greatest Test run-scorer.

The former skipper will resume on Monday alongside Henry Nicholls (18 not out) with New Zealand harbouring slim hopes of squaring the two-match series on a Basin Reserve pitch starting to offer turn and variable bounce.

Only England (twice) and India have achieved the feat of winning a Test after following on.

Latham says his team have belief they can topple the tourists if they can carry momentum into day four.

“Absolutely, you’ve always got to look at ways to win a Test match,” he said.

“We certainly know there’s a lot of work to do to reach that point but whether it’s 200 or 250 (target), you never know what’s enough.

“We’ve seen with the wicket, whether it’s the old ball or the new ball, there’s plenty of turn there.

“To be close to parity at this point is really pleasing.”

A New Zealand victory looked a distant prospect when dismissed for 209 in their first innings midway through the morning session, 226 runs behind England’s 435-8 declared.

Latham (83) and Conway (61) combined to frustrate England for 149 runs before the first wicket fell, unveiling combative qualities that had been absent in a series dominated by England’s impressive seam bowling.

New Zealand’s foothold in the game loosened when both openers and Will Young (8) fell in the space of 18 runs, all to spin, to leave them 167-3 before Williamson and Nicholls dug in.

“For me and Dev to set the tone, that was important,” Latham said.

“We lost a couple of wickets but the work Henry and Kane did at the back end of the session was really important. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?”

England assistant coach Paul Collingwood defended captain Ben Stokes’ decision to enforce the follow-on, when instead putting the Black Caps back out in the field could have shut them out of the contest.

“The mantra of this team is to take the aggressive approach,” Collingwood said.

“There was no doubt in Stokesy’s mind, if we the got opportunity, that that was how we were going to go about things.

“Like we’ve said before, we’re not scared of losing and we want to get ourselves into position to win games.”

Jack Leach was the pick of England’s attack, taking 2-59 off 31 overs, with his ball to bowl Young a textbook delivery for a left-arm spinner.

England are still well placed to notch a seventh straight Test win and secure a 2-0 series sweep after their 267-run first Test triumph at Mount Maunganui.

The key will be removing Williamson, who has been well short of his best form in the series, tallying 10 runs from three previous innings.

However, the 32-year-old unleashed a typically frill-free knock, taking few risks from 81 balls faced to keep his side in the contest.

Four more runs will carry him past the New Zealand record of 7,683 runs scored by long-time team-mate Taylor, who retired last year.

A grinding finish to the day was in contrast to a lively first hour, when New Zealand lost their last three first-innings wickets for 71 runs off just 11.2 overs.

Seamer Stuart Broad claimed all three wickets to finish with 4-61, his introduction halting a New Zealand charge led by Tim Southee.

The New Zealand captain was dismissed for 73 after blazing 50 runs off 30 balls on Sunday morning, his free-wheeling knock laced with six sixes, including three from one Leach over.

Tim Southee equals MS Dhoni’s batting record in Tests

WELLINGTON: Veteran New Zealand pacer and Test captain Tim Southee equalled his former Indian counterpart MS Dhoni’s tally of sixes in the longest format amid his side’s home fixture against England on Saturday.

New Zealand, who are in heaps of trouble dealing with ruthless England, found a moment to cherish amid their dismal home Test series as their captain Southee added another feather to his cap during the ongoing second Test.

The hosts’ batting lineup crumbled against a strong English bowling attack; featuring top-ranked Test bowler James Anderson but Southee retaliated for his side with an unbeaten 23 off just 18 deliveries.

The skipper hit two sixes amid his blitz against England before the rain forced an early end to day two here.

Amid his brief knock, Southee drew level with former Indian captain Dhoni’s tally of 78 sixes in the longest format of the game when he smashed Stuart Broad over the midwicket boundary for his second six of the match.

Southee achieved the milestone in just 131 innings, 13 less than Dhoni and has an opportunity to surpass the latter’s tally on the third day of the ongoing second Test.

The pacer, however, is a long way behind Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand record holder, whose mark of 107 sixes was recently shattered by England captain Ben Stokes.

READ: Anderson fires England into control of Test against New Zealand

Anderson fires England into control of Test against New Zealand

WELLINGTON: James Anderson validated his elevation to top spot in the world Test bowling rankings with a lethal opening spell as England took full control of the second Test against New Zealand on Saturday.

Veteran seamer Anderson snared 3-37, sending the Black Caps crashing to 138-7 when rain forced an early end to day two in Wellington, after England declared their first innings at 435-8.

Spinner Jack Leach also took three scalps, leaving New Zealand staring at a 297-run deficit with three days remaining.

Red-hot England are on course for a sweep of the two-match series, having won the first Test by 267 runs at Mount Maunganui with the same mix of aggressive batting and potent new-ball bowling.

Joe Root was unbeaten on 153 when captain Ben Stokes made his assertive declaration, leaving the tourists half an hour to attack the Black Caps top order before lunch.

Anderson answered the call, removing Devon Conway (0) and Kane Williamson (4) to have the hosts languishing at 12-2.

The exacting paceman removed Will Young (2) after the break to underscore why he’d been reinstated to No 1 in the ICC player rankings released this week – the oldest player to hold the perch, at 40.

All three batsmen feathered edges to gloveman Ben Foakes, extending the number of Test victims caught by a wicketkeeper off Anderson to 188 – 36 more than any other bowler.

Left-handers Tom Latham (35) and Henry Nicholls (30) launched a rearguard but both fell when attempting to reverse-sweep Leach (3-45), offering catches to fielders around the bat.

First-Test centurion Tom Blundell had reached 25 not out before play was called off at 5.45 pm (0445 GMT), and his free-wheeling captain Tim Southee was unbeaten on 23 — in an innings featuring two sixes.

About 25 overs were lost to the late rain, mirroring the premature finish to day one when the clouds opened.

However, England still have ample time to push for a seventh straight Test win and consign New Zealand to an eighth successive winless Test.

Earlier, England lost five wickets and racked up a further 120 runs in an entertaining opening session after resuming at 315-3.

Harry Brook fell in the third over for 186, having added just two to his overnight score.

His blazing knock formed part of a 302-run stand with Root – the second-highest in England’s Test history against New Zealand – having rescued the tourists from 21-3 early on day one.

Root effortlessly advanced from his overnight 101 to surpass 150 for the 14th time in his career.

The 32-year-old received lively support from Stokes — who blasted 27 off 28 balls — Stuart Broad (14) and Ollie Robinson (18).

Root struck 10 fours and three sixes, including a reverse ramp shot that cleared the boundary rope off the fourth ball he faced on Saturday, from Southee.

Seamer Matt Henry took the key wicket of Brook, holding onto a sharp caught-and-bowled chance, to return 4-100.

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Brook, Root centuries put England in charge of New Zealand Test

WELLINGTON: Red-hot Harry Brook made a majestic 184 not out to put England firmly in control against New Zealand in Wellington on Friday in the second Test.

Joe Root was unbeaten on a classy 101 as the tourists rampaged their way to 315-3 before rain ended the opening day of the series decider early.

Brook’s breathtaking display at the Basin Reserve made him the first player to score 800 or more runs in his first nine Test innings.

The 24-year-old came to the crease with England wobbling at 21-3 inside the first seven overs.

The hosts won the toss and elected to bowl on a green wicket.

That decision paid instant reward as New Zealand quickly dismissed England’s top order of Zak Crawley (two), Ben Duckett (nine) and Ollie Pope (10).

Matt Henry and skipper Tim Southee did the early damage for the hosts under expectedly blue skies.

Henry, back after missing the first Test with the birth of his child, forced Crawley into being caught behind as the opener’s sticky run continued.

All-rounder Michael Bracewell then made two superb catches in the slips to first dismiss Pope, then Duckett.

The dismissal of Duckett following Bracewell’s diving catch gave Southee a 700th international wicket in all formats, becoming the first New Zealander to reach the milestone.

However, it then became the Brook show as he took his Test average to just over 100 in only his sixth match.

Brook was player of the match in the first Test with back-to-back half centuries to help England to a 267-run win.

He continued the remarkable start to his England Test career with a magnificent unbeaten knock laced with 24 fours and give sixes. His 184 came off 169 balls.

Alongside former skipper Root, he helped steer England out of trouble to 101-3 at lunch.

There was no let-up in the afternoon as Brook added to his three previous centuries against Pakistan in December.

Root was more steady but no less decisive, slapping his 29th Test century but first in eight Tests.

England, who have won 10 of their last 11 Tests under the attacking cricket of coach Brendon McCullum, stuck with the same team that convincingly won the opening game.

New Zealand made two changes with Will Young and Henry replacing Scott Kuggeleijn and Blair Tickner.

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Stokes fires Ashes warning after England crush New Zealand

MOUNT MAUNGANUI: England captain Ben Stokes fired an Ashes warning to Australia after crushing New Zealand by 267 runs in the first Test at Mount Maunganui on Sunday, saying his team has got more firepower on the way.

England made it 10 wins from 11 Tests since Stokes was handed the captaincy and Brendon McCullum the coaching reins last year, introducing an attacking revolution that again proved decisive in the day-night Test at the Bay Oval.

Having used aggression and clever pink-ball tactics to get the upper hand, England closed out victory in the first session of day four, dismissing New Zealand for 126 after they resumed at 63-5.

Veteran pace duo Stuart Broad and James Anderson both finished with four second innings wickets as England notched a first win on New Zealand soil in 15 years and took a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

Broad (4-49) was a menace on Saturday night under lights when he tore through New Zealand’s top order, with all four wickets clean bowled to reduce them to 28-5 in pursuit of 394 for victory.

Long-time new ball partner James Anderson (4-18) became the chief tormentor on Sunday, knocking over four tailenders as New Zealand added 63 more runs in 22.3 overs.

Only Daryl Mitchell, unbeaten on 57, put up any resistance after resuming his innings on 13, striking two sixes on his way to a sixth Test half-century.

England tactically dominated the game, batting aggressively and deliberately timing the end of both their innings so New Zealand had to face a new pink ball in lively seam conditions under lights on days one and three.

The visitors will be favourites to beat the struggling Black Caps in the second Test in Wellington before turning their attention to the showdown with Australia in England’s summer.

Stokes suggested he was already excited at the prospect of unleashing England’s fearless approach when they bid to reclaim the Ashes.

‘Selection nightmare’

The captain said depth had become an England strength, naming three injured players — batsman Jonny Bairstow and pace bowlers Jofra Archer and Mark Wood — among a group who will be applying pressure on the current squad.

“It’s probably going to end up being a selection nightmare at some point but you’d much rather have that,” Stokes said.

“It’s a great thing to be thinking about going forward — the amount of world class players that we’ve got, not only here at the moment but also sat at home, recovering from injuries or whatever it may be.

“I don’t like to look too far ahead but I think it will be a good crop of players to be able to choose from when we come to the Ashes.”

Stokes said their attack-first approach, dubbed “Bazball”, was working because the players had brought into it unequivocally and had the ability to execute.

“Not only have I got an unbelievable bowling attack to be able to captain, I’ve also got a seriously skilled and very brave batting line-up to look at and watch them express themselves,” Stokes said.

“They’ve got to take a lot of credit for the record I’ve had so far as a captain.

“If we keep playing the way in which we’re playing and we’re executing the things that we want to do well then we’re going to be giving ourselves an opportunity to win.”

“We’re just always looking to put oppositions under pressure.”

New Zealand captain Tim Southee conceded England had outplayed his team but didn’t think the margin between the sides was reflected in the result.

He welcomed the return to traditional red ball cricket at the Basin Reserve, starting on Friday.

“I don’t know if gulf is the right word, I think England strategically played it pretty well,” Southee said

“You look back to day one, the way that they scored allowed them to set up the match from there by declaring at the difficult time under lights.

“The end result is big, but it could have been slightly different so you reassess and you move forward to a traditional Test match at a ground we enjoy playing at.”

The home side are set to regain the services of seam bowler Matt Henry, who was unavailable for the series opener to attend the birth of his child.

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Attack-minded England take control of first Test in New Zealand

MOUNT MAUNGANUI: High-octane batting and a precocious day-one declaration put England in control of the first Test against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui on Thursday.

The Black Caps limped to 37-3 at stumps in the day-night Test at the Bay Oval, having been thrust on to the back foot by England’s swashbuckling 325-9 declared.

The tourists raced to their total in just 58.2 overs — boosted by blistering half-centuries to Ben Duckett and Harry Brook — as England opened the two-Test series with the sort of attacking approach, dubbed “Bazball”, that has carried them to nine wins from their past 10 Tests under coach Brendon McCullum.

England captain Ben Stokes instructed his lower-order batsmen to throw the bat before calling them in, leaving 18 overs to bowl at the Black Caps under lights with a new pink ball.

The ploy worked as Tom Latham, Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls departed before reaching double figures.

Evergreen seamer James Anderson took 2-11, including the key wicket of Williamson following an lbw review.

Opener Devon Conway will resume on 18 and nightwatchmen Neil Wagner on four, with a deficit of 288 runs staring at them on Friday.

It was a grim response to an England innings that featured 48 fours and one towering six from Brook off the bowling of New Zealand captain Tim Southee, who was lashed for 2-71 from 13 overs.

New Zealand’s depleted attack fought back midway through the second session when Ollie Pope, Joe Root and Stokes fell in quick succession, allowing debut pace bowlers Blair Tickner (1-72) and Scott Kuggeleijn (2-80) to claim their maiden Test wickets.

However, momentum was snatched back by the in-form Brook, who accelerated to 89 off 81 balls, supported by 38 from Ben Foakes.

Playing just his fifth Test, the 23-year-old Yorkshireman Brook was poised to become only the second England batsman after Ken Barrington in the 1960s to hit centuries in four consecutive Tests.

However, he played on to Wagner (4-82), the veteran seamer benefiting from England’s wild approach to the end of their innings.

Like Brook, Duckett was a revelation during the 3-0 series win in Pakistan in December and he maintained his hot streak with a rapid-fire 84 off 68 balls.

The hard-hitting opener had a chance of scoring England’s fastest Test century — surpassing Gilbert Jessop’s 76-ball knock against Australia in 1902 — before he fell to Tickner late in the first session.

Southee, leading his country at home for the first time, asked England to bat with the hope of exploiting the pink ball’s swing on a green-tinged pitch that had been covered for days because of Cyclone Gabrielle.

The hosts’ best spell came when Pope departed for 42 and Root for 14 in the space of four balls, followed soon afterwards by Stokes.

Most of the wickets fell to aggressive shotmaking, including Root’s, whose attempt at a reverse lap off Wagner was steered straight into the slip cordon.

Preparations for both sides had been disrupted by the storms that hit New Zealand and triggered a national state of emergency on Tuesday, but Mount Maunganui avoided significant damage and play started on time.

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Wood, Rehan out as England name 15-man squad for New Zealand Tests

LONDON: England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Friday unveiled a strong 15-member squad for the upcoming away Test series against New Zealand, scheduled to roll into action on February 16 2023.

The ECB made significant changes to their squad for Pakistan Tests as pacer Mark Wood and young spinner Rehan Ahmed have been left out of the squad, while three pacers returned to the team for New Zealand Tests.

Broad, who did not tour Pakistan for the historic series, alongside Durham pacer Matthew Potts and Nottinghamshire’s quick Olly Stone, made his return to the English squad.

Furthermore, Essex batter Dan Lawrence will also be returning to England’s squad for the longest format.

Meanwhile, both Wood and Rehan have been left out of the squad in a bid to manage their workload, while English skipper Ben Stokes had already hinted at not putting more pressure on an unfinished article Rehan.

“Durham fast bowler Mark Wood, who was impressive in the recent 3-0 victory over Pakistan, will take a break from all international and franchise cricket in January to fully recover after a busy winter in all formats,” said ECB in a statement.

“He is expected to tour Bangladesh in March, where England will play three ODIS and three IT20s.

“Leg spinner Rehan Ahmed, as part of his management for this winter, will go to the UAE T20 League in January with a view to joining up with the white-ball team in Bangladesh if selected in March.”

It is pertinent to mention that England will tour New Zealand to play two-match Test series from February 16 to 28.

England Test Squad: Ben Stokes (Durham), James Anderson (Lancashire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Will Jacks (Surrey), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Jack Leach (Somerset), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Matthew Potts (Durham), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Olly Stone (Nottinghamshire)

England Men’s Test Tour of New Zealand Schedule:

First Test (Pink Ball): 16-20 February, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
Second Test: 24-28 February, Basin Reserve, Wellington

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England down New Zealand to keep T20 WC semi-finals hopes alive

BRISBANE: England openers Jos Buttler and Alex Hales laid a solid foundation with a half-century each before the pacers led them to a convincing 20-run victory over New Zealand to keep their hopes intact for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final qualification.

Set to chase 180, New Zealand fell 20 runs short despite a blistering 62-run knock from Glenn Phillips.

The side had a dismal start to the run chase as they lost their openers – Devon Conway (3) and Finn Allen (13) – for a paltry score of 28/2 in five overs.

Following the early setback, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and Glenn Phillips scripted the recovery with an anchoring 91-run partnership for the third wicket.

Williamson, however, was finding it hard to score at a rapid pace unlike his partner Phillips, and as a result, fell to Ben Stokes’ slower delivery while attempting to glide. He scored a run-a-ball 40 including three boundaries.

New Zealand’s batting lineup then began to crumble as James Neesham (6) and Daryl Mitchell fell in the 16th and 17th overs respectively, causing their side to slip to 131/5.

England’s young pacer Sam Curran, who bowled a magnificent final over, struck the gold for his side in the 18th as he undid Phillips to put his side in the commanding position.

Phillips top-scored for New Zealand with 62 off just 36 deliveries with the help of four boundaries and three sixes.

Curran and Chris Woakes bagged two wickets each, while Mark Wood and Stokes made one scalp each.

England, batting first after winning the toss, amassed a decent total of 179/6 in their quota of 20 overs, thanks to brilliant half-centuries from Buttler and Hales.

In a must-win game, the English openers chipped in and laid a solid foundation for a defendable total with a magnificent 81-run partnership.

Hales remained the core aggressor of the 62-ball stand and brought up his 11th T20I half-century.

His stay at the crease, however, remained brief and fell in the 11th over, soon after amassing the landmark. He scored 52 off 40 deliveries with the help of seven boundaries and a six.

England skipper Buttler, on the other hand, stood firm and stitched brief partnerships with Moeen Ali (5), Liam Livingstone (20), and Harry Brook (7) and took his side past the 160-run mark in the 19th over.

The right-handed batter then fell in the same over, courtesy of a brilliant piece of fielding by Tim Southee and Kane Williamson.

He top-scored for the side with a terrific 73 off just 47 balls, laced with seven boundaries and two sixes.

Lockie Ferguson bagged two wickets for New Zealand but was expensive, while Tim Southee, Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi struck out a batter each.

Daryl Mitchell equals Sir Don Bradman’s 92-years-old record

LEEDS: New Zealand’s middle-order batter Daryl Mitchell equalled the Australian batting great Sir Don Bradman’s 92-years-old record in the recently-concluded Test series against England.

The recently-concluded Test series was majorly dominated by the home side as they whitewashed New Zealand 3-0 yesterday but if the touring side had to draw a positive from their frustrating outing, it would have surely been the splendid form of Mitchell.

The right-handed batter, who remained the top-scorer of the three-match series with 538 runs from six innings at an average of 107.6, registered a historic record to his name.

The 31-years-old scored 109 in the last Test and had earlier piled 108 at Lord’s and 190 at Trent Bridge. Following his triple tons, the Kiwi batter has become the only overseas batter after batting icon Sir Don Bradman to slam a ton in each of the first three Tests of a series in England.

Additionally, Mitchell is the only cricketer from New Zealand to score three successive hundreds against England in a Test series.

It is pertinent to mention here that England, under the new leadership of the head coach Brendon McCullum and the captain Ben Stokes drew cherishing results in their first assignment as they clean swept New Zealand 3-0.

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