Key events
41st over: England 220-5 (Brooke 105, Stokes 2) Southee replaces Phillips, who for four overs was milked and manhandled for 32. He took a bit of leg himself this morning, but it’s a good time to bowl – certainly for Stokes, who likes to bowl alone. One of the over.
“Blah blah blah Brooke is heart-stoppingly brilliant blah blah,” says Robert Wilson. “Did someone mention Peter Willey? Not so much that watching Peter Willey bat was one of the highlights of my youth (although it was up there), but watching him stand at the crease was definitely a highlight.
“There have been many scowling, flashing crab/squid hybrids over the years. Crouching, Crouching, Crouching Hills and Creepers. But Willie took ugly batting positions to another level. A mix of mime emotional with diarrhea and those guys who point and lean on aircraft carriers, Willie seemed to believe that he might actually be forced to play the odd shot with his ass (and in the era of single camera positions down the door , he always looked like the camera was behind him, even when it wasn’t). And all while sporting the beard and bannet of a dastardly roué in an Alan Ayckburn play – or the Sheriff of Nottingham in a very low-key 1970s version of Robin Hood. They just don’t make artists like that anymore.
“(After writing this, I checked it out on YouTube to make sure this little song wasn’t too overblown and fancy. I think if anything I’ve seriously sold it. What a legend!)”
As Livia Soprano used to say, I don’t know what you’re talking about.
40th over: England 219-5 (Brooke 104, Stokes 2) Will O’Rourke looks a serious handful. Stokes, surprised by more extra bounce, gets a front edge that falls away at gully and runs away for a couple.
VARITKA! England 217-5 (Pope c Ravindra b O’Rourke 66)
Pope tries to pull O’Rourke, is beaten for pace and throws the ball high into the air. Henry (medium) and Ravindra (short leg) first leave it to each other before Ravindra runs forward to take the catch.
It was almost a carbon copy of the fake shot Pope played in O’Rourke’s previous over. It probably wasn’t the smartest fight to try again, but overall he played a great innings: 66 off 78 balls with seven fours and a six.
Harry Brook makes his eighth Test century!
39th over: England 217-4 (Brooke 104, Pope 66) There it is! Brook worked Phillips for a single to reach the most brilliant game-changing century: 91 balls, nine fours, five sixes. He’s a genius, this boy, and watching him play like that is the closest thing we’ve had to a KP Experience.
He points his bat skyward, looks up to greet his grandmother Pauline – and then gets back to work, smashing Phillips to the extra-cover boundary off the last ball of the over.
38th over: England 210-4 (Brooke 99, Pope 64) O’Rourke replaces the unfortunate Henry. Brook, on 98, races down the pitch and slices a cross that bounces just wide of Conway at third man.
Pope shows how to do it by staying in his crease and uppercut intentionally for six. But then he has a moment of luck when he is late with a shot and flicks the ball over the head of short leg. This could have easily gone to a fielder.
England, who were set and reduced to 43 for 4, are scoring 5.52 an over.
37th over: England 201-4 (Brooke 98, Pope 56) Pope taps Phillips for a single to bring up the 150 partnership in just 23.4 overs – a frankly outrageous response to England in trouble at 43 for 4.
Phillips’ experiment didn’t work. His three overs have gone for 25, including a rank bad ball that Brooke flicks past short fine leg for four. He is two from another century and this time he has not even been dropped once
36th over: England 190-4 (Brooke 93, Pope 50) Henry’s frustration continues as another lovely delivery beats Brook’s drive attempt. He has played superbly in both the spells.
The Pope is not out!
It wasn’t the referee’s decision, it was jumping over the top. New Zealand loses review.
Review of New Zealand for LBW against the Pope!
Pope rolls Henry for three to land a nice counter punch fifty off 65 balls. He has never been known for his consistency and this is only the second time in the last four years that he has made 50+ in consecutive Test innings.
He survives another big LBW appeal after going through his stumps. “Probably the umpire’s decision,” Henry tells his captain Tom Latham, who heads upstairs with seconds to spare. It’s pretty close.
Highest test average at No.5 (min: 1000 runs)
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Harry Brooke 68.83
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Joe Ruth 67.25
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AB de Villiers 62.11
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Rishabh Pant 61.77
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Michael Clarke 60,80
35th over: England 183-4 (Brooke 91, Pope 47) There it is. There it goes. Brooke dances down to put Phillips away for long big sixhis fifth of the innings. A slap for two takes him back to the nineties.
34th over: England 173-4 (Brooke 82, Pope 46) This is a great competition between Henry and Brooke. Two of the first three balls go over the outside edge; the other is smacked scornfully over mid-on for four.
With a little more luck, Henry could already have five for. Pope has an escape later in the over when a leading edge slips away from Williamson on the offside.
33rd over: England 168-4 (Brooke 77, Pope 46) Tom Latham turns to the offspin of Glenn Phillips, probably hoping Brooke or Pope do something stupid. The big hits will come soon enough, you’d imagine, but for now they’re settling for four low-risk singles.
32nd over: England 164-4 (Brooke 75, Pope 44) Brook opens the face to target Henry after a second miss for four. Shots like this should distract quality seamers. I doubt silly seam players like them much either.
Brooke’s 75 off 70 balls is a continuation of New Zealand’s Test statistical record. He has scored 575 runs at an average of 115 with a strike rate of 102. and that includes a run out without facing a ball in the second innings on this ground two years ago.
31st over: England 158-4 (Brooke 70, Pope 43) Pope hits Smith and edges this much less than Latham at second slip. He gets the next ball out, going back to the fence effectively.
So, this mid-term number 3, who should it be?
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Ben Stokes Technically fit but his brain is spinning too much on the field even when he is not bowling so he needs rest.
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Joe Ruth He doesn’t want to bat there, he’s vulnerable to the new ball and especially the extra bounce.
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Harry Brooke Still too soon, especially in Australia with the extra bounce
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Ollie Pope Much better at number 6
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Jamie Smith Too early, even if he doesn’t keep a wicket, it doesn’t matter if he does.
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Jacob Bethel Too early against India and Australia, also he is not in the best XI right now.
I suspect that Pope, who has always been a very unselfish player, will return to No.3 in the summer. I hope he doesn’t regret it. Maybe those performances will give him a boost if/when he makes a comeback.
The Pope is not out!
30th over: England 154-4 (Brooke 70, Pope 39) The Pope survives, although he was closer than I thought: referee call at the point of contact with the pad and the stumps. He didn’t get far enough down the track to overturn the appeal.
New Zealand review for LBW against Pope
Henry sees Brook coming and shoves a batter past his face to tell him to stay in his crease. Brooke does just that and pulls the next ball beautifully for a six. This is so much fun.
Pope, on the charge, survives a rather big LBW appeal. I thought it was probably off the line and he was way off as well, but New Zealand reviewed the decision.
29th over: England 146-4 (Brooke 63, Pope 39) Pope plays another magnificent drive for four, this time through extra cover. England have a problem on the horizon because he looks so good as a No6; it’s not just the runs but the way he scores them. We haven’t heard the F-word* all series.
Brook edges Smith just short of slip and away for four. No more poking and prodding: he makes room to slam the next delivery through extra cover for a simple absurd six. That’s his third over of the innings, I think it’s extra cover.
* Frenetic
28th over: England 130-4 (Brooke 52, Pope 34) Matt Henry, who bowled a spell of 7-4-14-2 this morning, returns after lunch and beats Brook with his first delivery. He has a Test career of two halves. His first 55 wickets are worth 41 apiece and his last 57 are at 19.
He has an appeal for wicket #113 which is dismissed when Pope bowls a shot down leg. A very good over ends with Brook fielding and missing for the second time. Even in this very subtle attack, Henry looks the class.
27th over: England 128-4 (Brooke 51, Pope 33) Smith has three misses waiting for advantage, but as you’d expect, there’s not as much movement as there was with the new ball. Pope, who looks much more natural at No. 6, fires admirably into the middle of the four-man attack.
The football players are back on the field. Harry Brooke will continue at 51; Ollie Pope has 29. Nathan Smith who has figures of 6-1-41-2 on the first day of a Test matchhas the ball.
“Thanks so much for your recap of the action we missed,” says Nick Parrish. “Mostly very informative, although I’m not convinced that those of us who have followed this England team before really needed to be told that Zach Crawley went cheap…”
The more he fails, the more certain I am that he will score 800 runs in the Ashes next winter. I’m fascinated by good but not great players playing their best against their best. Peter Willey and David Steele are good examples from the past. At an individual level, New Zealand No.3 Andrew Jones had an outstanding record against the best bowlers of his era.
“Cricket after all!” writes Adam Hirst. “What an amazing session I almost saw. Soon Joe Root won’t even be Yorkshire’s best player. Whatever England manage for the rest of the day, however, may be…* overshadowed by news from Adelaide.
“*I don’t even like using the word “established” anymore.
Toilet humor may never be the same again.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live delayed coverage of the second test between New Zealand and England in Wellington. As you may know, Guardian and Observer members of the National Union of Journalists have been on strike for the past 48 hours, hence the late start to our coverage. If you want to know more about it, click here.
If you’re here for cricket, all cricket and nothing but cricket, here’s a recap of the morning session.
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England, bowled out by New Zealand, reached 124 for four in 26 overs at lunch
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They were 43 for 4 after Matt Henry and Nathan Smith took two wickets each
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Zac Crowley (17), Ben Duckett (0), Jacob Bethel (16) and Joe Root (3) all fell cheaply
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Harry Brooke made 50 off 48 balls, with two sixes and five fours, and added 81 for the fifth wicket with Olly Pope (29 not out)
