England continued their dominance in the second Test against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve, finishing Day 2 with a commanding lead of 533 runs. New Zealand’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss has backfired, with England’s batters piling on the pressure after dismissing the hosts for a paltry 125 in their first innings.
In response, New Zealand’s batting faltered dramatically. Kane Williamson showed some resistance with 37 runs, but the rest of the lineup crumbled under relentless pressure from England’s pace attack. Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse wreaked havoc, picking up four wickets each. New Zealand were bundled out in just 34.5 overs, conceding a 155-run deficit.
England’s second innings began with early jitters, losing Zak Crawley cheaply who has struggled against New Zealand historically. However, Ben Duckett's 92 and Jacob Bethell's 96 stitched together a brilliant 187-run partnership for the second wicket. Both narrowly missed their centuries but laid a solid foundation for the middle order.
Joe Root 73* and captain Ben Stokes 35*, are steering England to victory with 378/5 at stumps. The duo added an unbeaten 50 runs in quick time, maintaining an impressive run rate of 4.97. England's Bazball was too much for New Zealand to handle with Harry Brook, smashing 55 off 61 balls earlier in the innings.
While New Zealand’s bowlers toiled, Tim Southee and Matt Henry managed two wickets apiece. Glenn Phillips also chipped in with a wicket, but the sheer depth of England’s batting lineup made breakthroughs hard to come by.
My player of the day is Gus Atkinson for the first ever Test match hattrick at the Basin Reserve by any player.
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