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Second test, day two, Basin Reserve: England 435-8 declared (Harry Brook 186, Joe Root 153 not out; Matt Henry 4-100) versus New Zealand 138-7 (James Anderson 3-37, Jack Leach 3-45).
Any thoughts on playing 11 batters?
Elongating the batting line-up couldn’t save the Black Caps from facing a series sweep as England again held the upper hand all Saturday in Wellington.
At another early stumps due to showers on day two, New Zealand were 138-7 in their first innings of the second test, still trailing the visitors by 297 runs.
The hosts had added Will Young to their XI following a 267-run drubbing in the first test the previous week in Mount Maunganui, but it mattered not as the top order was again rolled by one of the age-less new-ball bowlers for the tourists.
READ MORE:
* Black Caps make changes but England again dominate day one of second test
* Black Caps vs England: How high can Harry Brook go, after he demoralises hosts
* Black Caps under the pump again from England in second test at Basin Reserve
Forty-year-old James Anderson reduced New Zealand to 21-3 after England had declared before lunch at 435-8. They never recovered, despite Tom Blundell (25*) and captain Tim Southee (23*) adding an unbroken 35 for the eighth wicket before the rain came.
Most things that could go wrong for the hosts, did, and the sell-out crowd could have been forgiven for wondering if the siren sounding outside the ground wasn’t for an ambulance to aid the wounded national side.
Andrew Cornaga/Photosport
Ollie Pope, left, of England celebrates after taking a close-in catch to dismiss New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell on the second day of the second test.
Tom Latham avoided Anderson’s inroads and had got to 35 when his attempted reverse sweep of spinner Jack Leach saw the ball balloon to Joe Root at first slip.
On-field umpire Chris Gaffaney gave it out as Latham pointed to his arm guard and immediately reviewed the decision. It fell to television umpire Aleem Dar to view numerous replays, and he eventually ruled the ball had brushed the wristband of Latham’s glove, which under the laws counts as the batter hitting the ball.
Front-on replays showed the ball appearing to hit the strap on Latham’s arm guard, which would be not out.
Daryl Mitchell perished to the last delivery before tea when he prodded forward to Leach and Ollie Pope, with a greater sense of anticipation than The Rocky Horror Show, snared the ball in his right hand like a lizard grabbing a fly.
Some wounds were self-inflicted – Henry Nicholls had moved capably to 30 but opted to reverse-sweep Leach when traditional strokes were serving him just fine, and the deflection off his bat and body was snaffled by Pope.
Earlier, Kane Williamson’s dreadful shot felt like a microcosm of New Zealand’s limp response to England’s all-powerful, all-positive mastery.
There was no need to play it, no footwork, and as it turned out, no coming back from the hole the hosts had dug themselves into.
New Zealand did have the joy of removing Harry Brook in the third over of the morning after just adding two to his overnight score of 184.
He and Joe Root (153 not out) had formed England’s biggest partnership in New Zealand and the national side’s third-highest fourth-wicket stand in tests with 302.
Matt Henry was the standout bowler for the hosts, capturing 4-100 from 22.1 overs.
England even played the Decision Review System process far better than New Zealand.
The home team constantly misjudged their outs and not outs, while Ben Stokes was given the nod to ask for a second opinion when James Anderson beat Devon Conway in the opening over and was rewarded.
Big moment
After missing out twice in Mount Maunganui, Williamson felt like the key factor for New Zealand to fight back.
But after he’d fiddled and failed, the collective shoulders in the capital slumped.
Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images
James Anderson took three early wickets, including that of Kane Williamson.
Best with the bat
It didn’t take Root long to find a way to contribute to the menacing Bazball machine, after pondering his approach this week. The former skipper, with a weight off his shoulders after registering his century on stumps on Friday, propelled England towards their declaration with his unbeaten 153 coming from 224 balls and including 10 fours and three sixes.
Best with the ball
Anderson continues to improve his bowling record, in the fifth decade of his life.
In 10 tests since June last year, the seamer has taken 45 wickets at 15.91.
Big picture
The series belongs to England barring a miracle – meaning the Black Caps will have gone eight tests without a win.
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