Harry Brook celebrates his century on day two of the first test. Photo / Photosport
Harry Brook celebrates his century on day two of the first test. Photo / Photosport
Harry Brook has quickly found a second home in New Zealand. With such a warm welcome from the opposition fielders, the English cricketing dynamo will never want to leave.
The Black Caps dropped Brook four times – part of six spilled chances, three from skipper Tom Latham – asthe No 5 was allowed to blast an unbeaten 132 on the second day of the first test.
Brook cashed in on his luck while taking tourists to 319-5, within 29 runs of first-innings parity, before presumably heading straight to Christchurch Casino.
The 25-year-old, who became the ninth-fastest batter to reach 2000 test runs, could hardly be having a better time of life in New Zealand.
After cracking 89, 54 and 186 during his first trip in 2023 – run out without facing a ball in his fourth turn at the crease – Brook delivered the most important knock yet in his new favourite country. With some assistance from several charitable fielders
Brook was granted extra lives on 18, 41, 70 and 108; each catch should have been held and any could have changed the complexion of the match.
Tom Blundell grassed a sitter while wearing gloves, Latham coughed up a high chance at first slip and Devon Conway did the hard part of reaching the ball at deep midwicket before failing to complete the catch.
Only Glenn Phillips was able to atone – in spectacular style. Having dropped a cut from Brook straight to his body at gully, the livewire fully extended to snag another from Ollie Pope while horizontal to the ground.
Pope (77) departed in disbelief, Phillips’ right hand ending a counter-attacking stand with Brook that hauled their side out of trouble on 71-4. The pair played their natural attacking games and assumed plenty of risk while racking up 151 from 188 balls, benefiting from an emerging sun that created similar batting conditions to what the hosts had enjoyed on day one.
It was markedly different when England began their innings, the overhead cloud and cooler temperatures assisting New Zealand’s quicks as the ball moved in the air and off the surface.
Tim Southee threatened without initial reward while Matt Henry trapped Zak Crawley and would have added a second opener in Ben Duckett without the first instalment in Latham’s trilogy of misery.
Debutant Nathan Smith – later twice denied by his teammates – illustrated in one over before lunch why he was the leading wicket-taker in last season’s Plunket Shield.
Nathan Smith could have claimed more than two wickets. Photo / Photosport
Smith first nicked out fellow rookie Jacob Bethell with an angling delivery that straightened off the seam, then claimed the prized wicket of Joe Root by nipping one back in and finding an inside edge that crashed into the stumps.
After Duckett’s streaky stay was ended by Will O’Rourke, Brook and Pope steadily lifted England towards a lead, until Phillips intervened.
The mixed day with his hands followed a morning in which the allrounder reiterated his value with the bat, finishing unbeaten on 58 having once more run out of partners.
That innings came a month after Phillips finished 48no in Pune, which was a month after he recorded 49no in Galle, and again raised the question of why the Black Caps persisted with the struggling Blundell at No 6.
Phillips bats well with the tail, hoarding strike while collecting quickly through boundaries. But No 7 still seems a waste of the ability he has displayed upon returning to the test team a year ago.
In the 12 matches since, Blundell averages 14.2 with one 50 compared with Phillips’ 38.6 with four. Numbers, though, are unnecessary to know the latter is a better batter, one of the six best in the country who should be recognised as such.
Before the tour to India, selector Sam Wells defended the current order by pointing to partnerships Blundell had put together with No 5 Daryl Mitchell. Yet the wicketkeeper no longer occupies the crease enough to form any stands of significance.
The longer they wait to switch the pair, the greater chance it costs the Black Caps a match-winning total. Although, as they later showed, there are plenty of ways for teams to throw away a test.
The Alternative Commentary Collective is covering every home Black Caps this summer. Listen to live commentary here.
Kris Shannon has been a sports journalist since 2011 and covers a variety of codes for the Herald. Reporting on Grant Elliott’s six at Eden Park in 2015 was a career highlight.
