New Zealand vs England: Harry Brook hits sublime 184 to put tourists in control

Joe Root and Harry Brook enactment connected 294 for the 4th wicket

A rather magnificent 184 not retired from the prolific Harry Brook enactment England successful the ascendancy connected time 1 of the 2nd and last Test against New Zealand.

The tourists had been 21-3 aft being asked to bat connected a greenish transportation astatine the Basin Reserve - Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope each falling cheaply.

But Brook batted with each the style, certainty and assurance of a antheral who present has 4 hundreds successful his archetypal six Tests.

His 169-ball effort was laced with immoderate sublime strokes and moved him to 807 Test runs successful total, the astir aft 9 innings for immoderate subordinate successful history.

Root, who survived a reappraisal for lbw from his archetypal shot and past again connected 31, was the cleanable foil. Batting astatine a much humble tempo, the erstwhile skipper ended unbeaten connected 101.

Between them, the Yorkshire brace person added an unbroken 294 for the 4th wicket and near England successful the cleanable presumption to propulsion for their seventh successive Test triumph and a bid triumph that would beryllium New Zealand's archetypal location decision successful six years.

Master and apprentice bully Black Caps

This had each the ingredients of an intriguing situation for England's ultra-aggressive batting line-up, and initially New Zealand looked acceptable to exploit the emerald surface.

With the returning Matt Henry bowling a beauteous opening spell, Crawley was drawn into a nick and Pope played crossed 1 to springiness a heavy edge.

Duckett poked a thrust and was spectacularly caught one-handed by the diving Michael Bracewell astatine 3rd gaffe disconnected Tim Southee.

Brook, though, countered by hitting 3 fours successful a azygous Southee implicit and England ne'er looked back.

Whether batting conditions eased oregon England made them look easier, Brook and Root bullied a New Zealand onslaught that was a bowler airy aft the Black Caps chose to lengthen their batting by including Will Young.

While Brook played immoderate breathtaking, astir unbelievable shots, the biggest cheer from the immense contingent of England fans wrong a sold-out Basin Reserve was for Root's hundred, completed successful the rainfall conscionable earlier the players near the field.

The atrocious upwind gave respite to the New Zealand attack, ending play aft lone 65 of the scheduled 90 overs had been bowled. Day 2 volition statesman 30 minutes aboriginal astatine 21:30 GMT connected Friday.

Brilliant Brook flirting with all-time greats

For arsenic superb arsenic Brook has been astatine the commencement of his Test vocation - this was his seventh people successful excess of 50 - this was his champion effort, not lone for it being his highest score, but due to the fact that of the conditions, lucifer concern and his utter dominance of the location attack.

Though Brook has beaten the erstwhile champion aft 9 innings - 798 runs by India's Vinod Kambli - helium has a changeable astatine an adjacent much historical record: the fastest clip to scope 1,000 runs is 12 innings, jointly held by England's Herbert Sutcliffe and West Indian Everton Weekes, 2 all-time greats.

He moved up and down the gears. Nineteen from his archetypal 11 balls, slowing to 63 from 81. At that constituent helium deed successive sixes of Daryl Mitchell, whose fill-in mean gait was singled retired for the harshest treatment.

Brook scored each astir the wicket. When New Zealand were full, helium played sumptuous drives. When Neil Wagner tried to bounce him, Brook cleared the beforehand limb and thwacked the shot away, baseball-style.

He went from 100 to 150 successful 38 balls and was flying towards what would person been England's second-fastest Test double-century erstwhile the rainfall arrived.

Root backmost successful the groove

Root was connected his longest tally without a 100 successful much than 2 years and admitted helium was struggling to find the close tempo among England's squad of dashers.

He made a half-century successful the 2nd innings of the tourists' triumph successful the archetypal Test, a sound helium said gave him a "kick up the backside" and looked backmost to his champion astatine the Basin Reserve.

Not bothering to support up with Brook - an workout that would person been futile - helium played each of his trademark whips, clips and dabs.

Batting retired of his crease to nullify the question of the ball, Root pinched singles with fantabulous running. His archetypal 50 runs contained lone 2 boundaries.

As Root neared 3 figures, helium pulled retired a reverse-scoop, a changeable that brought astir his downfall successful the archetypal Test, but this clip was executed perfectly to instrumentality 4 disconnected Wagner.

With the rainfall falling, Root clipped Wagner disconnected his toes to spell to his 29th Test hundred. The basal with Brook is England's second-highest ever successful a Test against New Zealand, with the imaginable of much to travel connected Saturday.