Looking at the way New Zealand dominated against England in Hamilton today, such a prediction seems likely.
Just two days into the match, New Zealand has already built a massive 340-run lead, with seven wickets in hand, including their biggest star, Kane Williamson. It looks all but certain that New Zealand will set England a daunting target to chase.
Before the umpires called off the second day’s play, New Zealand had scored 136 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in their second innings. Williamson completed his 38th Test fifty, and with Rachin Ravindra unbeaten on 2, New Zealand heads into tea with strong momentum.
In a day of shaky batting, England’s only highlight was Joe Root’s new achievement. He reached the milestone of 1,500 Test runs in a calendar year for the second time.
On Day 1, New Zealand ended with 315 runs, and today, Mitchell Santner and William O’Rourke added 32 more runs to take the total to 347. Then, Santner and O’Rourke took charge with the ball, supported by Matt Henry, dismissing England for just 143 runs in their first innings. Among New Zealand’s four bowlers, only retiring Test player Tim Southee went wicketless.
After losing a few quick wickets, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook had rescued England in the previous two Tests in Christchurch and Wellington, but today they couldn’t replicate that. Pope managed 24 runs, but Brook faced his first-ever ‘golden duck’ in Test cricket, marking a humbling experience after reaching the top spot in the batsman rankings.
Root and captain Ben Stokes, who had anchored England’s efforts, couldn’t carry their innings further. However, Root’s 32 runs saw him tie with Australian legend Ricky Ponting as the second batter to reach 1,500 Test runs in a calendar year multiple times. Root has accumulated 1,502 runs in 2024, following 1,708 runs in 2021. Ponting had scored 1,503 in 2003 and 1,544 in 2005.
Despite taking a 204-run lead in the first innings, New Zealand’s captain Tom Latham chose not to enforce the follow-on. Latham himself was the first wicket to fall in their second innings, but opener Will Young contributed a solid 60 runs. Williamson kept New Zealand moving forward.
Score Summary:
New Zealand 1st Innings: 347 all out in 97.1 overs
(Santner 76, Latham 63, Williamson 44, Young 42; Potts 4/90, Atkinson 3/66, Carrs 2/78, Stokes 1/91)
England 1st Innings: 143 all out in 35.4 overs
(Root 32, Stokes 27, Pope 24; Henry 4/48, Santner 3/7, O’Rourke 3/33)
New Zealand 2nd Innings: 136/3 in 32 overs
(Young 60, Williamson 50*, Latham 19, Ravindra 2*; Stokes 2/45, Atkinson 1/10)
At the end of Day 2, New Zealand leads by 340 runs.
