Harry Brook’s remarkable performance on Day 2 of the first Test against New Zealand has put England in a strong position, as they finished at 319 for 5, trailing by just 29 runs. Brook’s unbeaten score of 132 came despite New Zealand’s bowlers initially dominating the match, reducing England to a precarious 71 for 4 early on.
Harry Brook smashes his 7th Test century
Brook’s innings was pivotal in stabilizing England’s batting after they faced early setbacks, including the dismissal of debutant Jacob Bethell for just 10 runs. He formed a crucial fifth-wicket partnership of 151 runs with Ollie Pope, who contributed 77 runs. This partnership was essential in helping England recover from their early troubles. Notably, Brook benefited from four dropped catches, with New Zealand captain Tom Latham responsible for three of those missed opportunities. Enroute to his seventh Test ton, Brook also became the second-fastest to complete 2000 runs in terms of balls faced.
England skipper Ben Stokes also played a vital role in the latter stages of the day remaining unbeaten on 37 and adding an unbroken partnership of 97 runs with Brook.
Earlier, New Zealand posted a total of 348 runs in their first innings, with Brydon Carse and Shoaib Bashir taking four wickets each.
Also READ: NZ vs ENG 2024 – Joe Root matches Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh’s unwanted feat in his 150th game on Day 2 of Christchurch Test
Here’s how Twitter reacted:
7 tons in 22 Tests .. So good to watch @Harry_Brook_88 .. England are having a great day after a tricky start .. Harry plays the ball like it’s coming down at 50 mph .. so much time .. #NZvENG ..
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) November 29, 2024
Harry Brook has played Tests in three countries and now he has multiple Test tons in two of them with England being the exception.
Test 💯s in
Pakistan – 4
New Zealand – 2*
England – 1pic.twitter.com/r0GgWd9w7k— Omkar Mankame (@Oam_16) November 29, 2024
7th TEST HUNDRED FOR HARRY BROOK FROM JUST 36 INNINGS IN TEST CRICKET ⚡
– An absolute run machine for England, incredible form with bat in tough situation in longer format, What a champion batter England has got, just 25 years old 👌 pic.twitter.com/QsUzk2Ht3b
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) November 29, 2024
Harry Brook averages almost 60 after 22 matches in Test cricket. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/BMtoVhZeMN
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) November 29, 2024
Harry Brook looked to the sky after reaching his seventh Test century 🥹❤️
What a player, what a guy. Your nan would be so proud of you, Brooky.
📺 #NZvENG is LIVE on TNT Sports and discovery+ pic.twitter.com/JxEnUEutZU
— England’s Barmy Army 🏴🎺 (@TheBarmyArmy) November 29, 2024
Harry Brook, a generational talent 💯 pic.twitter.com/R01Z0a85nq
— Ben (@benstrat98) November 29, 2024
Until last year, no player had scored 2000 Test runs at a strike rate of 85. Now, there are two!
And both from England…While Ben Duckett is doing it with a pretty good average of 41, Harry Brook is scaling new heights with a jaw-dropping 60+ average… pic.twitter.com/7azBY17zY8
— Abhishek AB (@ABsay_ek) November 29, 2024
One of Harry Brook’s best knocks. Under pressure on a pitch offering assistance when his team was in trouble. Dropped a few times but batted beautifully and making NZ pay.#NZvENG
— CricBlog ✍ (@cric_blog) November 29, 2024
Harry Brook will make you pay if you drop him twice.
Gets a another hundred in the test cricket. pic.twitter.com/cBVnpqdL9Y
— Sujeet Suman (@sujeetsuman1991) November 29, 2024
Harry Brook played 5 innings in New Zealand and his scores are
89
54
186
0
Hundred (Today) pic.twitter.com/kMRanFQxC5— Vijay Anaparthi (@VijayCricketFan) November 29, 2024
Day 2, Stumps
England: 319/5, trail by 29 runs 🏏
– Harry Brook 132*
– Ben Stokes: 37*#cricket #NZvENG #HarryBrook #BenStokes #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/tq8HLsOWCq— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) November 29, 2024
As the match continues, England’s batting depth and resilience will be tested against a determined New Zealand side looking to capitalize on their initial advantage. The contest remains finely balanced heading into Day 3, with both teams eager to seize control.
Also WATCH: Glenn Phillips plucks a one-handed screamer to dismiss Ollie Pope in the 1st NZ vs SL Test
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