New Zealand captain Kane Williamson was in sight of his 18th Test century as the ball dominated the bat on the opening day of the two-match series with England dismissed for a record low score of 58 at Eden Park on Thursday.
Williamson was 91 not out with Henry Nicholls on 24 as New Zealand advanced to 175 for three at stumps, a lead of 117 after England had been bowled out in the first 90 minutes of play following a Trent Boult and Tim Southee seam onslaught.
Boult and Southee struck early and often after Williamson had opted to bowl with the pink ball in the first day-night Test in New Zealand.
Boult finished with a career-best six for 32 after he had ripped the top off England’s batting with four for nine from his first six overs. Southee finished with four for 25.
While England’s fans buried their heads in their hands and voiced their frustration over social media, It could have been much worse had bowler Craig Overton not produced a counter-attacking 33 not out.
After slumping to 23 for eight, Overton hit a boundary to push his side past the lowest score in Test history — the 26 scored by New Zealand against England here in 1955. Overton then ensured it surpassed its own lowest score — the 45 they limped to against Australia in Sydney in 1887.
Prior to his innings, England’s batsmen had looked totally lost. While Boult and Southee bowled between a good and full length, the ball was not swinging wildly or seaming markedly.
Too many of their batsmen, starting with former captain Alastair Cook, failed to move their feet and were crease bound, with four wickets falling to catches behind the wicket. England captain Joe Root (nought), Ben Stokes (nought) and Chris Woakes (five) were all also bowled by Boult, while Moeen Ali failed to clamp down on a Southee yorker.
“We always hoped there would be something in the wicket,” New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said. “It didn’t do a lot but it did enough.
“Sometimes when it does a bit more, they play and miss but once they found their length in about the fourth over they were exceptional and Trent certainly deserved the plaudits he got and Tim did a great job as well.”
England’s bowlers strangled the host’s batsmen for long periods of the remaining two sessions. Tom Latham and Williamson, however, stoically wore the bowlers down and took their side to a 30-run lead entering the final session under lights.
Broad picks up his 400th
The 31-year-old Stuart Broad, however, broke through in the first over of the evening session, with Latham clipping a full delivery to Woakes at mid-wicket on 26 to give him his 400th Test victim. Despite becoming just the second England bowler to reach the milestone — new ball partner Jimmy Anderson has 525 wickets — Broad’s celebrations were muted as he raised the ball to the applauding crowd when they were informed of the milestone.
Top five England wicket-takers
522: James Anderson
400: Stuart Broad
383: Ian Botham
325: Bob Willis
307: Fred Trueman
England’s lowest totals
45 (v Aus., Sydney, 1887)
46 (v WI, Port of Spain, 1994)
51 (v WI, Kingston, 2009)
52 (v Aus., London, 1948)
53 (v Aus., London, 1888)
58 (v NZ, Auckland, 2018)
England — 1st innings: A. Cook c Latham b Boult 5, M. Stoneman c Watling b Southee 11, J. Root b Boult 0, D. Malan c Watling b Boult 2, B. Stokes b Boult 0, J. Bairstow c & b Southee 0, Moeen b Southee 0, C. Woakes b Boult 5, C. Overton (not out) 33, S. Broad c Williamson b Southee 0, J. Anderson c Nicholls b Boult 1; Extras (lb-1): 1; Total (in 20.4 overs): 58.
Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-6, 3-16, 4-18, 5-18, 6-18, 7-23, 8-23, 9-27.
New Zealand bowling: Boult 10.4-3-32-6, Southee 10-3-25-4.
New Zealand — 1st innings: J. Raval c Bairstow b Anderson 3, T. Latham c Woakes b Broad 26, K. Williamson (batting) 91, R. Taylor c Woakes b Anderson 20, H. Nicholls (batting) 24; Extras (lb-6, w-5): 11; Total (for three wkts. in 69 overs): 175.
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-92, 3-123.
England bowling: Anderson 13-4-32-2, Broad 15-4-24-1, Overton 15-4-43-0, Woakes 15-5-36-0, Moeen 11-1-34-0.
Toss: New Zealand .
