‘Bazball’ has arrived in New Zealand
(Picture: Getty Images)England’s 'Bazball' approach has officially landed in New Zealand.
Day one of the floodlit Test in Mount Maunganui was spent on fast forward, with the hosts closing on 37 for three, in reply to the tourists' 325 for nine declared.
It is simply impossible to predict what this England team will do next. Today, they declared after just 58.2 overs, the second earliest first-innings declaration in the history of Test cricket.
"There was no plan at dinner to declare," said Harry Brook, whose 89 off 81 was the standout innings of the day. "Me and Foakesy (Ben Foakes) were still batting together, and if I hadn't got out, the plan would've been the same.
"But because I got out, the plan changed. Stokesy (captain Ben Stokes)said that if there's two bowlers in at the same time, give them a couple of overs and we'll try and utilise the lights."
England's gamble, taken on the basis that the best time to bowl with the pink ball is under floodlights, paid off handsomely, as they claimed three wickets, including the vital scalp of Kane Williamson, to leave the hosts in disarray.
England have won nine of their past 10 Test matches, and are already in pole position to make it 10 out of 11. They can do no wrong.
That England had been in a position to declare was thanks to fantastic half-centuries from Brook and Ben Duckett, who finished on 84 off 68. In the first session, Duckett raced to a 36-ball half century, the joint fastest by an England opener, before Brook took over proceedings in the second.
He peppered the point boundary with a series of devastating cuts, went to his half-century with a ramp over the wicketkeeper and drove Tim Southee for the most graceful straight six you will ever see. When he finally went for 89, he was 11 runs short of becoming the fastest player to four centuries in history, having walked out to the crease in Test cricket just seven times.
As to whether the record was in the back of his mind, Brook answered: "Yes, the BBC told me the other day!"
It was not all roses for England, though. Their total was well below what they would have hoped for after reaching the first break at 134 for two and the second at 279 for five. Their last four wickets fell for just 27 runs.
That England were so restricted was thanks to a combination of a spirited New Zealand bowling effort, whose attack boasted two debutants in Blair Tickner and Scott Kuggeleijn, and loose batting.
The day started with Zak Crawley departing for a tortuous four off 14 balls, having already been dropped on nought and clean-bowled off
a no-ball on three. A period of dominance followed between Duckett and Ollie Pope, as they shared a 99-run partnership, but Duckett went on the stroke of lunch, caught at cover.
After the break, Pope (42) and Joe Root (14) fell in the space of two runs, as England slipped to 154 for four. Root was dismissed in unusual circumstances, caught at slip attempting his trademark reverse lap.
Stokes played with patience initially, but was caught at midwicket for 19 attempting a pull, before the final wickets of Brook, Stuart Broad (2), Foakes (38) and Jack Leach (1) all fell in the space of 25 balls, as each tried to clear Mount Maunganui and failed.
Such was the rate of knots that England had batted, 5.58 an over, that they had time to bowl 17 overs at New Zealand. It was an opportunity they grasped with both hands, as Tom Latham was caught at short-leg off Ollie Robinson before James Anderson (left) struck twice to remove Williamson LBW for six and Henry Nicholls for four, caught by Crawley in the slips.
For the last week, England's bowlers have complained that getting the pink ball to swing was impossible. Here, they made it talk.
"The best time to bowl is under the lights," Brook said. "You can extract the most amount of swing and seam, so why not try and expose their top order to that? It's the hardest time to bat, and we've got three of the best bowlers to ever play the game."
