England have kissed a fair few frogs over the years but on a typical Wellington pitch that started out as green as Kermit himself came the latest evidence that, in Harry Brook, they have discovered a new middle-order prince.
Not that the crown is slipping from the existing one. Joe Root questioned his role recently amid England’s aggressive resurgence and on the opening day of the second Test against New Zealand, came the answer that seemed obvious to all but him: just be Joe Root. He built his 29th Test century by getting his head down and simply batting, the milestone coming from 182 balls and seconds before rain brought stumps.
But, as Root delivered his latest masterpiece at one end, picking off seven fours, pinching ones and twos in wing-heeled fashion, and bringing out the reverse scoop party trick only towards the end, Brook’s remarkable start to his England career continued at the other in a flurry of 24 fours and five sixes.
The 24-year-old had walked out to the middle early with England a perilous 21 for three, Matt Henry and Tim Southee having got the red Kookaburra ball to zip off a baize surface at the Basin Reserve. By the time he strode off he was 184 not out from 169 balls, his fourth hundred in his sixth Test match and unquestionably his best.
The two Yorkshiremen had put on an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 294 to take the tourists to 315 for three from 65 overs. This master and apprentice alliance was also a record for any English pairing on New Zealand soil, going past the 281 runs shared by Graham Thorpe and Andrew Flintoff at Christchurch in 2002. Root batted out of his crease, Brook often stood deep, and so despite a surface offering bounce and a bit of nibble, New Zealand’s lengths were thrown at times.
Test cricket is supposed to be a daunting arena and yet Brook already has more runs – 807 – than any player in history after nine innings, and has done so at a strike-rate of 99.38. His anticipation of a bowler’s intention is quite something and, allied with serious power, seemingly well‑stationed boundary riders are still beaten. As Root put it last week during a surprising admission of his own uncertainty, the kid who once claimed his wicket in the Headingley nets with filthy seam-up is bullying international attacks.
None felt more bullied than Neil Wagner, the left-armer’s once productive bouncer tactic – one that has delivered more than 250 Test wickets – treated with contempt. At times Brook simply backed away and carted him baseball-style, Wagner shipping nearly seven an over and at one stage forced to station Kane Williamson directly behind him on the rope for a bob-each-way bet.
Into his work early after England’s false start, Brook enjoyed a back-and-forth battle with Henry, the right-armer driven straight when he went full but also beating the bat on occasion. The odd duffed pull shot landed safely, too. Otherwise, with a New Zealand batting lineup bolstered by one and thus Daryl Mitchell asked to send down nine overs of medium pace, it was one-way traffic inside this roundabout of a ground. Brook brought up his century during the afternoon from 107 balls, his 150 taking just 38 more.
“I’m sure it’ll come down very quickly,” replied Brook, when asked about a batting average that sat at 100.87 overnight. “One of the things I’ve tried to work on over the last few years is staying as level-headed as possible. There could be a bad moment around the corner. [Starting at 21 for three] I was a bit flustered, but I got out there and just tried to be as positive as possible.”
It certainly was an ominous start for the tourists. Though chastened by last week’s defeat under lights at Bay Oval, New Zealand strode on to their spiritual home to the soundtrack of their World Test Championship triumph two years ago – Vangelis’s haunting Conquest of Paradise – and Southee now had a genuine new-ball partner following Henry’s swift return from paternity leave.
New Zealand greentops are not the same as in England, playing truer in the main, and the wind in this city is another complication. Still, Southee’s smile was broad upon winning the toss and then as vast as nearby Evans Bay after razing England’s top order. Henry, a fine fast-medium whose bowling average of 41 is misleading, showed no sign of the fatigue from the early days of parenthood, Zak Crawley’s outside edge tickled behind on two and Ollie Pope, on 10, sending a thicker one high to Michael Bracewell at third slip.
Bracewell then produced a collective gasp from a sell-out crowd that got full value for tickets that cost just NZ$35 (£17) for each of the five days, diving full stretch to his left at slip when Ben Duckett pushed at Southee on nine. Think Andrew Strauss off Adam Gilchrist at Trent Bridge in 2005, with “the Beast” mobbed by teammates sensing that this return to daytime Test cricket could prove a leveller.
It was a false dawn, and after Root survived an lbw shout first ball, a session that started with three early losses ended with 101 runs on the board. Brook brought up his half-century on the stroke of lunch, guiding one of Bracewell’s tepid off-breaks behind square for a 10th four. England’s new prince, it turned out, was only getting started.
• This article was amended on 25 February 2023 to correct Harry Brook’s age, which was given as 23 in an earlier version.
