Southee and openers lead New Zealand fightback in second Test against England

By Sports Desk February 26, 2023

New Zealand produced strong resistance on day three of the second Test against England in Wellington but remain 24 runs behind with seven wickets in hand at stumps on Sunday.

England enforced the follow-on after bowling out the Black Caps in the first session, with the hosts having resumed at 138-7 following the tourists' first innings score of 435-8 declared.

New Zealand openers Tom Latham (83) and Devon Conway (61) batted through 19 overs to lunch and then through the entire second session to bring the contest back to life.

But the pair both lost their wickets to spin in the final session along with Will Young for 8 as New Zealand reached stumps 202-3, still behind by 24 runs.

Kane Williamson (25 not out) and Henry Nicholls (18 not out) will resume at the crease on day four, hoping to build a sizeable lead to help New Zealand have a shot at a series-levelling victory in the two-game Test series.

Earlier, Tim Southee smashed 73 from 49 balls to rescue New Zealand from a perilous state in their first innings, combining with Tom Blundell (38) for a 98-run eighth-wicket stand.

Southee's knock included six sixes and five fours, narrowing the gap on England's first innings score after Jimmy Anderson had decimated the batting line-up on day two.

Stuart Broad (4-61) claimed all three of the remaining first-innings wicket to hold a 226-run first-innings lead, before captain Ben Stokes opted to enforce the follow on, although he may have been regretting that with Latham and Conway putting on 149 runs for the first wicket.

Jack Leach dropped a tough one-handed caught-and-bowled chance from Latham on 62, before he got Conway caught from an inside edge by Ollie Pope at short leg.

Three overs later Joe Root's part-time spin trapped Latham lbw, with the shout holding up despite a review from the batsman.

Leach bowled Young cheaply, while he had Nicholls dropped by Pope at short leg on 4, before he and Williamson got through to stumps.

Williamson moves within NZ history

Kane Williamson needs only four runs on Monday to become New Zealand's outright all-time Test leading run scorer. Williamson moved to 7680 runs with his unbeaten 25, within three of Ross Taylor's record of 7683.

Taylor played 112 Tests to reach that mark, while 32-year-old Williamson has only needed 92 games. Stephen Fleming is third on the list with 7172 runs from 111 Tests.

Southee into top 10 for most sixes

New Zealand captain Southee is known for his bowling exploits but his swashbuckling knock included six maximums that saw him move equal 10th on the all-time list for most sixes in Test cricket alongside Andrew Flintoff and Matthew Hayden.

Southee, whose highest Test score is 77 not out, has 82 Test sixes, with the record held by opposition skipper Stokes at 109. Opposition coach and former teammate Brendon McCullum is second on the list with 107.

Related items

  • Second washout stops England and Pakistan's T20 World Cup preparation Second washout stops England and Pakistan's T20 World Cup preparation

    For the second time this series, England and Pakistan saw a game abandoned due to rain, this time at Sophia Gardens on Tuesday.

    After their opening game at Headingley was washed out, the teams endured another frustrating day in Cardiff as the umpires called off the third match without a single bowl being bowled.

    England’s 23-run victory at Edgbaston on Saturday means they have an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series.

    However, Pakistan have one last chance to level things at The Oval on Thursday before both teams head off to the United States for the T20I World Cup in June. 

  • Owen gives Bellingham 'massive chance' of Ballon d'Or success Owen gives Bellingham 'massive chance' of Ballon d'Or success

    Michael Owen believes Jude Bellingham has a "massive chance" of winning the Ballon d'Or after a stand-out debut season at Real Madrid.

    Los Blancos won their 36th LaLiga title, losing just one of their league games while finishing 10 points clear of second-place Barcelona.

    Bellingham ended the league campaign as Madrid’s top-scorer, netting 19 LaLiga goals and added another four in the Champions League to help them on their way to the final.

    The attacking-midfielder has also created more chances under pressure (19) than any other midfielder in the Champions League, with four of those resulting in an assist for a Madrid teammate.

    Bellingham is due to join up with England for Euro 2024 following the Champions League final as the Three Lions aim to win their first major trophy since 1966.

    Bellingham is among the favourites to get his hands on the Ballon d'Or and would be the first Englishman to win it since Owen himself in 2001.

    "The Ballon d'Or comes to players who have an exceptional season, not only personally, but who have had a season where they have won something or multiple titles," Owen told TNT Sports.

    "If Jude Bellingham goes and wins LaLiga, which he already has done, as well as the Champions League all while being one of the stars of the show in that team, then he has got to be in the conversation.

    "A lot will depend on Euro 2024 with England. If he has a good tournament and England go far, then you could rightly say that he has a massive chance."

    Bellingham will face former club Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on Saturday as Madrid aim to lift a record-extending 15th title in the European Cup.

  • “We got taught a lesson”: van der Dussen credits Windies for dominant performance in T20I series “We got taught a lesson”: van der Dussen credits Windies for dominant performance in T20I series

    South Africa stand-in Captain Rassie van der Dussen gave his West Indian counterparts all the praise in the world after his side suffered a dominant 0-3 defeat in their three T20Is from May 23-26 at Sabina Park in Kingston.

    The hosts won last Thursday’s first encounter by 28 runs, their biggest win over South Africa in T20Is, and followed it up with a 16-run win in the second game on Saturday and a dominant eight-wicket triumph in the third match on Sunday.

    The skipper put the South African performance down to an inability to quickly adapt to the conditions of the Sabina Park pitch.

    “We just couldn’t adapt early enough. Yes, we had a long week in terms of layovers in Miami and so forth. I think we saw that in the first match but you can’t keep making the same mistakes,” van der Dussen said after Sunday’s game.

    “I think we just got taught a lesson on how to play in Caribbean conditions, especially from a bowling front. It was a difficult wicket to bat on. I think they just out-skilled us, especially with the ball,” he added.

    When asked about positives he could take from the three games, he singled out openers Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks as well as young leg-spinner Nqaba Peter who played the last two games, the first two T20Is of his career.

    The 35-year-old, who was left out of South Africa’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, says an adjustment he hopes the team makes with the bat is to take a few more chances up front.

    “Maybe just be a bit braver. We saw the way the West Indies play, especially in the power play. They really take it on and when the ball’s newer, it’s easier to score than in the back end when the ball gets soft,” he said.

     

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.