Harry Brook’s seventh Test hundred and Ollie Pope’s timely 77 rescued England after a top-order collapse as the tourists cut a wasteful New Zealand’s lead to 29 on day two of the first Test.
England were reeling on 71-4, at which point they trailed by 277, as ducks for Zak Crawley and Joe Root sandwiched Jacob Bethell (10 off 34) snicking behind on a tough debut from an unfamiliar No 3 spot and Ben Duckett (46) caught on the hook in Christchurch.
However, Brook (132no) and Pope rode their luck to share a fifth-wicket stand of 151 – Brook was dropped on 18, 41 and 72 and then again on 106 while adding an unbroken 97 with captain Ben Stokes (37no) – as England closed on 319-5 in reply to New Zealand’s 348.
Stokes was also the beneficiary of a drop as New Zealand skipper Tom Latham shelled his third catch of the day – and the team’s sixth – at short cover close to stumps, reprieving the left-hander on 30.
Brook – who became the second-fastest Englishman to 2,000 Test runs in terms of innings (36), behind only Herbert Sutcliffe (33) – was shelled by Glenn Phillips at gully, Latham at first slip and Devon Conway at deep midwicket before reaching his hundred from 123 balls, shortly after a superb scooped four.
Pope, pushed down the order to No 6 due to him also keeping wicket in this Test, was his usual skittish self at times but managed to peel off a much-needed score after averaging a paltry 11 with a best of 29 while batting at No 3 during October’s 2-1 series defeat in Pakistan.
The vice-captain, finally out to a screamer of a one-handed catch from Phillips at gully, could return to first drop for the second Test at Wellington’s Basin Reserve from December 6 with wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson to replace the injured Jordan Cox in the squad.
