NZ vs ENG: England claimed a commanding eight-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first Test at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, setting the tone for the three-match series. Brydon Carse starred with a career-best 10-wicket match haul, while debutant Jacob Bethell impressed with a rapid unbeaten fifty to seal the win.
Day 4 Highlights: England’s Decisive Finish
New Zealand began the fourth day at 155/6, leading by a mere four runs. Daryl Mitchell fought valiantly with 84 runs, supported briefly by Nathan Smith (21) and tailender Will O’Rourke. However, Carse’s brilliance with the ball ensured New Zealand could only set a target of 104 for England.
Carse claimed three of the last four wickets, finishing with 6/42 in the innings and 10/106 in the match—the first overseas 10-wicket haul by an England fast bowler in 16 years.
England’s chase was swift and decisive, completed in just 12.4 overs at a remarkable run rate of 8.21. Jacob Bethell, on debut, smashed 50 not out off 37 balls, including eight fours and a six. Ben Duckett (27) and Joe Root (22*) also contributed to the aggressive pursuit.
Series Impact
The victory gives England a 1-0 lead in the series and boosts their World Test Championship (WTC) points percentage to 43.75%. Meanwhile, New Zealand’s loss drops their WTC percentage to 50%, jeopardizing their chances of reaching the final.
Key Moments in the Match
- New Zealand’s First Innings: Kane Williamson, returning to the side, top-scored with 93 as New Zealand posted 348.
- England’s Response: Harry Brook’s sensational 171 helped England recover from 71/4 to gain a significant first-innings lead of 151.
- Carse’s Dominance: Carse’s relentless bowling on a docile surface highlighted his growing stature as a reliable third seamer.
- Bethell’s Redemption: After a shaky first innings, Bethell displayed poise and power to steer England to victory in style.
Concerns for England
Despite the victory, there was a minor injury scare for skipper Ben Stokes, who experienced lower back stiffness during the fourth day. Stokes assured fans he would be fit for the second Test starting December 6 in Wellington.
Looking Ahead
England’s emphatic win underscores their aggressive “Bazball” approach, leaving New Zealand with significant adjustments to make ahead of the next match. With the series still alive, fans can expect more thrilling cricket as both teams battle for supremacy.
NZ vs ENG: Full Scorecard
| Batting | R | B | M | 4s | 6s | SR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c †Pope b Carse | 47 | 54 | 69 | 6 | 0 | 87.03 | |||
| c & b Atkinson | 2 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 | |||
| c Crawley b Atkinson | 93 | 197 | 274 | 10 | 0 | 47.20 | |||
| c Crawley b Shoaib Bashir | 34 | 49 | 81 | 3 | 0 | 69.38 | |||
| c Brook b Carse | 19 | 47 | 97 | 0 | 0 | 40.42 | |||
| c Atkinson b Shoaib Bashir | 17 | 32 | 58 | 2 | 0 | 53.12 | |||
| not out | 58 | 87 | 136 | 6 | 1 | 66.66 | |||
| c Root b Shoaib Bashir | 3 | 13 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 23.07 | |||
| c Duckett b Shoaib Bashir | 18 | 32 | 44 | 2 | 0 | 56.25 | |||
| c Atkinson b Carse | 15 | 25 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 60.00 | |||
| b Carse | 0 | 13 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | |||
| Extras | (b 8, lb 12, nb 11, w 11) | 42 | |||||||
| Total |
91 Ov (RR: 3.82, 431 Mins)
|
348 | |||||||
|
Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Devon Conway, 1.6 ov), 2-62 (Tom Latham, 13.6 ov), 3-130 (Rachin Ravindra, 31.3 ov), 4-199 (Daryl Mitchell, 52.4 ov), 5-227 (Kane Williamson, 60.2 ov), 6-246 (Tom Blundell, 65.6 ov), 7-252 (Nathan Smith, 69.3 ov), 8-298 (Matt Henry, 78.5 ov), 9-325 (Tim Southee, 84.1 ov), 10-348 (Will O’Rourke, 90.6 ov) • DRS
|
|||||||||
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | ECON | WD | NB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 5 | 70 | 0 | 3.50 | 2 | 1 | |
| 18 | 2 | 61 | 2 | 3.38 | 0 | 7 | |
| 19 | 1 | 64 | 4 | 3.36 | 3 | 2 | |
| 13 | 1 | 59 | 0 | 4.53 | 2 | 1 | |
| 20 | 1 | 69 | 4 | 3.45 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5.00 | 0 | 0 |
| Batting | R | B | M | 4s | 6s | SR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| lbw b Henry | 0 | 12 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | |||
| c Conway b O’Rourke | 46 | 62 | 101 | 6 | 0 | 74.19 | |||
| c †Blundell b Smith | 10 | 34 | 49 | 2 | 0 | 29.41 | |||
| b Smith | 0 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | |||
| c †Blundell b Henry | 171 | 197 | 323 | 15 | 3 | 86.80 | |||
| c Phillips b Southee | 77 | 98 | 139 | 8 | 0 | 78.57 | |||
| c Southee b Henry | 80 | 146 | 236 | 9 | 0 | 54.79 | |||
| c Latham b Southee | 1 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 | |||
| c Phillips b Smith | 48 | 36 | 42 | 4 | 2 | 133.33 | |||
| not out | 33 | 24 | 40 | 2 | 3 | 137.50 | |||
| c Southee b Henry | 5 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 55.55 | |||
| Extras | (b 2, lb 14, nb 6, w 6) | 28 | |||||||
| Total |
103 Ov (RR: 4.84, 489 Mins)
|
499 | |||||||
|
Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Zak Crawley, 3.5 ov), 2-43 (Jacob Bethell, 14.1 ov), 3-45 (Joe Root, 14.3 ov), 4-71 (Ben Duckett, 21.2 ov), 5-222 (Ollie Pope, 52.2 ov), 6-381 (Harry Brook, 85.1 ov), 7-382 (Chris Woakes, 86.1 ov), 8-445 (Gus Atkinson, 94.6 ov), 9-485 (Ben Stokes, 100.2 ov), 10-499 (Shoaib Bashir, 102.6 ov) • DRS
|
|||||||||
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | ECON | WD | NB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 4 | 85 | 2 | 4.25 | 0 | 0 | |
| 23 | 5 | 84 | 4 | 3.65 | 0 | 1 | |
| 26 | 0 | 141 | 3 | 5.42 | 0 | 5 | |
| 25 | 2 | 138 | 1 | 5.52 | 2 | 0 | |
| 9 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 3.88 | 0 | 0 |
| Batting | R | B | M | 4s | 6s | SR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c Brook b Woakes | 1 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 14.28 | |||
| c Atkinson b Carse | 8 | 26 | 39 | 1 | 0 | 30.76 | |||
| lbw b Woakes | 61 | 86 | 159 | 7 | 0 | 70.93 | |||
| c Bethell b Carse | 24 | 38 | 50 | 2 | 0 | 63.15 | |||
| c Woakes b Carse | 84 | 167 | 282 | 12 | 1 | 50.29 | |||
| c †Pope b Woakes | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | |||
| lbw b Carse | 19 | 32 | 42 | 1 | 0 | 59.37 | |||
| lbw b Carse | 21 | 44 | 55 | 2 | 0 | 47.72 | |||
| lbw b Carse | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 | |||
| c Root b Atkinson | 12 | 13 | 30 | 0 | 2 | 92.30 | |||
| not out | 5 | 39 | 65 | 0 | 0 | 12.82 | |||
| Extras | (lb 1, nb 11, w 6) | 18 | |||||||
| Total |
74.1 Ov (RR: 3.42, 372 Mins)
|
254 | |||||||
|
Fall of wickets: 1-3 (Tom Latham, 2.3 ov), 2-23 (Devon Conway, 8.5 ov), 3-64 (Rachin Ravindra, 19.1 ov), 4-133 (Kane Williamson, 35.4 ov), 5-133 (Tom Blundell, 35.5 ov), 6-153 (Glenn Phillips, 45.2 ov), 7-190 (Nathan Smith, 56.2 ov), 8-192 (Matt Henry, 56.6 ov), 9-209 (Tim Southee, 61.2 ov), 10-254 (Daryl Mitchell, 74.1 ov) • DRS
|
|||||||||
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | ECON | WD | NB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 2 | 59 | 3 | 3.10 | 1 | 2 | |
| 17.3 | 3 | 57 | 1 | 3.25 | 1 | 6 | |
| 19.1 | 4 | 42 | 6 | 2.19 | 3 | 2 | |
| 12 | 0 | 65 | 0 | 5.41 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6.3 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 4.61 | 1 | 1 |
| Batting | R | B | M | 4s | 6s | SR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c & b Henry | 1 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12.50 | |||
| c Henry b O’Rourke | 27 | 18 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 150.00 | |||
| not out | 50 | 37 | 47 | 8 | 1 | 135.13 | |||
| not out | 23 | 15 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 153.33 | |||
| Extras | (nb 2, w 1) | 3 | |||||||
| Total |
12.4 Ov (RR: 8.21, 53 Mins)
|
104/2 | |||||||
|
Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Zak Crawley, 1.5 ov), 2-55 (Ben Duckett, 7.1 ov) • DRS
|
|||||||||
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | ECON | WD | NB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 9.00 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 4.00 | 0 | 1 | |
| 3.4 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 10.36 | 1 | 1 | |
| 3 | 0 | 27 | 1 | 9.00 | 0 | 0 |
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