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England have a great chance to win the two-match test series away from home against New Zealand. England has already taken the lead in this series, winning the first match in New Zealand.
The visitors are now leading the 2nd test as they need 210 runs in the final day within 98 overs. However, New Zealand need nine wickets to bring equality in this series.
England did well in the 1st innings, while New Zealand failed to avoid the follow-on
England started their batting innings after losing the toss as New Zealand captains Tim Southee decided to bowl first. Early in the match, Kiwi bowlers destroyed England’s top order, proving the captain’s decision right.
New Zealand’s bowlers had a fantastic first spell. Pacer Matt Henry hit first by taking Zak Crawley’s wicket in the 4th over. This pacer picked up the next wicket as well. After that, the Kiwi captain stepped in and picked up Ben Duckett. As a result, England became three men down in 21 runs.
After that, Joe Root and Harry Brook took all the responsibilities and changed the momentum. They made a brilliant partnership of 303 runs. Joe Root scored 153, while Harry Brook added the highest 186 runs. Relying on these scores, England ended their first innings with 435 runs.
English pacers destroyed New Zealand
The Black Caps failed to score enough runs in their first innings due to the aggressiveness of England’s pacers. James Anderson and Stuart Broad were ruthless against the Kiwis. Moreover, Jack Leach also had a brilliant spell in the first innings.
Jack Leach and James Anderson picked up three wickets for each, while Stuart Broad got four wickets alone. Due to their aggression, New Zealand lost all their wickets in 209 runs, which forced them to fall into the follow-on.
Therefore, New Zealand again started their batting innings. But they responded this time very well. Tom Latham and Devon Conway picked up 149 runs in the opening partnership. Former captain Kane Williamson was fantastic in the 2nd innings, scoring the highest 132 runs.
Apart from Williamson, four batters of New Zealand got half-centuries in the 2nd match. As a result, New Zealand ended their innings with 483 runs, taking a lead of 258 runs.
England need 210 runs
England picked up 48 runs in the last session of the 4th day, losing one wicket. The team will begin batting tomorrow, with a goal of scoring 210 runs more to win the game. Besides, New Zealand need nine wickets to level the series.
