• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Eng Vs Nz 1st Test Day 2 Resilient Blundell Mitchell Steer Kiwis To Commanding Position

ENG vs NZ | 1st Test, Day 2 | Resilient Blundell, Mitchell steer Kiwis to commanding position

Onecricket

New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell (97 off 188) and wicket-keeper batter Tom Blundell (90 off 182) starred with the bat after England debutant Matthew Potts gave the early blows to the visitors once again to tilt the match in Kiwis' favour at the end of second day's play. 


The duo found a support system in one another as they went on to put on an unbroken fifth-wicket partnership of 180 to take New Zealand's lead over 200. 


England eke out a slender lead of 9 runs


England earlier resumed Day 2 at 116-7 and was trailing by 16 runs with three wickets in hand. However, the hosts lost the wicket of Stuart Broad in the morning session as Tim Southee clattered his leg stump to see him walk back to the pavilion. 


Foakes was the second one of the day to fall prey to Southee's good length delivery, with Daryl Mitchell making no mistake at first slip. Trent Boult then gave it a mortal blow by dismissing concussion substitute, Matthew Parkinson. 


However, the cameo knocks from the trio helped England add up 25 runs to the overnight score, taking the England scoreboard tally to 141 and providing them with a narrow first-innings lead of nine runs.


New Zealand's Pace Predators On Attack 


For New Zealand, Tim Southee was at his lethal best even on the second day of the game as he ended the inning with 4 wickets under his belt while conceding 55 runs. Trent Boult was equally impressive as he picked up 3 wickets. Also, Jamieson had a couple of wickets in his pocket while Grandhomme ended with one, that too of the big man, Joe Root.  


England thwarted by Daryl Mitchell & Tom Blundell 


New Zealand once again got off to a terrible start with the bat as they lost opener Will Young for another low score as James Anderson removed him for the score of 1. Skipper Kane Williamson (15 off 34) was the next to follow as he tried a backfoot punch off Matthew Potts only to find a thick outside edge to hand the cherry to Bairstow at slips. 


Potts got the skipper twice in this Test Match. A dream debut for Durham bowler continued as he sent the vice-captain Tom Latham (14 off 33) back to the pavilion to claim two wickets on the second day of the game. Devon Conway (13 off 34), too, had a short stay as Stuart Broad once again dismissed him to leave New Zealand in trouble at 56/4.  


Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell then joined hands to frustrate the English bowlers with the controlled batting as the duo added the highest run-stand in the series opener so far. Their partnership meant New Zealand stretched its lead to 227 runs over England, which had earlier been bowled out for just 141.


Brief Score on Day 2:  


New Zealand - 132-10 (40.0) [1st innings]

Colin de Grandhomme 42*, Tim Southee 26 (23);

Matthew Potts 4-13 (9.2), James Aderson 4-66 (16)


England - 141/10 (42.5) [1st Innings]

Zak Crawley 43 (56), Alex Lees 25 (77); 

Tim Southee 4-55 (14), Boult 3-21 (13.5)


New Zealand - 236/4 [2nd Innings] 

Daryl Mitchell 97* (188), Tom Blundell 90* (182); Matthew Potts 2-50 (19)  


New Zealand lead by 227 runs. 


Discover more

Top Stories
news

‘People don't know that I took off, it was my decision’: Hardik Pandya opens up on absence from Indian team

Hardik Pandya has talked about his long break from the Indian squad following his Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 heroics, where he guided Gujarat Titans (GT) to the title in their maiden season in the league. The Indian all-rounder posted an inspirational video ahead of his return to the national squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa. The 28-year-old last appeared in the blues for India in the T20 World Cup in 2021. Hardik hasn't bowled much and remained unavailable for India's T20I squad for the subsequent home series against New Zealand, the West Indies, and Sri Lanka. A school of thought professed that the marquee all-rounder was dropped from the team because he couldn't bowl. Hardik made a successful comeback to the game in IPL 2022 after being out for nearly six months, impressing with both bat and ball. In preparation for the 2022 Men's T20 World Cup in Australia, he has earned his place back in the Indian T20I team. The former Mumbai Indians icon revealed in an inspirational video uploaded by the social media handle of the IPL 2022 champions, GT. It was a misconception that he was dropped from the Indian squad and that he had instead requested time away from the game. "Lots of people don't know that I took off, it was my decision. A lot of misconceptions are that I was dropped. You only get dropped when you're available. Thankful to the BCCI that they allowed me to take such long breaks and didn't trouble or force me to come back, so that's commendable from their side. The old Hardik will be back," he said. "I told someone as well that now that the fans are back, it is the right time for me to make a comeback. There are a lot of matches that I am going to play (for India) and the hard work that I did before coming into the IPL will come to use. Making sure that whatever I did for my franchise, I do for my country as well," the IPL-winning skipper added. The Baroda cricketer performed with both bat and ball in the IPL 2022, scoring 487 runs and collecting eight wickets. He was named 'Player of the Match' in the final after taking three wickets and for his breathtaking spell of 3/17. With some crucial games ahead in the run-up to the T20 World Cup, the all-rounder revealed how he intends to have the same impact on Team India.

news

Shane Watson pays tribute to Andrew Symonds, drawing comparisons with Sir Viv Richards

Earlier this year, the Australian cricket team lost two of its most iconic players. Shane Warne, the spin superstar, died of a heart attack in March, while his ex-teammate Andrew Symonds was killed in a vehicle accident a few months later. When news broke that Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds had died in a vehicle accident in May, cricket fans around the world were stunned. A public memorial for Symonds was conducted last month, in which his fellow players paid tribute to him. One of his former colleagues, Shane Watson, compared him to West Indies star Viv Richards in terms of his impact on teams. Watson, who was also a vital cog in the Australian side, recalled Symonds on the latest episode of 'The ICC Review'. The former Australian cricketer praised Symonds' all-round ability, saying he was one of the best fielders he had ever played with. His qualities on the field set him apart from other players of his era. "You felt bulletproof when you played in the same team as Andrew Symonds. Having him at the point and just knowing he always had your back no matter what. And to bat with him was something very special," said Watson. "It is shattering to think he is not with us anymore. I look back at old footage I have seen over the last couple of weeks and (shaking head) he was so good, just so incredibly good. And to go with it one of the best teammates you could ever have," he added. "His poor two kids, such beautiful kids, and they adored their dad as well. We need to make sure we rally around his family as much as we can, as I know he would do that for us." Further, 'Watto' compared Symonds' all-round ability with that of Viv Richards. "He was very much Viv Richards reincarnated in the way he played. Even before I played against him you always heard about this big, powerful, six-hitting batter who could do everything and who was an amazing athlete." "His ability to bowl spin and medium pace, he was one of the best fielders to ever play. His all-around ability was something we haven't seen much of and won't see much of again," Watson concluded. 'Roy' represented the Kangaroos in 26 Tests, 198 One-Day Internationals, and 14 Twenty20 Internationals for Australia, scoring 6887 international runs and scalping 165 international wickets. One of his career achievements is being a key member of the Australian teams that won the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2003 and 2007.

news

ENG vs NZ | Weak ticket sales for the first Test force MCC to reconsider ticket costs

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), which owns the Lord's Cricket Ground, has been under fire recently when it was revealed that ticket sales for the first Test of the summer were disappointing. The MCC has pledged to revise ticket costs ahead of the 2023 season and has offered a new batch of lower-priced tickets for the Test match against New Zealand on the fourth day. It was revealed that ticket sales for the first Test of the summer were disappointing. Over the first four days leading up to the event, over 16,000 tickets remained unsold. The Cricket Supporters' Association was among those who suggested that the "astronomically high" cost of tickets was the key contributing cause. They went on to say that "once again, the cricketing authorities aren't thinking about fans, getting youngsters and families to a Test match, or ensuring cricket is inviting and accessible." The majority of the remaining tickets for the first three days were priced at more than £100. For the MCC, there were several mitigating considerations. The stadium holds a capacity of just under 32,000 people, and the pricing was set last year before the cost of living crisis became so clear. On the first day of the Test, only a few hundred seats remained unsold. Nonetheless, they claim to have listened to the concerns and would revise their ticket rates for the following year. That is an intriguing prospect itself, as Lord's will host an Ashes Test in 2023. Because of the high demand for such games, it has appeared that venues may continue to raise ticket prices. However, the MCC may need to reconsider the proportion with a greater focus on inclusiveness and to make the game more accessible. In the near term, the MCC has granted 2,000 more Under-16 tickets for the fourth day of the Test on Sunday (June 5). Those tickets will set you back £20. However, adult tickets are hard to get by for less than £100. So the most affordable option is £70.