MOUNT MAUNGANUI: England’s Stuart Broad razed New Zealand’s top order in a dazzling spell under the Bay Oval lights to leave the hosts reeling on 63-5 at stumps on day three of the first Test on Saturday, 331 runs shy of their unlikely victory target.
England had earlier ridden half centuries from Joe Root, Harry Brook and Ben Foakes to reach 374 all out in their second innings and set the Black Caps a mammoth 394 to win.
Seamer Broad (4-21) drove home the advantage in stunning fashion by bowling Devon Conway, Kane Williamson and Tom Latham through the gate in short order before returning to remove first innings centurion Tom Blundell for 15 in the same style.
Ollie Robinson chipped in with the wicket of Henry Nicholls for seven and Daryl Mitchell (13 not out) and Michael Bracewell (25 not out) will resume on Sunday with two days of the match stretching out in front of them.
“It’s just a different pitch to bowl with in the lights,” Broad told reporters. “It nips pretty quickly under lights and I found a really good rhythm. You go into a rhythm of not over-complicating, not thinking too much.
“I was looking to bowl the same ball, whoever I was bowling against and getting a wicket early just settles me. Once I got Conway, I felt it could really be my day. Hopefully we can have a good first hour tomorrow and get moving.”
With fine weather forecast for the last two days, England should march to their first win on New Zealand soil since 2008, having drawn five and lost two of the seven Tests since.
Resuming at 79-2, they plundered 158 runs in the first two hours before wicketkeeper Foakes’ controlled 51 slowed the pace of the attack.
Ollie Pope scored 49, Root 57 and Brook 54, all unfurling the sort of fearless batting that has become an England hallmark under the “Bazball” attacking methods adopted when coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes took charge last year.
Stokes contributed a lusty 31, in the process overtaking McCullum as the outright record holder for the most sixes struck in Test cricket.
He hoisted the 108th six of his career when hooking seamer Scott Kuggeleijn over fine leg. Stoke hit one more six before being stumped off spinner Michael Bracewell (3-68).
Most other England wickets fell when taking risks, with Root’s dismissal the most blatant. He was caught in the slips after mistiming a reverse sweep for the second time in the match.
New Zealand’s Neil Wagner was targeted ruthlessly, at one stage recording figures of 2-104 — the most runs any bowler has conceded from their first 11 overs of an innings in Test history.
Wagner paid a heavy price for persisting with short-pitched bowling, conceding 12 fours and six sixes, the vast majority through cross-batted shots.
Brook and Root put on 81 for the fifth wicket in less than 11 overs before Brook was caught behind off seamer Blair Tickner (3-55).
England would perhaps have hoped for a couple of wickets in the final session but Broad had other ideas and his magical spell put them within touching distance of a 10th win in 11 Tests under McCullum.
“You have to pick yourself up pretty quickly and go again tomorrow,” said Bracewell. “If we can get a couple of partnerships together, we can make a fist of this total.” Scoreboard
ENGLAND (1st Innings) 325-9 declared
NEW ZEALAND (1st innings) 306
ENGLAND (2nd Innings, overnight 79-2):
Z. Crawley c Blundell b Kuggeleijn 28
B. Duckett c Latham b Tickner 25
O. Pope c Blundell b Wagner 49
S. Broad c Nicholls b Wagner 7
J. Root c Mitchell b Bracewell 57
H. Brook c Mitchell b Tickner 54
B. Foakes c Blundell b Tickner 51
B. Stokes st Blundell b Bracewell 31
O. Robinson c Nicholls b Kuggeleijn 39
J. Leach st Blundell b Bracewell 12
J. Anderson not out 6
EXTRAS (B-5, LB-6, NB-2, W-2) 15
TOTAL (all out, 73.5 overs) 374
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-52 (Duckett), 2-68 (Crawley), 3-82 (Broad), 4-144 (Pope), 5-225 (Brook), 6-237 (Root), 7-293 (Stokes), 8-335 (Foakes), 9-358 (Robinson), 10-374 (Leach).
BOWLING: Southee 15-2-49-0, Wagner 13-0-110-2 (1nb), Tickner 12-0-55-3 (1nb), Kuggeleijn 14-1-81-2 (2w), Bracewell 19.5-2-68-3.
NEW ZEALAND (2nd Innings):
T. Latham b Broad 15
D. Conway b Broad 2
K. Williamson b Broad 0
H. Nicholls c Foakes b Robinson 7
D. Mitchell not out 13
T. Blundell b Broad 1
M. Bracewell not out 25
EXTRAS 0
TOTAL (for five wkts, 23 overs) 63
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-14 (Conway), 2-14 (Williamson), 3-19 (Latham), 4-27 (Nicholls), 5-28 (Blundell).
TO BAT: S. Kuggeleijn, T. Southee, N. Wagner, B. Tickner.
BOWLING: Anderson 3-1-3-0, Broad 10-5-21-4, Robinson 8-0-34-1, Leach 1-0-5-0, Root 1-1-0-0.
