An inspired and unbeaten knock of 132 from Harry Brook helped put England in the ascendancy on the second day of the first Test at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
With New Zealand's first innings having been wrapped up at 348 all out, the tourists had their fair share of luck while at the crease with six dropped catches from the hosts at various points throughout the day.
Despite that, England managed to finish on 319-5 at stumps.
Of those drops, four were for Brook, without whom England would surely be facing a comprehensive defeat.
It had been a salvage job from the 25-year-old, who put on a fifth-wicket partnership of 151 runs with Ollie Pope (77) before the latter was caught brilliantly by a flying Glenn Phillips at gully.
At the nadir of their innings and prior to the aforementioned partnership, England had been 71-4 thanks to some excellent New Zealand bowling, with Jacob Bethell making just 10 on his Test debut.
Following Pope's dismissal, England captain Ben Stokes came in to bat in the city of his birth. He put on an unbroken stand of 97 runs with Brook, making 37 himself and looked closer to his best.
Stokes, though, was one of three who was dropped by New Zealand captain Tom Latham while on 30 runs.
Speaking about the missed opportunities during England's innings, New Zealand's Nathan Smith was not too downhearted.
"We judge ourselves off the chances we create and we created enough out there," he told TNT Sports.
"I think a couple of catches going to hand there, it's a completely different story. But they got a couple of good partnerships and we just need to break them with the new ball tomorrow.
"The bounce is there and when the ball is a bit newer, there is some nice seam movement as well. It's just about trying to control the run rate, which is tough against these guys with the old ball.
"We probably got it a little bit wrong going wide to Brook, but I thought we brought it back nicely at the end there."
Data debrief: Brilliant Brook reaches new heights
Brook's132 brought his away-from-home batting average to 93, which puts him second in the all-time list behind Don Bradman.
The score accrued during his innings also means that he now has over 2,000 Test runs.
Brook has clocked up that total in just 36 innings, putting him eighth on the all-time quickest list to have reached 2,000 runs.
Rutherford’s 46* in vain as Perera smashes 74* to lead New York Strikers to nine-wicket win over Northern Warriors
Sherfane Rutherford’s 17-ball 46* was in vain as his Northern Warriors were defeated by nine wickets by the New York Strikers in Abu Dhabi T10 action at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Rutherford hit two fours and five sixes to help the Warriors post 111-3 from their 10 overs after being put in to bat by the Strikers.
Finn Allen provided a good foundation for Rutherford’s late blitz with his 30 off 15 balls at the top of the innings.
The Strikers bowling was led by Sunil Narine’s 2-16 from two overs.
Sri Lankan Kusal Perera then put the Warriors bowlers to the sword on his way to 74* off just 27 balls to lead the Strikers to victory, hitting six fours and seven sixes as New York reached 112-1 off just eight overs.
Asif Ali made 21* in support of Perera.
Azmatullah Omarzai took 1-13 from two overs in the midst of the carnage.
The Strikers now have three wins and three losses from their six games and find themselves fifth on the points standings with six points.
“We’re not finished yet”- Da Silva calls for consistency as Windies look for first home Test series win since 2022
The West Indies have not won a home Test series since 2022 when they defeated Bangladesh 2-0, producing a pair of dominant seven and ten wicket wins at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium and the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, respectively.
Two years later, the regional side will have an opportunity to replicate that score line when they take on the same opponent in the second Test beginning on Saturday at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica.
The West Indies will, no doubt, be confident heading into this game after a dominant 201-run win in the first Test last week.
With that in mind, the team will need to exercise killer instinct to defeat a gritty Bangladesh side who will be looking to avoid a third series defeat in a row after losses to India and South Africa in September and October.
Vice-captain and wicket-keeper/batsman Joshua Da Silva shared these sentiments upon his arrival to the island ahead of the second Test.
“Coming here 1-0 up in the series, it’s always a good feeling but we’re not finished yet. We’re looking to make that 2-0 and win the series,” Da Silva said.
The first Test was a trip down memory lane for fans of West Indies cricket as the hosts used a barrage of pace to trouble the Bangladeshi batsmen. With no specialist spinner in the line-up, the majority of the wickets came from Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph and Jayden Seales with Justin Greaves also getting in on the action.
“Raw pace and talent,” Da Silva said describing what fans can expect if the same bowling attack in fielded on Saturday.
“Led very well by Kemar (Roach) and Alzarri (Joseph). We also have the newcomers like Shamar (Joseph) and Jayden (Seales) who’s bene around for some time now but is still learning his craft. The pace is there and you can see the fear that they put into the batsmen. It’s about using that advantage that we have and hopefully that’s a reason we make it 2-0,” he added.
Individually, Da Silva will be hoping this trip to Jamaica is similar to his last when he captained the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force against the Jamaica Scorpions in the West Indies Championship in April.
Da Silva made 106 off 140 balls and helped the Red Force defeat the Scorpions by an innings and 125 runs.
“It’s always nice to be in Jamaica. Last time I was here I got a First Class hundred so hopefully that form can continue,” he said.
With scores of 5, 1, 2*, 4, 27, 14 and 22 in his last seven Test innings, Da Silva will be hoping for a repeat of that performance against the Scorpions.
The West Indies got a commanding score of 450-9 declared in the first innings of the first Test but were bowled out for 152 in the second innings.
Heading into this game, Da Silva has called for more consistency from the batting unit, himself included, this time around.
“The first innings we got 450 which was the goal. You cannot bat well all the time but at the end of the day we just need to be consistent. I think that’s what the batsmen need to do, myself included. As a batting group, we have some young batsmen in the middle order. Guys with less than 10 Test matches or coming up on 10 so, for us, it’s about learning to be consistent and getting those 300-400 scores,” he said.
“We know we’re going to get the wickets. It’s just for the batsmen to put on the totals for them. I’m not worried about it. I believe we have the talent it’s just about the boys finding their feet and I’m confident we’ll get the job done,” he added.
Sterling-Humphrey, Fowler-Nembhard bask in Horizon series win as Sunshine Girls poised to climb rankings
The Sunshine Girls are still basking in their 2-1 triumph over England in the Horizon Netball Series as it marked a crucial step forward for Jamaican netball, providing a boost in confidence and setting the tone for the team’s preparations for the South Africa series in January.
Bolstered by an electric home crowd at the National Indoor Sports Centre, the Sunshine Girls closed the series on Tuesday with back-to-back 50-49 and 61-53 victories. This, after a 49-49 draw to start the series, while England won the second contest 55-47 at the AO Arena in Manchester.
By virtue of the series win, the fourth-ranked Jamaicans are poised to inch up the rankings. As of October 6, they had 187 rating points, behind Australia (209), England (189), and New Zealand (188). South Africa is fifth with 158 rating points.
Since that release, New Zealand topped Australia 3-1 in a four-match series, and the Sunshine Girls have now topped England.
Shamera Sterling-Humphrey in action.
Regardless of whether they move or not, the Horizon series victory was especially sweet for stand-in captain Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, who stepped into the leadership role with star shooter and regular captain Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard sidelined due to injury.
Sterling-Humphrey’s commanding defensive play, alongside Latanya Wilson and Jodi-Ann Ward, proved instrumental in securing the result, earning her both Player of the Game honours in Monday’s penultimate contest and the Player of the Series award.
After subpar performances in the opening two games, Sterling-Humphrey approached the home leg of the series with renewed vigor and determination.
“For me, I didn’t play anything in the first two Test games in England, so I made sure that I came here and stamped my ground. I always want to turn up for my games and my team,” Sterling-Humphrey told SportsMax.TV.
The local crowd, which roared its support throughout the series, left a lasting impression on the captain as she also highlighted the significance of the series in their build up to the 2027 World Cup in Australia.
“It means a lot. This just shows that once we’re getting those international games in, we will be better. The fact that we haven’t played any Test matches in such a long time probably explains why we fell short at the World Cup. But it’s good to be getting this exposure now, and with the Horizon Series locked in for the next four years, it’s great preparation for us heading into the next World Cup,” the outstanding defender reasoned.
Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard shares a photo opportunity with a fan.
That said, the 29-year-old expressed optimism about the team’s readiness for the upcoming January 18-25 South Africa series, where another win would certainly help their rise up the rankings.
“We’re always up and ready for the challenge. Winning gives us a lot of confidence, but even if we had lost, it wouldn’t have shaken our belief. But it’s good to head into the South Africa series with wins under our belt, and we’ll definitely be ready for them,” the bubbly Sterling-Humphrey noted.
Meanwhile, though Fowler-Nembhard missed the series due to injury, her pride and encouragement for her teammates were unwavering as she watched from the sidelines, deeply connected to the action.
“I reckon I played the full 60 minutes with them from the sidelines,” she joked.
“They played really well, and I’m super proud of their performance. This series was very important because we get a limited number of international games throughout the year, so winning this one and performing the way we did is a big deal, especially coming off the World Cup,” Fowler-Nembhard shared.
The series also highlighted the depth and versatility of the Sunshine Girls, which Fowler-Nembhard sees as a promising sign for the future.
Latanya Wilson intercepts an England pass.
“It just shows the depth we have and the hunger of the players to represent. They want to play hard and go out there for Jamaica, so I’m looking forward to seeing what this team does in the South Africa series,” the towering shooter beamed.
Fowler-Nembhard also credited the home crowd for their unwavering support, which she described as a game-changer.
“The crowd was amazing; they came out for us and showed up as the eighth player on the court. It’s so exciting to see this level of support for netball in Jamaica. I’ve just been out for a little bit, but look out for me soon,” she declared.
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