Harry Brook praised his 123 on the first day of the second Test match against New Zealand in Wellington, surpassing his 317 against Pakistan two months prior, as the finest of his eight Test hundreds.
At the Basin Reserve, England is in control thanks to Brook’s 115-ball innings, which included his second-fastest century in Test cricket (91), while New Zealand finished at 86 for 5, 198 behind the tourists’ opening 280. After Joe Root fell, the 25-year-old came in at 26 for 3 and unleashed some daring strokes, including a six that knocked Nathan Smith out of the ground for the first of three over extra cover.
On a pitch that was seaming wildly, it started off as a counterattack. After being dropped five times for his 171 in the first Test last week, Brook had no chance at all until Smith ran him out on the stroke of tea after some sloppy jogging.
Following Graham Gooch’s 333 against India in 1990, he achieved England’s first triple-centurion in 34 years with the historic score against Pakistan in the first Test match at Multan in October.
According to Brook, “I think that might be my favourite hundred so far,” at stumps. “I really liked that.
“It was just the situation; when I entered, the pitch was doing a lot and it was 26 for 3.
It’s clear that Multan’s pitch was incredibly flat. The outfield was so quick that it would go for four, and you could absolutely rely on it. Given the circumstances of the match, the field, and my style of play, I felt as though I was putting them under a lot of strain.
It’s a quite unique sensation. The majority of the balls exited the bat in the center. Being able to bat like that feels amazing.
After his 171 in the opening Test of this series, Brook rose to No. 2 on the ICC Test batting rankings two days ago, trailing colleague Root, who was removed for only three here.
“He’s a crop of that new, young cricketers – those world-class ones; him, Rachin, the guy from India (Yashasvi Jaiswal),” stated Smith. “You placed them men in the same group. He’s up there, world class.”
With this, Brook reached his seventh century abroad, raising his away average from 10 Test matches to 91.50. He hasn’t played in India or Australia yet, although he has played in Pakistan six times and New Zealand four times.
“I’ve only played in two countries – if I go to another it might change,” Brook stated. “Pakistani pitches are often excellent for batting.
Brydon Carse, the best bowler for England with 2 for 28, including the removal of Kane Williamson, was also signaled out by Brook. After bowling Williamson for 20 with a no-ball, he made apologies by hitting Ollie Pope for 37 with a delivery that eluded the renowned Black Cap. Late in the day, Carse confirmed England’s lead heading into day two by catching Daryl Mitchell with a lifter down the leg side.
“I think the ball after he got the no-ball wicket was 92/93mph,” Brook stated. “He was quite irate. He is the kind of guy that every team needs; he can come out with the bat and crush his first ball for four runs, dive and make that incredible catch, and bowl at 90 mph. Root is an incredibly excellent man and a great addition to us.
