2nd Test: NZ strong in their reply to England's 303
New Zealand will be the happier of the two teams in the second Test against England. After dismissing England for 303, the Kiwis have done a decent job with the bat as of now. Resuming the day on 258/7, England managed 45 runs more. Tom Latham-led New Zealand (229/3) saw Devon Conway and Will Young shine with the bat. Here's the Day 2 report.
Lawrence unbeaten on 81 as Boult ends England innings
England's Daniel Lawrence remained unbeaten on 81 as he ran out of partners at the other end. He added another 35 runs alongside Mark Wood in the first session to pile up a crucial 66-run stand. After Wood's dismissal, both Stuart Broad and James Anderson failed to offer any resistance. Trent Boult claimed two wickets today to finish with figures of 4/85.
122-run stand sees Conway and Young thwart England
Broad dismissed Latham early on in the Kiwi innings before it became one-way traffic. Last Test's double-centurion Conway, led the charge with a superb 80-run knock. He smashed 12 fours, facing 143 deliveries. He forged a valuable 122-run stand alongside Will Young for the second wicket. The two batsmen batted out the second session. This partnership took the steam away from England bowlers.
Williamson's replacement Young puts up a valiant fight
28-year-old batter Young was sensible in his approach. Playing just his third Test match, Young brought up a maiden fifty (82). He got off to a tentative start and was dropped on 7. However, he made sure NZ saw off the new ball. Once that was done, Young enjoyed more of himself, looking assured. He supported Conway and gave NZ the impetus.
England bowlers fail to impress on a collective basis
Broad and Anderson put up a commendable show. Broad claimed two wickets but Anderson wasn't rewarded for his hard work. Besides these two, the rest of the bowling unit lacked character. Olly Stone proved to be costly and Wood wasn't that effective. Root went on to bowl a few overs to highlight England were short. They missed the suspended Ollie Robinson to great extent.
Valuable stand for Young and Taylor after Conway's dismissal
Young went on to stitch a valuable 92-run stand alongside the veteran Ross Taylor. New Zealand were 137/2 when Taylor stepped in and the senior batter made sure he saw off the threat posed by Broad and Anderson to get a hold.
A special feat for Broad
With two wickets on Friday, Broad is now the sixth-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. The right-arm pacer surpassed Courtney Walsh's tally of 519 Test scalps. Broad has 520 career Test wickets under his belt.
