Harry Brook's record-breaking 171 against NZ: A look at records
England's Harry Brook has etched his name in cricket history with a phenomenal 171 in the first Test match against New Zealand. Brook achieved the milestone at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, where he now holds the record for the highest individual Test score by a visiting batter. He broke the previous records of Joe Burns (Australia) and Dimuth Karunaratne (Sri Lanka).
Brook's score ranks 5th highest at Hagley Oval
As per ESPNcricinfo, Brook's 171 also puts him fifth on the list of highest individual scores at Hagley Oval in Tests. The list is dominated by New Zealand players, including Tom Latham (252 and 176), Kane Williamson (238), and Brendon McCullum (195). As mentioned, Brook now also owns the highest individual Test score by a visiting batter in Christchurch. He went past Burns, who scored 170 in 2016, and Karunaratne, who played a 152-run knock here in 2014.
England's 1st innings total falls short of record
Apart from Brook's individual brilliance, England's first innings score was also impressive. The team scored 499/10, just six runs short of the highest score for a visiting team at Hagley Oval. The record is currently held by Australia, who scored 505/10 in 2016. Despite falling short, England's performance still stands second on this list.
Brook's century: A display of skill and strategy
Brook, who rescued England from an early collapse, brought up his century in only 123 balls. He stitched a solid 151-run partnership with Ollie Pope (77) before joining forces with Ben Stokes (80). This is Brook's third century this year, having scored against West Indies and Pakistan earlier. England, who were 71/4 at one stage finished at 499/10 thanks to Brook. Notably, NZ managed 348/10 batting first.
Brook joins elite group with 2,000 Test runs
Brook has now entered an elite list of cricketers who have scored 2,000 Test runs in just 36 innings. He is now the second-fastest Englishman to this mark. Brook now shares the list with cricketing greats Vivian Richards, Arthur Morris, Everton Weekes, and Frank Worrell. Among Englishman, Brook is only behind Herbert Sutcliffe, who completed 2,000 Test runs in 33 innings.
Incredible numbers of Brook
Brook smoked 15 fours and three sixes en route to his 197-ball 171. In 22 Tests, the English batter now has 2,102 runs at an incredible average of 60.05. His tally includes nine half-centuries besides seven tons. It is worth noting that Brook averages 100 against New Zealand, having scored 500 runs. This includes four fifty-plus scores in five innings, including two tons.
Do you know?
With his latest century, Brook equaled legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's record for most Test centuries in New Zealand. Both players now have two centuries each on Kiwi soil. Only two other English cricketers have more than two Test tons in NZ.
