England were battling for survival after Mitchell Santner took three cheap wickets following a match-turning double-century by B.J. Watling in the first Test against New Zealand yesterday.
After New Zealand declared at 615-9 on day 4 in Mount Maunganui, England were 55-3 at stumps, needing a further 207 on the final day if they are to make the Black Caps bat again.
Watling swung the match firmly New Zealand’s way with his Test-best 205 and a record-breaking partnership with Santner, who scored a maiden century and then capped his remarkable day by taking three wickets for six runs.
Photo: AFP
“It’s not going to be easy to get seven wickets on that” pitch, Santner said.
“It’s nice to get some footies [footmarks] and the cracks are starting to open. It’s nice to see some spin now and hopefully get a roll tomorrow,” he said.
When New Zealand declared soon after Jofra Archer claimed Watling’s wicket, the 615 was their highest total against England, going past their 551-9 declared at Lord’s in 1973.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Watling faced 473 deliveries and hit 24 fours and a six during more than 11 remarkable hours of batting, which extended his unbroken time in the middle to 16 hours 16 minutes after he batted for 306 minutes to score an unbeaten 105 in his previous Test innings against Sri Lanka three months ago.
England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler blamed scoreboard pressure for the tourists’ predicament after they had held the upper hand when New Zealand were 197-5 before Watling’s marathon effort kept them in the field for a tiring 201 overs.
“That’s a big learning point for us. Just when you think you’re getting to the place you need to be, and doing the hard work, there’s a lot more hard work to come,” he said.
Photo: AP
“New Zealand played a very patient game with the bat and showed us how to play that patient game of batting on flat wickets and setting your sights high,” he said.
After more than two days in the field, much of it watching Watling and then Santner take the game away from them, England had an uncomfortable two hours batting with openers Dom Sibley (12) and Rory Burns (31), as well as nightwatchman Jack Leach (0) all falling to catches off Santner’s bowling.
Sibley’s wicket was the first by a New Zealand spinner on home soil since March last year, with 101 consecutive Test wickets in 11 innings in between having all fallen to seamers.
AUSTRALIA-PAKISTAN
AFP, BRISBANE, Australia
Australia went one up in their two-Test series against Pakistan when they won the first Test by an innings and five runs at the Gabba in Brisbane yesterday.
After beginning their second innings 340 runs behind Australia and then losing three cheap wickets in the afternoon session on Saturday, Pakistan put up stern resistance yesterday before succumbing late in the final session.
Babar Azam scored a magnificent century and Mohammad Rizwan fell five runs short of his first as Pakistan were dismissed for 335 late on the fourth day.
Leg-spinner Yasir Shah also made his highest Test score with a fighting 42 to allow Pakistan to head to the second Test in Adelaide with some momentum, despite the massive loss.
INDIA-BANGLADESH
AP, KOLKATA, India
India made light work of Bangladesh’s rearguard resistance to win the second Test by an innings and 46 runs yesterday and clinch a 2-0 series victory.
Umesh Yadav took 5-43, while Ishant Sharma finished with 4-55 for a match haul of nine wickets as the tourists were bowled out for 195 runs in just 8.4 overs on day 4 of the day-night Test.
Only Mushfiqur Rahim, 74, stalled India’s relentless push for their record seventh consecutive Test win.
Mahmudullah, who retired hurt on Saturday owing to a hamstring injury, did not bat again.
Bangladesh made 106 in their first innings, before India captain Virat Kohli scored 136 and then declared his team’s first innings at 347-9 for a lead of 241 runs.
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