Daryl Mitchell’s magnificent 190 gave New Zealand complete control of the second test against England on the second day at Trent Bridge. Mitchell’s hit, combined with 106 by Tom Blundell and 49 by debutant Michael Bracewell, led tourists to 553. It is the third highest total that England has ever conceded since the introduction of the opposition, and the largest in 33 years. Mitchell, who dropped to three on Friday, also benefited from being left at 104 by Matthew Potts. England lost Zak Crawley by just four, but recovered to 90-1, with Ollie Pope at 51 and Alex Lees 34. Mitchell reciprocated England’s generosity with two of his own drops in the first slip, one for Lee and Pope. England will start on Sunday 463 back, looking for a way to somehow maintain the 1-0 lead of the series.
New Zealand in cash
Potts drops Mitchell to 104 After their mistakes on the first day – they put New Zealand on a bat and then lost four catches – there was always the risk of forcing England to pay on Saturday. Once Mitchell and Blundell came into a morning burst with a second new ball that was just seven overs old, New Zealand took full advantage of the ideal batting conditions. There were early warning signs that England could lose the plot – Mitchell’s fall from Potts was bad, mistakes were made on the pitch and captain Ben Stokes only came in the bowl for almost 90 minutes a day. However, the hosts insisted on their task, exhausting various plans in the hope that they could finally find a way to overtake New Zealand. At one stage they were rewarded with three wickets in a space of seven balls. Even on such a level playing field, there was concern that England’s strike would collapse after their long tenure on the pitch – they have withered in similar conditions on many occasions in the recent past. If Mitchell had kept the catches, the hosts would have been in huge danger, but having nine stands in hand on the third morning gives them a chance to fight for a much safer place.
The wonderful Mitchell goes a long way
Mitchell might not have played in this series if Henry Nichols had not been eliminated from the first test, but he seized the opportunity for centuries on consecutive Saturdays. Blundell lost three figures to Lord’s, but made no mistake this time around, becoming the first New Zealand wicketkeeper to test 100 in England. From 318-4 overnight, with Mitchell continuing at 81 and Blundell at 67, they extended their partnership to fifth wicket to 236 – a New Zealand record for all players. They were both determined to attack spinner Jack Leach. Mitchell raised his score to six to four with two hits in the long run, where he also fell to Pots. Blundell completed his hundredth of the same scorer before being misled in the middle of the game. Mitchell then added 91 with the confident Bracewell, with the scoreboard rattling after lunch. With the players scattered everywhere, only when Briswell hit James Anderson to slip did England have an opening. Mitchell was the last, chasing a wide one from Potts as he closed a double century. He left with the highest score of the first division, congratulations from the players of England and the fame of the world of Trent Bridge.
England begins the long way back
Broad gets two wickets in an over If the Potts fall, it’s hard to imagine what England could have done differently, given the situation they found themselves in earlier in the day. Left-back Leach struggled again to respond to the New Zealand attack, but at least won his first golf in 1,000 days. Broad, playing the day after the pub’s own serious damage from a fire, took the wickets of Kyle Jamieson and Tim Southee to make up for the two catches he lost from bowling on Friday. Crawley’s disturbing habit of being left behind continued when he stuck Trent Boult, but Lees and Pope combined beautiful shots with moments of luck in their stands 84. Lees was 12 when Mitchell took a lead over Southee, leaving his left-hander leading nicely to the top of the Test standings. Pope made two sixes – one at the top – before hitting Bullt at 37 and falling into what should have been Blundell goalkeeper. Just in his third innings in his new position at number three, Pope moved to half a century of 66 balls, his first for England since last September. The champion of England, Crawley out for four
“The pressure is on Crawley” – what they said
New Zealand Daryl Mitchell on Test Test the individual achievement but also to help the boys get out “. England coach Markus Trescothik, in the special test of the match: “We hope for a great first match score. The strange case of getting the ball in the right area does little. You have to work hard even though you feel good. You can be challenged if you do not. concentrate. “We have to go back tomorrow and do what we did tonight.” Former England boss Michael Vaughan says of Jacques Crawley: “The pressure is on him. I think he can play – he has a future in terms of testing, but he needs a score. “He will know in his mind that he needs to run fast enough. “He will see the series, but he has three appearances left and I think in these periods he may need a decent number with his name on it.”
