Kane Williamson Leads New Zealand to Massive Lead as England Struggles
Kane Williamson scored a masterful 156 that helped New Zealand build a huge lead over England on the third day of the Hamilton Test. Now, at a precarious 18 for 2 in their second inning, England needs 640 runs to avoid an outright defeat.
A Day of Highs and Lows
It was a balanced start for both sides, but Rain had better plans for the day. Rain completely washed out the entire morning session, delaying play until the afternoon. More misery for England, as their skipper Ben Stokes pulled up mid-over with a hamstring injury that took him from the field. Ollie Pope came in place of the skipper, but the visiting side was not able to hold New Zealand’s spree.
Stokes’ absence dealt a big blow, especially with England’s bowlers already tired from being a bowler short. However, the situation turned bizarre when the captain handed the ball to Harry Brook. Brook had bowled only 14 overs in Test cricket before this game, and he delivered two overs with the new ball, which amused spectators but didn’t help England’s cause.
Williamson Batting Clinic
Resuming on 136 for 3, Williamson anchored New Zealand’s innings with his usual calm and precision. He built crucial partnerships with Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell, adding 107 and 92 runs for the fourth and fifth wickets, respectively.
Kane Williamson brought up his 33rd Test century in style by hitting a six down the ground and then celebrating his 150 with a glorious drive over extra cover. His innings were a mix of elegance and grit, with 204 balls as well as many smart strokes.
England had the opportunity to get rid of Williamson but was unable to seize it. Brydon Carse nearly got him LBW on 73 when the ball only just clipped the top of the stumps on the umpire’s call. Then, he dropped him on 86 from Stokes, and Harry Brook also misread a catch at slip when Williamson was on 106.
Despite such lapses, Williamson was finally out for 156, top-edging a sweep off Shoaib Bashir to a deep backward square leg.
Williamson, Ravindra, Mitchell, and Santner Add to England’s Misery
Ravindra made a solid knock of 44 before falling to a leading edge off Matthew Potts. Mitchell emulated Williamson, making 60 off 84 balls with some clean hitting against an attack from England that was getting a little jaded.
Mitchell Santner came in next, hammering five sixes to make 49 off 38 balls. But the crowd, by and large, was reserved for their noisiest ovation of all for retiring captain Tim Southee, who came in at No. 10. The fans wanted Southee to hit two sixes to become only the second player in Test history with 100 sixes. And, yes, he was attempting a big shot off Jacob Bethell, and it got caught.
England’s Response: A Nightmare Start
New Zealand declared their innings at 453, setting up a target of 658 that was massive for England. Right from the word go in his very first over, Tim Southee went for the batsman with the ball; he had Ben Duckett falling to one. Matt Henry then had an LBW against Zak Crawley, meaning he now has him out six times in this series.
At stumps, England had been 18 for 2. Harry Brook and Joe Root remained in the middle. They still require 640 runs to win—a near-impossible task on a pitch offering assistance to both seamers and spinners.
The Road Ahead
The middle order is where England’s hopes now lie, but with Root and Brook under such pressure, it doesn’t look too promising that this game can be saved. New Zealand, on the other hand, has been almost close to perfection so far, with both their batters and bowlers firing in tandem.
In the last two days, England should dig deep to avoid this match from becoming a crushing defeat, and New Zealand can look to wrap up this match and seal a rather memorable win.
