England at New Zealand

CRR: 6.95. Batting, R(B), 4s, 6s, SR. Ben Duckett*, 53(36), 10, 0, 147.22. Ollie Pope, 12(17), 2, 0, 70.59. Bowling, O, M, R, W. Tim Southee*, 5.3, 0, 28, 1.

The fielder in the deep runs across and dives to his right but to no avail No bounce to trouble the batsman and Duckett punishes. Hangs back in his crease, waits for the ball and scythes it backward of square on the off-side. 15.5Kuggeleijn to Duckett, FOUR, 135.2kph, Duckett expects a short ball. Came off the meat of the bat Short again, slightly more lift on this occasion and Duckett hammers the pull in front of square.

New Zealand vs England 1st Test Day 1 LIVE: Tourists look to post over 300 runs in the first innings.

( [LIVE Scorecard](https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/live-commentary/new-zealand-vs-england-1st-test-mount-maunganui-nzen02162023213912)) [Tim Southee](https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/players/1032-tim-southee-playerprofile) has been New Zealand's most dangerous bowler, picking 2 wickets so far. [Ben Duckett](https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/players/63527-ben-matthew-duckett-playerprofile) and Ollie Pope provided England as solid start on Day 1 of the first Test against New Zealand as [Ben Stokes](https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/players/1434-ben-stokes-playerprofile)' men kicked-off the tour Down Under on Thursday.

And yet, the startling speed of Duckett's and Brook's innings were such that England had already posted more runs in two sessions than most teams would usually ...

If there is occasionally a sense that England are in danger of over-reaching themselves with this bold new attitude, it had been heightened one over prior to Root's dismissal, when Ollie Pope - quietly in control of his own tempo on 42 from 65 balls - was undone by arguably the first spell of sustained pressure that New Zealand managed all day. Instead, having posted a 36-ball fifty - the fastest by an England Test opener - he climbed through one too many drives and picked out Michael Bracewell in the covers to hand Tickner his maiden wicket. A remarkable 62 of Brook's runs came in boundaries - 14 fours, the majority scorched through point, and one towering six down the ground off Tim Southee as he turned on the style late in the session, with the floodlights beginning to kick in. And though both men endured some rough treatment, most particularly from Duckett in the first session and Brook in the second, they also chipped in with a maiden wicket apiece as England's attacking ambitions got the better of a succession of free-flowing batters. England by that stage had romped along to a typically freestyle 325 for 9, at a rate of 5.77 an over, and with arguably only Ollie Pope the victim of anything that could conventionally be described as old-school bowling "pressure". Ollie Robinson - already regarded by his team-mates as the equal of his seniors James Anderson and Stuart Broad - wasn't kept waiting long to live up to his heightened status.

'New peak for Bazball': Poms stun cricket again with Root's wild exit, day 1 declaration.

(England in 1939 declared 55.2 overs into a Test but it was in the era of 8-ball overs.) Southee, leading his country at home for the first time, put the tourists in to bat with the hope of exploiting the pink ball’s swing on a green-tinged pitch that had been covered for days because of Cyclone Gabrielle. He fell short, for now, of becoming just the second England batsman after Ken Barrington in the 1960s to hit centuries in four consecutive Tests.

New Zealand were in trouble at 37 for three at stumps in reply to England's declared first innings total of 325 for nine at Bay Oval, with seven wickets ...

His partnership with wicketkeeper Ben Foakes (38) ensured England racked up another 145 runs in the second session, smacking down the hosts after they had rallied with three wickets. The 23-year-old Yorkshireman has now racked up an astonishing 569 runs, including three centuries, in his seven innings in test cricket. Umpire Aleem Dar ignored the lbw appeal but it was confirmed on review. Duckett and Pope got England off to a rollicking start, the tourists smashing 134 in the first session for the loss of only Crawley (4) and Joe Root (14). Quick-fire half-centuries by Ben Duckett (84) and Harry Brook (89) took the wind out of the hosts’ sails and set the platform for a sporting declaration by Ben Stokes. Tim Southee won the toss and sent England in to bat on a green-tinged wicket but the home captain may have rued the call at the end of the night with his team trailing by 288 runs.

New Zealand vs England: are there highlights available for cricket match? How to watch on UK TV, start-times. England declared on 325 on the first day of play ...

Jacob Duffy has been added in his place. England’s two Test matches against New Zealand will be available to watch on BT Sport. Ben Stokes and Tim Southee will meet again on Thursday 23 February for another five-day Test with play starting at 10pm GMT (11am local time). The first Test match started on Wednesday 15 February with play beginning at 1am GMT. A moment’s silence was also observed for those currently affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. Harry Brook top scored with 89 runs off 81 balls while Ben Duckett backed this up with 84 off just 68 balls and England rushed to score 325 after nearly 60 overs before they took the bold decision to declare.

PAUL NEWMAN IN MOUNT MAUNGANUI: This was an action-packed day of Test cricket to launch this series as 'Bazball' came to McCullum's home land.

How time has changed and how exciting this series already looks like being for England. After today Duckett can look forward to an Ashes summer. Ben Duckett has made a highly successful return to the England Test side but needs to impress in this two-Test series to make sure he is not the player to make way when Bairstow returns this summer. But what a player England have in the 23-year-old, who made centuries in each of their three victories in Pakistan before Christmas, and how he took New Zealand's weakened attack to task yesterday. And at the centre of it was a batter who has made such a spectacular start to his England career he already seems destined to break a mountain of records in all formats. First he became the latest England batter to challenge one of the oldest records in the book when it seemed he would reach three figures in fewer than the 76 deliveries Gilbert Jessop took to make a hundred against Australia at the Oval in 1902.

The declaration after only 58.2 overs and with 85 minutes left in the day gave the bowlers time to fortify England's position and they did so with the ...

New Zealand's hopes rose a little when they dismissed Pope and Joe Root in the space of four balls and suddenly England was 154-4. The England tail went all out in pursuit of quick runs and after Brook, three wickets were lost for 27 runs amid an array or reckless shots. While Duckett played a broad variety of shots, most of Brooks' runs came on the off side in a wide arc between third man and mid-off. Duckett had his fifth half century in eight tests from 36 balls and before the first hour was up. New Zealand had two fast bowlers on debut — Blair Tickner and Scott Kuggeleijn — and both struggled under Duckett's early assault which included 14 fours. Devon Conway (19) held on to stumps when New Zealand was 37-3.

England started the first Test with an opening-day declaration as they look to end their long wait for a series win in New Zealand.

The Test will also be shown live on BT Sport. [online](https://talksport.com/sport/cricket/1330569/new-zealand-v-england-live-commentary-stream-team-news-ball-by-ball-coverage-start-time-toss-stokes-mccullum/). [here](https://www.bt.com/sport/watch/tv-guide). I imagine Ben Stokes will be saying to Joe Root tonight, ‘still play the reverse sweep because that’s what we want.’ [online](https://www.bt.com/sport/watch). [series win in Pakistan](https://inews.co.uk/sport/cricket/pakistan-vs-england-3rd-test-review-ben-stokes-inspires-whitewash-live-long-in-memory-2038797?ico=in-line_link), the next task for England is ending their [poor run of form](https://inews.co.uk/sport/cricket/new-zealand-england-first-test-start-time-how-watch-uk-2147255?ico=in-line_link) in both New Zealand and pink-ball Tests.

Scott Kuggeleijn to Ben Duckett. Length ball, down leg side on the back foot pushing, to gully for no runs, fielded by Nicholls.

Length ball, off stump on the front foot driving, mis-timed to short extra cover, caught by Bracewell. Back of a length, to leg on the back foot pulling, well timed past deep mid wicket for 4 runs. Neil Wagner to Ben Duckett. Scott Kuggeleijn to Ben Duckett. Blair Tickner to Ollie Pope. Blair Tickner to Ben Duckett. No ball Neil Wagner to Joe Root. Neil Wagner to Joe Root. Neil Wagner to Ollie Pope. No ball Neil Wagner to Ollie Pope. Michael Bracewell to Joe Root. Do join us for the next session in another 20 minutes.

England, who have won 9 out of their last 10 Tests, are bidding to win their first test series in New Zealand since 2008.

It was a streaky innings by the England captain, who was caught in close for 19 with a botched pull-shot as debutant Scott Kuggeleijn celebrated his first test wicket. Joe Root was gone for 14 in the next over off Neil Wagner with a botched ramp shot that caught the bottom edge on the way to Daryl Mitchell, who dived low for a fine catch. New Zealand needed someone to step up after a wayward first session and it was captain Southee who delivered, having Ollie Pope edge to Tom Latham in the slips to be out for 42.

Over-by-over report: Join our writers for updates from the second day of play at the Bay Oval.

Instead they were their usual aggressive selves yesterday, then forced that home with a confrontational declaration, meaning New Zealand have a lot to do today to stay in the contest. “A good watch even at three o’clock in the morning,” says Alastair Cook of the Testvangelists. But nah, having an excuse to sit up and discuss crisps on the internet is a blessing, even if I’m done at 4.20, up at eight to do radio, then enjoying the final day of half-term while cooking for It’s like being told the Quavers aren’t Quavers, they’re manna, and they don’t taste of salt n’ vinegar, they taste of anything you want them to, which is the best flavour ever, that you haven’t had yet, that makes you see the world with different eyes and experience it with different soul whenever you’re lucky enough to see it cooking. If England are going to play this kind of cricket, the least I can do is support them with requisite calorie-consumption. 21st over: New Zealand 57-3 (Conway 29, Wagner 11) “Oh no!” laments Wagner as he swipes uppishly, but he has Robinson lumbering around the rope to save two, then he takes two more also into the on side. It’s a funny thing really, I remember Alex Ferguson saying towards the end of his career that when you’d been around as long as he had, there was always a record on the horizon, and Branderson are on 999 combined Test wickets, two behind the 1001 set by McGrwarne. Ran into a barmy army bloke at Mount Hot pools today about to walk up the mount before the Test, if you’re reading this, i hope you made it up and down and found the beer van to hydrate after your tramp! “Gday Danny,” begins Niall Allen, who doesn’t know that I went through a phase, aged about eight, telling people to call me that and now I’m 43, my mates still like calling me it to remind me of my behaviour. Then Wagner swipes around the corner and picks out Leach, who has four goes at taking the catch before he finally snaffles, then just as England are pulling out the George Peppard cigars to love it when a plan comes together, out comes the umpire’s right hand to signal no ball. I’ve never been able to decide whether, when I make my d’boo, I’ll wear a cap because it’s traditional, or a sunhat like SJ, because Warne and the West Indians of my childhood did. 26th over: New Zealand 82-4 (Conway 37, Mitchell 0) Anderson’s bowled tightly this morning, but hasn’t looked as threatening as Broad, and Conway comes down to his fourth delivery, looking to mess with his line by shimmying towards the bowler.