New Zealand v England: first men’s cricket Test, day two – live | New Zealand v England 2024

40th over: England 174-4 (Brook 54, Pope 59) Glenn Phillips, an occasional offspinner who shouldn’t really be called an occasional offspinner because have you seen his recent record, is given the final over before tea. It’s an uneventful affair, with Pope and Brook collecting three singles to complete a breathless session.

England scored 129 in 26.3 overs for the loss of Ben Duckett. Brook and Pope needed plenty of luck – Brook was dropped twice – but they deserved plenty of it for having the courage and skill to counter-attack in bowler-friendly conditions. Most England teams of my lifetime would be 120 for 6 at tea, not 174 for 4.

Pope was particularly good and looks more natural at No5 or 6. Over the course of this series he could become one of the few batters in Test history to earn a demotion through weight of runs.

40th over: England 171-4 (Brook 53, Pope 57) Pope turns O’Rourke for a single to bring up a vital, potentially game-changing half-century from 59 balls. It’s been streaky at times, sure, but it has also showcased some of Pope’s best qualities.

It’s been a busy, selfless and relentlessly positive innings – and it continues with a deliberate uppercut for four later in the over. There were two men out behind square but he bisected them perfectly. A thump through extra cover for three brings up the hundred partnership from 112 balls. For an England fan, it’s been the cricket-watching equivalent of a ride on the Big Dipper.

39th over: England 162-4 (Brook 52, Pope 49) Pope plays across the line at Henry and is hit on the flap of the pad. New Zealand plead unsuccessfully for LBW, then barely discuss a review when Rod Tucker turns them down. Too high? Yes, but not by much – it would have been umpire’s call.

Another turbulent over ends with Brook flashing an edge just short of gully.

38th over: England 158-4 (Brook 51, Pope 48) Will O’Rourke replaces Smith and will have time for a couple of overs before tea. He has a bob each way, with two slips and two men out for the hook. Everything knows the short ball is coming – and when it does Brook whirls a pull to long leg for six to bring up his half-century. It’s been a vital innings: 65 balls, five fours, two sixes. Oh and two dropped catches, which may come back to bite New Zealand somewhere intimate and painful.

37th over: England 151-4 (Brook 45, Pope 47) Pope overtakes Brook, who had an 18-runs start, by edging/steering Henry through the slips at catchable height for four.

36th over: England 146-4 (Brook 45, Pope 42) Pope jumps all over a short ball from Smith, pulling for four with a brusque authority. He gets another boundary later in the over, flicking wristily over the head of midwicket. There were a few shouts of ‘catch!’ but it cleared the fielder fairly comfortably. A quick single takes him to 42 from 47 balls; it’s a typical Ollie Pope joyride, he’s just doing it from a different position.

England have belted 50 runs from the last nine overs. Brook was dropped in that time, and this certainly hasn’t been a counter-attack for the ages, but they’ve played with game-changing intent. It takes courage to do that in this situation, especially if you’re also under pressure for your place like Pope.

35th over: England 135-4 (Brook 43, Pope 33) Henry replaces Southee, whose figures of 11-2-35-0 are a minor scandal. The ‘0’ bit anyway. England continue to live liek they’ll die tomorrow, with Pope picking up five runs of varying streakiness.

Whatever the technical merit, it’s great entertainment. New Zealand won’t be worried yet, but they might be if these two are still in after tea. We’ve got about 25 minutes of the afternoon session to play.

34th over: England 128-4 (Brook 43, Pope 26) Brook has been dropped again! He launched into a drive at Smith and snicked the ball towards Latham at first slip. Latham was beaten for pace and spilled a very sharp two-handed chance above his head. The ball looped up, a discombobulated Latham ran in the wrong direction and Southee at second slip couldn’t reach the rebound. To complete the comedy, Latham’s sunglasses fell off as he looked desperately for the ball.

There’s only one soundtrack for that replay.

33rd over: England 126-4 (Brook 41, Pope 26)

32nd over: England 122-4 (Brook 38, Pope 25) The impressive debutant Nathan Smith returns to the attack. Brook drives uppishly but well short of mid-off, then gets in a bit of a tangle as he keeps out a nipbacker.

Brook has the last word, at least for this over, by steering classily through the slips for four. That brings up a white-knuckle fifty partnership from 64 balls.

31st over: England 116-4 (Brook 33, Pope 24) Pope, not for the first time in this innings, slashes a back cut in the air for four. Not even Glenn Phillips could catch that; he was beaten for pace at backward point and the ball flew to the boundary.

There’s never a dull moment when Pope is at the crease. He has vroomed and veered to 24 from 33 balls.

30th over: England 111-4 (Brook 32, Pope 20) A touch of class from Brook, who times Henry to the left of mid-on. It only brings a couple of runs but it was a lovely shot.

29th over: England 108-4 (Brook 30, Pope 19) Pope, who has started pretty well in a position that suits him far better than No3, drives Southee impatiently through extra cover two more. The positive spin for England is that New Zealand’s seamers should start to tire soon, the ball is getting old and England have Test centurions at Nos 8 and 9. The negative spin is writ large on the scoreboard.

Thanks Taha, morning everyone. This is fun, as sport tends to be when it’s attack v attack. New Zealand are on top but England are trying to hit their way back into contention.

28th over: England 106-4 (Brook 30, Pope 17) Matt Henry returns and Harry Brook, out of nowhere, uses his wrists to whip the ball over fine leg all the way for six. A mad, brilliant shot. Pope drives nicely through mid-off for three and this pair are starting to settle, three figures up for England. And that’ll be me. Time for Rob Smyth to have some fun.

27th over: England 96-4 (Brook 23, Pope 14) Brook gets the forward defence – head still, eyes down – out against Southee before pulling away for one.

26th over: England 95-4 (Brook 22, Pope 14) Pope cuts O’Rourke over gully for four. And then comes another O’Rourke lifter that Pope can’t do anything about; it hits the shoulder of the bat and flies over the cordon, producing another boundary. The bounce from the six-foot-something man, at close to 90mph, is causing serious grief.

25th over: England 87-4 (Brook 22, Pope 6) Southee returns to the attack and Pope cuts away a wide one for four, enjoying a rare gift.

24th over: England 82-4 (Brook 22, Pope 1) Pope looks a touch awkward trying to fend off O’Rourke, but gets off the mark with a dig into the leg side. Brook nearly brings Southee, at leg gully, into play with an aerial flick that runs away for four.

23rd over: England 77-4 (Brook 18, Pope 0) Beautifully strummed by Harry Brook as he drives Nathan Smith through the covers for four. Brook looks so assured … and then he’s dropped at gully! It’s his first loose stroke, a flash outside off that probably surprises Glenn Phillips, who can’t hold on to give Smith a third wicket.

22nd over: England 71-4 (Brook 12, Pope 0) Ollie Pope arrives, in his new position at No 6 as a keeper-bat. O’Rourke beats him with pace and bounce to thud the thigh pad. He’s got a touch of Morne Morkel to him, this guy. He’s going to take loads of Test wickets. A bouncer ends a fine over.

It’s been coming. O’Rourke thuds the ball short and Duckett’s pull finds the safe hands of Devon Conway at deep backward square.

21st over: England 71-3 (Brook 12, Duckett 46) Duckett has struggled for fluency since the break and nearly chips a return catch to Smith before edging a pull to the fine-leg boundary for four. He’s living on the edge. Smith gets the ball to leap up at Brook and challenge the gloves. It remains a tough ask for the batters out there.

20th over: England 64-3 (Brook 12, Duckett 39) Duckett gets some luck, a wayward attempt at finding the leg side off O’Rourke prompting an edge that flies over the cordon and to the boundary. The left-hander gets even looser, nearly dragging on to his stumps with a cross-bat hack.

19th over: England 59-3 (Brook 12, Duckett 34) Smith is nagging away from around the wicket against Duckett, threatening the stumps but also the outside edge with his wobbling seam. The quick has settled into a decent rhythm here.

18th over: England 58-3 (Brook 12, Duckett 33) Brook handles O’Rourke’s bounce again, punching off the back foot behind point for four. The bowler launches a strong retort later in the over, nearly inviting an outside edge in the channel outside off. For all his attacking strokes, Brook’s forward defence is immaculate, played right under the eyes – he shows it off moments later.

17th over: England 54-4 (Brook 8, Duckett 33) Smith skips in, his no-ball problem solved with a bit of lunch, and concedes a single.

16th over: England 53-3 (Brook 7, Duckett 33) On comes the towering Will O’Rourke, offering quite the contrast to Ben Duckett. Brook guides the ball nicely to the third-man rope for four, riding the bounce perfectly. With the final ball of the over, O’Rourke gets the ball to leap off a length and surprise Brook, the edge taken but the ball not looping into a dangerous area. O’Rourke, playing his eighth Test, is averaging less than 20.

15th over: England 45-3 (Brook 0, Duckett 32) Smith gets his first ball to climb on to the top of Brook’s bat, the edge to the cordon keeping low. Duckett, at the other end, was excellent this morning, playing with restraint and still somehow getting to 32 off 40.

And we’re back: Nathan Smith has three legitimate balls left in his over. Harry Brook is in, and England could do with a special one from him: they trail by 303.

Brendan Large offers this – can anyone answer it? “This might be world’s stupidest question, but … with all the paint strewn around the field, why can’t they mark the stumps on the crease so the batters don’t have to use time every over/ball to ask the umpire where middle is?”

That’ll be lunch and it’s New Zealand’s session after that over – which isn’t done yet – from Nathan Smith. England lost Crawley quickly before Jacob Bethell helped out Ben Duckett with the rebuild in very tricky conditions. But then came Smith, who looks a real threat when he’s got control of his front foot.

Smith is still having a bit of trouble with his front foot, bowling consecutive no balls. But then he gets Joe Root for a duck! It’s angled into the right-hander, who drags the ball on to his stumps with a prod off the back foot. What a start for Nathan Smith!

Debutant gets debutant! Smith ends Bethell’s innings with a corker, the wobble-seam ball from around the wicket finding the outside edge before Blundell holds on behind the stumps. There’s a no-ball check … but Smith can celebrate.

14th over: England 43-1 (Bethell 10, Duckett 32) Henry continues and, after watching Bethell leave another one outside off, decides to go around the wicket. An inside-edge takes Bethell to double figures.

13th over: England 41-1 (Bethell 9, Duckett 31) Jacob Bethell isn’t the only debutant in this match; Nathan Smith is going through the same nerves for New Zealand. He bowls a no-ball but looks sharp, bowling around the wicket to Bethell … who picks up his first four with a leg-side shovel, a good-looking stroke. A cut shot moves Bethell to nine – all of a sudden, he’s racing.

12th over: England 31-1 (Bethell 1, Duckett 30) Bethell has to contend with another lbw shout, but he’s safe from any real danger. The leaves continue from the newbie.