England captain Harry Brook produced a sensational knock underneath immense stress, scripting historical past with a blistering century within the first ODI in opposition to New Zealand at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui.
Regardless of England’s top-order collapse, Brook’s fearless counterattack propelled his staff to a good complete and etched his title within the report books as the primary England captain to attain an ODI century in opposition to the Black Caps on New Zealand soil.
England crumble early as Zakary Foulkes shines for New Zealand
The match started disastrously for England after electing to bat first. New Zealand’s tempo duo Matt Henry and Zakary Foulkes ripped by England’s prime order in a fiery new-ball spell. Henry dismissed debutant Jamie Smith for a golden duck earlier than Foulkes ran by the center order, eradicating Jos Buttler and leaving England reeling at 33/5 throughout the first 10 overs. The collapse continued when Sam Curran departed quickly after, deepening England’s struggles at 55/6.
At that stage, it appeared the guests won’t even cross 150. However Brook, refusing to desert his aggressive instincts, launched a fearless counterattack that fully modified the complexion of the innings.
Harry Brook’s explosive knock rewrites report books
Brook’s innings was nothing wanting extraordinary. He smashed 135 runs off 101 balls, together with 11 sixes and 9 fours, to steer England to 223 all out. His innings was marked by clear hitting, audacious strokeplay, and unmatched composure amidst chaos. It was his second ODI century and essentially the most dominant efficiency by an England captain in New Zealand.
Brook’s 11 sixes equaled the second-highest tally in an ODI innings in opposition to New Zealand. Solely Thisara Perera (13 sixes) has struck extra in an ODI versus New Zealand. Brook joined an elite checklist that features Marcus Stoinis and Fakhar Zaman, each of whom have hit 11 sixes in a single ODI innings in opposition to the Kiwis.
The England skipper additionally turned solely the fourth visiting England batter to attain an ODI century in New Zealand, after Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Chris Broad.
Brook’s partnership with Chris Overton raise England’s complete
Brook discovered an important ally in Jamie Overton, with the pair stitching an 87-run stand for the seventh wicket, rescuing England from a dire state of affairs. Overton contributed a priceless 46 off 54 balls, serving to to stabilize the innings earlier than Brook unleashed his full energy.
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Within the thirty second over, Brook tore into Jacob Duffy, smashing three consecutive sixes to succeed in his century from simply 82 balls. He then focused Matt Henry, dispatching him for 3 extra sixes in a single over. His counterattack surprised the Bay Oval crowd and briefly swung momentum England’s means earlier than Mitchell Santner lastly dismissed him within the thirty sixth over.
Brook narrowly missed out on surpassing Ricky Ponting’s report for the very best rating by a touring captain in ODIs in opposition to New Zealand. Ponting’s unbeaten 141 in Napier (2005) stays the benchmark, whereas Brook’s 135 equals Chris Gayle’s effort on the identical venue in 2009.
With this knock, Brook joined a choose group of touring captains – together with Viv Richards, Greg Chappell, AB de Villiers, Mike Hussey, Dwayne Bravo, and Sanath Jayasuriya – to have scored ODI centuries in opposition to New Zealand.
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