Soccer
  • Home
  • Cricket
  • Jonny Bairstow Century Helps England To Five Wicket Win Over New Zealand In Second Test

Jonny Bairstow century helps England to five-wicket win over New Zealand in second Test

Jonny Bairstow put on a masterful display with the bat on day five of the second Test, with England taking a 2-0 lead in the three-match series against New Zealand.

England sealed a five-wicket victory in the second Test against New Zealand, with Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow putting on a dazzling display at Trent Bridge to help the side to a 2-0 lead in the series.
After wrapping up New Zealand's second innings early in the morning on day 5, England were set a target of 299 in 72 overs to win the second Test at Trent Bridge.
Ben Stokes had already shown his desire to take risks with the bat earlier in the Test, and the newly appointed England captain instructed his side to do the same again instead of hunkering down for a draw.

Zak Crawley's poor form as an opener continued, with England losing the 24-year-old for a duck after just four deliveries. Alex Lees coped far better at the start of England's chase, and managed 44 from 81 to get the hosts settled in.

Ollie Pope wasn't able to replicate his heroics from the first innings, and was lucky to reach 18 from 34, with Tom Latham fumbling an ankle-high chance at slip. But shortly after the major let-off, Matt Hendry redeemed his captain , straightening one up off the pitch to have Pope caught behind.

Trent Boult has been superb for the Tourists throughout both Test matches so far and will take plenty of satisfaction from dismissing Joe Root for three.ย After managing a mind-boggling 176 in the first innings,ย Root was denied the chance to build on his tally by Boult, who followed up his delivery with a full-stretch dive to grab the return catch.

Tea came with England on 139 for four, with 160 needed from the final 38 overs. Perhaps a previous England side would wrap up play and hold out for a draw, but Stokes and McCullum's new regime set out to excite the crowd, and they did just that.
Bairstow and Stokes ended up spearheading the attack, and the captain set the pace immediately - his second scoring shot being a thunderous six down the ground.

Bairstow also continued to approach each delivery positively, and the pair built up an unbroken stand of 46 when tea was called. Upon resumption, they remained aggressive in their approach.

What was first viewed as a nail-biting finale turned into a cakewalk for England, with Bairstow in particular entertaining the 18,000-strong crowd.
With boundaries and sixes continuing to flow, Bairstow came within a whisker of scoring the fastest ever century by an Englishman. However, Gilbert Jessop's 120-year-old record of 76 balls remained intact, with Bairstow requiring just one more to reach his ton.
Stokes ended with an impressive 75 not out to wrap up the victory, with the pair hitting 11 sixes and 24 fours between them as they gave England a 2-0 lead in the series.
England will now take a nine day break before the third Test starts on June 23 at Headingley, the venue's first Test match since Azeem Rafiq's racism allegations.

READ MORE:ย England and New Zealand could put on 'a hell of a day' in second Test, says Ben Foakes

    More Articles