Harry Brook

New Zealand had opted to go into this Test with just three frontline quicks, bringing back Matt Henry and also selecting top-order batter Will Young in place of ...

Pope fired off a volley of attacking shots in response but he was soon gone, as Henry jagged one away on an off-stump line to find the edge. England were on the back foot, but soon began landing their punches in a familiar counterattack. Henry beat Duckett with a beauty in his first over, although a review only proved the ball had flicked the trouser pocket. Henry struck twice in his first three overs and Southee added a third as Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett all failed to make much headway. Southee was dispatched for three consecutive boundaries in his fifth over, and that set the tone for Brook's approach; in all, 24 fours and five sixes came from his bat during another coruscating display. He walked off with the weather closing in again, but with England in a far sunnier mood.

Brook dominated an unbroken stand of 216 with Joe Root in Wellington, reaching 136 not out at the tea break as the Yorkshire duo carried their side to 237 for ...

The afternoon belonged to the England pair, with Brook shuffling across his crease to disrupt the New Zealand bowlers and opening up scoring zones that Southee had not even thought to plug. Brook played the role of aggressor, unloading three boundaries in a row off Southee to state his intentions and shrug off the scoreboard pressure. England were rocking now, but in Root and Brook they found a partnership to rebuild around.

Zak Crawley (2), Ben Duckett (9) and Ollie Pope (10) were all dismissed within the first seven overs, leaving England reeling at 21 for three. Matt Henry ...

"I looked to put pressure on the bowler and be as positive as possible," he said. Brook was man in the match for his scores of 89 and 54 in the first test, both of which were made at better than a run a ball and helped take that match away from New Zealand. England reinforced the superiority over New Zealand the visitors showed in the first test which they won by 267 runs and they now look likely to become the first team to beat New Zealand in a test series at home for six years.

An absurd 184 from Harry Brook and a classy century from Joe Root on day one against New Zealand have England on track for seven-straight under coach ...

It was a false dawn, however, and even a session in which England suffered three early losses concluded with 101 runs on the board. This master and apprentice alliance was a record for any English pairing on New Zealand soil, going past the 281 runs shared by Graham Thorpe and Andrew Flintoff at Christchurch in 2002. At times Brook simply backed away and carted straight him down the ground baseball style, Wagner shipping nearly seven an over on a supposed green top. Bracewell then produced a collective gasp from the sell-out crowd, diving full stretch to his left after Ben Duckett’s hard-handed push at Southee on nine. By the time he strode off he was 184 not out from 169 balls, this his fourth hundred in his sixth Test match and unquestionably his best. The right-hander has also done this at a strike-rate of 99.38.

England slipped to 21-3 at Basin Reserve after New Zealand won the toss and chose to bowl first; Harry Brook helped lead the revival for the tourists with ...

Like I've said plenty of times, look to put pressure on the bowler and be as positive as possible. Even then though, the 32-year-old was able to showcase his array of shots as New Zealand's bowlers had little answer to the questions posed by him and Brook. There were a few little miscues into gaps and whatnot which if was a little bit half-hearted, I might have been caught on at times. The 25-year-old's innings saw him equal the great Don Bradman's feat of scoring four centuries in his first six Tests. The tourists slumped to 21-3 early on after losing the toss but closed the day on 315-3, with the recovery led by the Yorkshire duo of Brook and Root who put on the highest-ever fourth-wicket stand with an unbeaten 294 at Basin Reserve. England slipped to 21-3 at Basin Reserve after New Zealand won the toss and chose to bowl first; Harry Brook helped lead the revival for the tourists with his highest Test score of 184 not out; Joe Root hit his 29th Test century too as the duo put on an unbeaten fourth-wicket stand of 294

The batting sensation finished not out on 184, with Joe Root also reaching an unbeaten ton.

The pair came together came together with the pressure on, England slumping to 21 for three after being put in on a green pitch at Basin Reserve, ...

Having showed off his blunt power game, Brook was now threading balls to the third man boundary. On 99 Brook threaded a cut to the ropes, celebrating what is fast becoming a familiar achievement with Root. Henry picked up another when his attacking off stump line proved too good for Ollie Pope, who sent a thick edge flying to Bracewell in the cordon. First to fall was Zak Crawley, nicking Henry behind with just two to his name, his latest unconvincing response to question marks over his place in the side. Root, who survived a first-ball lbw appeal, flew under the radar as he settled in for a long stay, but Brook's natural exuberance carried him past 50 by lunch. He thrashed the Kiwi attack to all parts, driving hard and true, pulling with authority and throwing his hands any hint of width.

The Black Caps took three wickets within seven overs to leave the tourists reeling, but Harry Brook and Joe Root combined to put England in charge.

"I looked to put pressure on the bowler and be as positive as possible," he said. Brook was man in the match for his scores of 89 and 54 in the first test, both of which were made at better than a run a ball and helped take that match away from New Zealand. England reinforced the superiority over New Zealand the visitors showed in the first test which they won by 267 runs and they now look likely to become the first team to beat New Zealand in a test series at home for six years.

Coach Brendon McCullum's 302 wouldn't be out of the question, but run machine Harry Brook is only eyeing his father's top score for starters.

Southee swung the ball early and lured Ben Duckett into a false shot but struggled for consistency. Several well directed Henry bouncers unsettled Brook but it didn’t last, and the best they could hope for was an inside edge or two, or a mistimed clout sailing just wide of fielders. “No, I haven’t thought about that at all,” he said with a grin. He finished with 2-64 off 15 overs, clearly the pick. Could his coach Brendon McCullum’s epic 302, posted against India at the Basin Reserve nine years ago, even loom into view if he gets a flyer? Brook never let up from the moment he clattered home skipper Tim Southee for three successive boundaries.

The tourists had been 21-3 after being asked to bat on a green pitch at the Basin Reserve - Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope all falling cheaply. But ...

The stand with Brook is England's second-highest ever in a Test against New Zealand, with the prospect of more to come on Saturday. He reached three figures from 107 balls, his slowest hundred in Test cricket, by cutting the off-spin of Bracewell. "I think we were a perfect partnership there. Brook scored all around the wicket. At that point he hit successive sixes of Daryl Mitchell, whose fill-in medium pace was singled out for the harshest treatment. He moved up and down the gears.

Having ended the day unbeaten on a career-best 184, he now looks forward to drawing level with his father's first-class highest of 210.

So that's in the back of my mind at the minute," he said. In fact, he also has a shot at besting his head coach: it was on this ground in 2014 that Brendon McCullum registered his top score of [302 against India](https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/india-tour-of-new-zealand-2013-14-667633/new-zealand-vs-india-2nd-test-667653/full-scorecard). There could be a bad moment from the corner and anything could happen, so enjoy the good moments. I've just said now actually good times at the minute, but just around the corner there might be bad times so you've got to enjoy these moments and cash in as much as I can. The 24-year-old heads into Saturday unbeaten on a career best score of 184. "It (the pitch) always gets easier when the ball gets a bit older.

Harry Brook earned plenty of praise for his counter-attacking 184* off 169 deliveries on day one of the second New Zealand Test.

[@Harry_Brook_88]we are witnessing one of the great cricket talents emerging in front of our eyes. One of the most sublime test match hundreds in recent memory. To score 184* (169) from 21-3 is outrageous. [February 24, 2023] Brook ended the day on 184*, piling on an unbeaten 194-run stand with Joe Root, who also scored a hundred. Walking in to bat at No.5, he started off aggressively, hitting four fours in the first 11 deliveries that he faced.

Harry Brook has passed the record number of runs by any player after nine test innings.

The chance to become the fastest batter in history to 1000 runs looms as well. That is currently 12 innings, shared between England’s Herbert Sutcliffe and the West Indies’ Everton Weekes. India’s Vinod Kambli previously had the most at that point in his career with 798. A bad moment could be around the corner. “I had a shocking start to my first-class career [in 2016 aged 17]. A fourth century in his sixth test came when he guided Michael Bracewell backward of point for four.

England star Harry Brook has struck a remarkable 807 runs at an average of 100.87 in his first nine Test innings, including four hundreds and three ...

"The ones in Pakistan were amazing and good fun to be out there but they were all on flat pitches. "I'm sure the average will come down very quickly but I'm just trying to live in what's happening at the minute. One of the things I've really tried to do is stay as level headed as possible, but it's been a good few months. No other batter has scored more runs than Brook in their first nine Test innings, with the 24-year-old surpassing Vinod Kambli's record of 798 runs. He has smashed a total of 807 runs at an average of 100.87 in nine innings so far, including four hundreds and three half-centuries. However, such landmarks are the furthest thing from Brook's mind as he heads into day two eyeing a first ever double hundred.