Watch: England found a breakthrough from the unlikeliest of sources, Harry Brook dismissing centurion Kane Williamson for his maiden Test wicket.
Brook had taken just eight first-class wickets before the second New Zealand Test, with an average in excess of 55, but he took to bowling in Test cricket just as quickly as he has to batting, taking just three overs to strike.
It was a valuable wicket too. England, having enforced the follow-on, had been kept in the field for more than 200 overs across two innings. A century from Williamson and half-centuries from several others had taken the Black Caps past 450 and the lead towards 250. With England’s bowlers tiring, and Ben Stokes himself unable to bowl, the England captain was forced to search for alternatives.
He found a willing option in Brook, yet to bowl in Test cricket before today. There was much intrigue as he ran into bowl, and a note of surprise as he delivered capably – off his wrong foot, but with a braced front leg, decent control and getting some movement.
It was one of his worst balls that did for Williamson, who had having earlier become his country’s leading Test run-scorer and brought up his 26th Test century. Angled down the legside, wicketkeeper Ben Foakes completed a good take and whipped off the bails, with England seemingly appealing for a stumping at first. After deliberation, they chose to review the ‘not out’ decision, and were surprised and delighted when UltraEdge revealed a thin spike as the ball passed bat.
The wicket sparked a dramatic collapse, New Zealand sliding from 455-5 to 483 all out, setting England 258 to win.
Watch Harry Brook dismiss Kane Williamson below:
An absolute jaffa 😬#NZvENG pic.twitter.com/OgpwmbO1Qi
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) February 27, 2023
