Watch: Harry Brook smashed five sixes in five balls as England scored at nearly seven runs per over on the first day of their warm-up against a New Zealand XI ahead of their two-Test series.
England were bowled out for 465 in just under 70 overs, with all of their batters scoring at the rate which has become their trademark.
All of England’s Nos.1-10 made it to double figures, with Zak Crawley’s strike rate of 68 the slowest among them. Dan Lawrence scored quickest, notching 85 in 55 balls, with Brook not far behind, managing 97 off 71, falling attempting to bring up a century with his 10th six.
Five of the previous nine came in the space of one over, with Brook playing out a dot off off-spinner Adhitya Ashok before going on a spree, slog-sweeping, pulling when the offie dropped short, and coming down the track. Joe Root (77 off 59) and Ben Foakes (57 off 74) were England’s other two half-centurions. Ben Stokes did not bat.
The game, which does not have first-class status, precedes a two-Test series which starts on February 16. England have a poor recent record against New Zealand, having lost three series in a row against them, including a rare home reversal. Their last series win against New Zealand came in 2013, and their last win in New Zealand came in 2008, when England came from 1-0 down to win 2-1.
Watch Brook’s five consecutive sixes below (at 3 hours, 22 minutes, 20 seconds):
Harry Brook 5 consecutive sixes!
NZ XI v England
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Scorecard:https://t.co/ckhKiwlz2L
Youtube link: https://t.co/OCqTYw8mbT pic.twitter.com/XaJn9x9aDa— Rampy (@RiserTweex) February 8, 2023