Root, Burns lead England fightback
Despite centuries to Joe Root and Rory Burns England expressed disappointment at stumps on day three of the second Test against New Zealand after losing late wickets in Hamilton yesterday.
England captain Root ended his run drought with an unbeaten 114 while Burns rode his luck to post 101.
But after they took England to 201 for two, the tourists were 269 for five at stumps and still trailing New Zealand by 106.
With only five wickets remaining and 16 overs washed out by rain in the final session, England’s vision of building a healthy lead was rapidly fading.
The tempo swung away from England when Burns was run out and New Zealand followed up with the quick wickets of Ben Stokes and Zak Crawley.
With Root and Burns putting on 177 for the third wicket, England found the “bat-long” partnership they had been searching for in their attempt to follow the same recipe New Zealand used to win the first Test.
But following the dismissal of Burns, Ben Stokes was gone for 26 while Zak Crawley made one on debut.
Root was under added pressure to not only guide England to a position of strength but also to end his own run dearth amid suggestions the pressure of captaincy was affecting his form.
To that end, he was in no mood to take risks as he faced 258 deliveries in six hours to reach 99, before his century came on a surprise mistiming that saw an inside edge fly past the wicketkeeper to the boundary.
For New Zealand, Southee has taken two for 63 while Wagner and Matt Henry have a wicket each.
SCORES IN BRIEF
NEW ZEALAND: First innings 375
ENGLAND: First innings 269 for 5 (Burns 101, Root 114 not out, Stokes 26; Southee 2-63)
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