NZvsENG 2nd Test Day 1: Bairstow saves England's blushes
What's the story
Wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow's unbeaten 97 helped England steady the ship against New Zealand on a frantic Day 1 of the second Test. The visitors were reeling at 164/7 before Bairstow calmed the situation down and England ended the day at 290/8. Bairstow shared a 95-run partnership with bowler Mark Wood to give England some hope. Here is our report.
In-form player
Bairstow making the most of his form
Bairstow is on course to slam his 5th Test hundred and his first career ton against New Zealand in this format. The in-form batsman is coming from a productive ODI series, where he struck two whirlwind tons against the Kiwis. After coming to the crease, Bairstow's key partnerships with Ben Stokes and Wood were the turning points on a day where wickets fell regularly.
Information
Kiwi duo Boult, Southee in top form
Boult and Southee had picked up all the 10 wickets in the first innings of the last Test. On Day 1 of the 2nd Test as well, all eight wickets that fell belonged to the duo. They now have 22 wickets in this series.
Out of form
England top batsmen underperform yet again
There are plenty of issues with the England top order at the moment and despite some changes, the batting failed to click. Alastair Cook's misery with the bat continued and James Vince (18) failed to make his rare chance count. Joe Root's problem with converting starts into substantial scores was once again the talking point as the batting order collapsed to 94/5.