It was a golden day for England at the Basin Reserve, as a hat-trick from Gus Atkinson, followed by nineties for Jacob Bethell and Ben Duckett, gave them complete control of the second Test – and the series – against New Zealand.
And it almost went without saying that there were more runs for Harry Brook, who followed his game-changing first-innings century with a feisty 55 as he and Joe Root took England’s lead out of reach.
Some wondered whether Ben Stokes might declare before stumps, but England have been burnt in Wellington before, and there are still three days to go. Even with rain a possibility on the third day, there was no need for anything rash.
But if Root and Brook simply confirmed their status as Test cricket’s highest-ranked batsmen, it was the performance of Bethell that felt most significant on a beautiful day in New Zealand’s capital.
After the predictably early demise of Zak Crawley, caught at midwicket off his nemesis Matt Henry for eight, Bethell joined his fellow left-hander Duckett in a stand of 187 in just 36.4 overs that knocked the stuffing out of New Zealand’s attack.
Much of his strokeplay was sublime, not least his short-arm pulls and crisp on-drives. A pull for six off Nathan Smith was dismissive, and he later launched Glenn Phillips over long-on.
Gus Atkinson (pictured above) etched his name in cricketing history by claiming the 15th Test hat-trick by an England men’s bowler
He dismantled New Zealand’s lower order on day two of the second Test in Wellington
This feat continued what has been an extraordinary debut year for the 26-year-old. He burst onto the scene with a stunning 12-wicket haul on debut against West Indies at Lord’s in July
So freely did he score that he outpaced even Duckett, progressing at a decent clip himself. And not until Bethell was in the nineties – territory he had reached only once, for Warwickshire against Nottinghamshire at Edgbaston in April – did he begin to falter.
Finally, with only four needed to become England’s youngest Test centurion since the Second World War, he edged a drive at Tim Southee and was caught behind. His 96 had taken just 118 balls. Warwickshire have to promote him up the order after this.
Any sense of deflation had to be put in context. When Bethell was announced as England’s temporary No 3 after the reconfiguration prompted by Jordan Cox’s broken thumb, the selection was regarded by many as proof that the Bazballers had finally jumped the shark. Without a first-class hundred, he averaged 25. What, they wondered, was the point of county cricket?
But Bethell has risen to the task, cracking a 37-ball half-century to hasten victory at Christchurch, and now hammering home their advantage in Wellington. It seems unlikely he will stay at No 3 once Jamie Smith is available again – but it is not impossible either.
At the other end, Duckett calmed down after a frenetic start, when only the unorthodox seemed to interest him. He followed Bethell to 50 – from 59 balls to his partner’s 52 – and was eight runs from a fifth Test hundred when he chopped on against Southee.
For the ninth time in his career, Duckett had failed to turn a 70 into a century. It is an oversight that irritates him, and his trudge off the field was slow.
By then, though, England led by 362, and New Zealand’s dismantling continued at the hands of Brook and Root, who put on 95 before Brook miscued Phillips to long-off for 55.
Ollie Pope made just 10 before steering Henry to Daryl Mitchell, the lone slip, before Stokes put his foot to the metal from the start, pulling Henry for six, and launching Phillips straight for another. It was a day on when England became the first Test team to score half a million runs, Stokes seemed determined to double the tally by stumps.
Atkinson’s effort was followed by nineties for both Jacob Bethell and Ben Duckett
When the close came, with Root on 73 and Stokes 35 off 26 balls, the lead was 533. England’s second-innings 378 for five has so far come at almost five an over.
A chaotic morning had begun with two more wickets for the relentless Brydon Carse. On the first evening, he had reduced New Zealand to 79 for five with the wickets of Kane Williamson and Mitchell.
Now, he bowled Tom Blundell with one that held its line to hit the top of off stump, and two balls later pinned nightwatchman Will O’Rourke for a 38-minute duck to make it 96 for seven.
When Carse took a breather, his spell either side of stumps was 6-2-24-4, taking his early Test record to 23 wickets at 16. England have backed a thoroughbred.
But it was Atkinson who polished off the innings – in style. In three balls, he had Smith chopping on, Henry caught low in the gully by Duckett as he fended away a lifter, then trapped Southee lbw.
It was England’s first Test hat-trick since Moeen Ali against South Africa at The Oval seven years earlier, and their 15th in all. And it capped a stunning first year at Test level for Atkinson, whose CV already includes 12 wickets on debut, another Lord’s five-for, a century from No 8 – and now this.
And it meant New Zealand, all out for 125, had lost their last nine wickets for 72 in 20.3 overs – a remarkable collapse on a pitch offering as much to batsmen as bowlers. Atkinson finished with four for 31, and Carse four for 46. Right now, they look like the future of English seam bowling.
