Visits: 12
Neil Wagner took 5-44 as England were bowled out for 197 to fall to an innings and 65-run defeat to New Zealand in the first Test at Mount Maunganui.
Joe Root’s side started the day with seven wickets remaining as they attempted to bat out for a draw but a flurry of wickets midway through the afternoon session broke their resistance and they were eventually bowled out 45 minutes into the evening session.
After Root fell cheaply in the morning session, a 52-run stand between Joe Denly and Ben Stokes strengthened the tourists’ belief that they could survive the day only to collapse from 121-4 to 138-8.
Sam Curran (29no) and Jofra Archer (30) held up the Black Caps with a ninth-wicket stand of 59 before Wagner sealed the win with two wickets in two balls.
Beginning on 55-3, England made a steady start through Denly and Root (11) before the captain got caught in two minds and ended up steering a short ball from Colin de Grandhomme (1-15) to Tom Latham at gully.
Denly and Stokes dug in though and while England added only 43 runs during the morning session, the wicket of Root was the only damage.
Just as New Zealand might have been beginning to worry though, Stokes (28) dragged on as he tried to cut Tim Southee (1-60), the batsman letting out furious cry as the ball cannoned into his leg stump, and the innings unravelled from there.
Denly’s battling knock ended on 35 when Wagner got the ball to jump from a length and brush the England No 3’s glove as he tried to leave it, BJ Watling taking a good catch behind the stumps.
Ollie Pope (6) was next to go, inexplicably stretching to trying and hit a wide full toss from Wagner and succeeding only it drilling it towards cover where Santner took a stunning catch diving to his right.
Equally inexplicable was Jos Buttler’s (0) decision to leave Wagner’s in-swinging first delivery with the second new ball as it clattered into the base of off stump to leave the Black Caps two wickets from victory.
Curran and Archer ensured England at least took the game into the evening session but it was merely delaying the inevitable. Archer eventually holed out to fine leg off Wagner and Stuart Broad (0) was trapped plumb lbw the next ball to complete a deserved win for New Zealand.
The hosts take a 1-0 lead into the second Test of the two-match series but they could be without Trent Boult, who left the field after bowling only one over on the final day after feeling pain in his right side.
He will have a scan tomorrow but would appear a major doubt for the game in Hamilton that starts on Thursday.
Watch day one of the second Test between New Zealand and England from 9.30pm, Thursday on Sky Sports Cricket.
