First Test Day Two, New Zealand 229-4, England 58ao
England were powerless to stop Kane Williamson registering a New Zealand record 18th Test century on a rain-wrecked second day of the pink-ball Test at Eden Park.
Williamson (102) completed his century, going one above team-mate Ross Taylor and Kiwi great Martin Crowe, before James Anderson saw him off with the second new ball.
After England’s miserable 58 all out in the first session of this series opener, the hosts consolidated adequately as they moved from 175 for three to 229 for four in the 23.1 overs possible.
British pop singer Ed Sheeran, in town for a weekend concert, was out of luck as rain ruined his trip to the cricket. He did visit both dressing rooms between the downpours to have a quick chat, though, and was presented with a bat by Mark Wood.
Much the heaviest of several showers interrupted play midway through the second session and, despite a later improvement, conditions did not allow a resumption.
The New Zealand captain — who had resumed on 91 — moved to his hundred in 196 balls, having hit 11 fours and one six.
At just 27, he has time on his side to set New Zealand’s run-making benchmark for the ages.
His third-wicket stand with Henry Nicholls ended on 83, though, when Anderson (three for 53) beat him with a touch of inswing as Williamson played outside the line to be lbw pushing forward.
By then, he had provided England's batsmen with an object lesson in the patience required to negate early lateral movement — of which the visiting attack found much less than New Zealand's Trent Boult and Tim Southee — before cashing in on a pitch of easy pace and true bounce.
Nicholls took Williamson’s cue, in no hurry either and gradually accumulating low-risk runs to help consolidate New Zealand’s yawning advantage.
The left-hander was just a single short of his 50, from 143 balls, with BJ Watling for company when bad weather intervened.
England are therefore in a miserable spot, largely of their own making.
But so grim is the weekend forecast, it is not yet a forlorn hope that they could escape Auckland with an as yet undeserved stalemate.
Scorecard
New Zealand first innings
Batsman Runs Balls 4s 6s
J A Raval c Bairstow b Anderson 3 23 0 0
T W M Latham c Woakes b Broad 26 112 3 0
K S Williamson lbw b Anderson 102 220 11 1
L R P L Taylor c Woakes b Anderson 20 35 3 0
H M Nicholls 49 143 3 0
B J Watling 17 20 3 0
Extras 7lb 0 5w 12
Total for 4 229 92.1 overs
Bowler O M R W
J M Anderson 20 7 53 3
S C J Broad 20 5 37 1
C Overton 18 7 43 0
C R Woakes 23 8 55 0
M M Ali 11 1 34 0
Fall of wickets
Order Name Runs
1 J A Raval 8
2 T W M Latham 92
3 L R P L Taylor 123
4 K S Williamson 206
England first innings
Batsman Runs Balls 4s 6s
A N Cook c Latham b Boult 5 21 0 0
M D Stoneman c Watling b Southee 11 20 2 0
J E Root b Boult 0 6 0 0
D J Malan c Watling b Boult 2 6 0 0
B A Stokes b Boult 0 8 0 0
J M Bairstow c & b Southee 0 4 0 0
M M Ali b Southee 0 8 0 0
C R Woakes b Boult 5 9 0 0
C Overton 33 25 5 1
S C J Broad c Williamson b Southee 0 6 0 0
J M Anderson c Nicholls b Boult 1 11 0 0
Extras 1lb 0 1
Total for 10 58 20.4 overs
Bowler O M R W
T A Boult 10 3 32 6
T G Southee 10 3 25 4
Fall of wickets
Order Name Runs
1 A N Cook 6
2 J E Root 6
3 D J Malan 16
4 M D Stoneman 18
5 B A Stokes 18
6 J M Bairstow 18
7 C R Woakes 23
8 M M Ali 23
9 S C J Broad 27
10 J M Anderson 58
