Wellington, Dec 7 England pacer Gus Atkinson bagged a hat-trick against New Zealand on Day 2 of the second Test at Basin Reserve to bowl out hosts for paltry 125. England finished the day with a daunting 533 runs lead with Ben Duckett (92), Jacob Bethell (96), Harry Brook (55) and Joe Root (73 not out) scoring half-centuries to post 378/5 in 76 overs at stumps on Saturday.
Atkinson, who returned with the figures of 4-41, said he wasn't thinking of a hat-trick adding that he stuck to the team's plan of bowling short-pitch deliveries followed by yorkers.
"It (our plans) worked out well in the morning and the batters batted pretty well. Never thought of getting a hat-trick, but it was nice to get it. We wanted to set them up with the shorter balls and then go for the yorker. Yesterday, I didn't feel great, but I felt nice today," the pacer said after the end of the play.
New Zealand began the day at 86/5 but collapsed quickly, being dismissed for 125 within 10 overs. Brydon Carse struck early with a brilliant delivery that bowled Tom Blundell, reminiscent of his Day 1 delivery to Kane Williamson, which had been nullified by a no-ball. William O'Rourke was trapped LBW in the same over for a duck.
Glenn Phillips and Nathan Smith added quick runs to push the score past 100, but Atkinson wrapped up the innings decisively. Smith inside-edged onto his stumps, Matt Henry edged a short ball to Ben Duckett at gully and Tim Southee fell LBW to a full, skidding delivery, completing Atkinson’s hat trick.
England, with a 155-run first-innings lead, started their second innings aggressively. Although Zak Crawley fell early to Matt Henry, Bethell and Duckett launched a counterattack, piling pressure on New Zealand. Duckett was given a lifeline when Tom Latham dropped a tough catch, and Southee wasted a review on Bethell.
Bethell and Duckett struck breezy fifties and looked on course for centuries before Tim Southee dismissed both in quick succession. Bethell edged to Latham, while Duckett dragged one onto his stumps. Despite these breakthroughs, New Zealand couldn’t stem England’s dominance as Joe Root and Harry Brook combined in the final session to extend the lead beyond 400. A blossoming partnership left New Zealand without answers, with a failed review on Root adding to their frustrations.
Brook continued his free-flowing form, pulling short balls and driving overpitched deliveries with ease. Glenn Phillips, bowling a lengthy spell, finally dismissed Brook, who mistimed a lofted shot to long-off. Brook’s departure came after a stellar knock, while Root reached his 65th Test fifty, also marking his 100th 50-plus score in Tests.
As England approached a 500-run lead, Ollie Pope fell to Matt Henry, but captain Ben Stokes decided against declaring. Stokes hammered an unbeaten 36 off 26 balls, supporting Root, who remained unbeaten on 73, setting himself up for a potential 36th Test century on Day 3.
Atkinson didn't reveal England's plan for Day 3 and emphasised to continue their approach to target batters.
"Not really sure what the plans are. We'll see tomorrow and assess the conditions. We'll stick to the usual plans and try to challenge the batters," he said.
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