At Seddon Park, Hamilton: England 465 all out (Harry Brook 97, Dan Lawrence 85, Joe Root 77, Ben Foakes 57; Kyle Jamieson 3-65, Jarrod McKay 3-72) played New Zealand XI.
Kyle Jamieson finished the day troubling England’s batters with a fresh pink ball under the lights at Seddon Park on Wednesday.
Still, Brendon McCullum’s England side demonstrated what their approach will be for this month’s tests with the Black Caps in Mount Maunganui and Wellington – attack and don’t hold back.
Jamieson, the Black Caps fast bowler working towards his test comeback that could be next week after an eight-month absence because of a back injury, looked sharp in an impressive third spell when he claimed two of his three wickets via the slip cordon in the final session.
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But “Bazball” had arrived in Hamilton for the opening day of their warm-up match with the New Zealand XI in which England scored at nearly seven runs an over, finishing on 465 all out after hitting 72 boundaries (17 sixes and 55 fours) in 69.2 overs.
Harry Brook dispatched Auckland spinner Adi Ashok for five successive sixes in one over during his 97 off 71 balls.
He was only denied his century when he was caught on the boundary in the second session when England scored 206 runs in 26 overs.
“I went about it like an ODI. I felt pressured to score in my own head, but it was good fun,” Brook said.
Two of his nine sixes finished on Tristram Street in rush hour and Dan Lawrence (85 off 52) and Joe Root (77 off 69) led the charge either side of Brook’s superb striking.
Root’s six to reach 50 off 45 balls was the day’s most extraordinary shot – a reverse scoop in the first session that epitomised England’s positive, aggressive batting that’s been dubbed “Bazball” in a nod to their coach’s style as a player and a captain for New Zealand.
Stumps were called earlier than expected, with 20.4 overs still scheduled, once Ollie Robinson departed as England’s 10th wicket for 16.
McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, who didn’t bat on Wednesday, seemed happy with this workout before next Thursday’s first test with the pink ball at Mount Maunganui.
Their players seemed relaxed, too, allowing Black Caps captain Tim Southee to briefly sit with England’s playing group on the boundary edge, but they were still determined to make the most of their time in the middle.
Ollie Pope was captain at No 3 as Stokes watched on, although he fell cheaply for 26.
The two-day fixture will finish on Thursday when England bowl at the New Zealand XI. Its first day, for the Black Caps, was primarily to see Jamieson in action before being considered for a test recall.
The Auckland quick, who was given a new ball to fire down in the final session, said “the body was good” at stumps after 15 overs on a hot, fine Hamilton day.
He had opener Ben Duckett caught in the slips for 32 in the fifth over of his first six-over spell, and while he bowled only four in the second session with little success, he could have had four wickets as the sun went down after dinner.
Two more would do – he also had Lawrence and Will Jacks (18) caught in the slips – after nicks fell short and Ben Foakes, who scored 57, was fortunate to not be given out by the umpires when they ruled a catch had not carried, despite confident appeals from the Kiwi side.
Jamieson couldn’t shed light about when he would return to the test team and was grateful for his overs with the pink ball against England’s onslaught.
“They played pretty well, but you’ve got to keep in mind that it’s not a surface we’re going to get in a test match,” Jamieson said of England’s batting in Hamilton.
“It was reasonably close to what a T20 wicket would probably look like. There were the short boundaries as well.
“While they played some nice shots, and it was impressing batting at times, it’s good to keep it in context.”
Jamieson went for 65 runs in 15 overs, but it was a tougher day for the other Kiwi bowlers, facing international opposition for the first time.
Ashok got the prized wicket of Root but finished with 1-82 in nine overs, Canterbury spinner Theo van Woerkom was 0-78 from his eight and Auckland seamer Sean Solia was 2-86 from his 11.2 overs.
Otago fast bowler Jarrod McKay did claim 3-72 from his 14 after bowling opener Zak Crawley for 17 before taking the wickets of Brook and Stuart Broad (24).
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