NZ recover after losing early wickets
LEEDS, England (AP): LUKE RONCHI scored a 70ball 88 on his Test debut as New Zealand went on the attack after a woeful start to close on 297-8 on day one of the second Test against England on Friday.
Jimmy Anderson became the 12th player – and first from England – to pass the 400-wicket barrier in Tests by removing Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson for ducks in the third over, reducing the Black Caps to 2-2 at Headingley.
Opener Tom Latham (84) led New Zealand’s recovery only to be upstaged by wicketkeeperbatsman Ronchi, who came to the crease with his team struggling on 144-5 and struck 13 fours and three sixes in a flamboyant innings.
“I was trying to enjoy it as much as I could,” said the 34year-old Ronchi, who was drafted in as a replacement for injured allrounder Corey Anderson.
“It could be my one and only Test – I’d have hated to go out there and not play my natural game.”
Latham and Ronchi – who put on 120 runs for the sixth wicket, at nearly five runs an over – fell to Stuart Broad in the space of three balls in the final hour, leaving the match evenly poised going into day two.
England lead the two-Test series 1-0.
New Zealand launched a recovery by maintaining their trademark aggressive approach that is more akin to one-day and Twenty20 cricket – captain Brendon McCullum (41), for example, smashed his first ball for six over extra cover and Ronchi was on course for the fastest century by a Test debutant. Nearly 70 per cent of the runs came in boundaries.
With rain forecast for later in the test and New Zealand needing a victory to square the series, the tourists didn’t really have another option.