Boult from the blue
Trent Boult has led the Black Caps in a rout of England in the first session of the day-night test at Eden Park in Auckland.
The tourists were all out for 58, 31 of which were scored by the final pair of Craig Overton and James Anderson.
Boult took 6-32, his career best, and Tim Southee 4-25, after Kane Williamson won the toss and chose to bowl.
England’s lowest test innings remains the 45 they made against Australia in Sydney in January 1887.
Opener Alastair Cook was Boult’s first victim, edging one that moved away to Tom Latham at second slip when on five in the fifth over.
Boult then bowled England’s captain Joe Root for a duck in his next over, and had Dawid Malan caught behind by BJ Watling for two in the one after that.
That was when Southee got in on the action, first forcing Mark Stoneman to prod at one and miss outside off, then getting him to nick one through to Watling. Stoneman made 11 off 20 balls, the secondhighest score of the England innings.
Boult bowled Ben Stokes, promoted to No 5, with doubt surrounding his ability to bowl a full all-rounder’s workload, for a duck, leaving England 18-5 at the end of the 11th over.
That became 18-6 in the 12th, as Southee had Jonny Bairstow caught and bowled for the third duck of the innings, securing the catch on his second attempt after the ball was hit straight back to him.
Boult then struck for the fifth over in a row, bowling Chris Woakes for five, a delivery after beating him for pace and hitting him around the waist, to complete his sixth five-wicket bag in test cricket, leaving England 23-7 after 13 overs.
Southee then got his second, bowling Moeen Ali with a beautiful slower ball yorker for yet another duck.
At 23-8, it looked like New Zealand’s overall record for the lowest test innings of 26 was a chance to be beaten, but Overton proved to be the hero, squeezing a wide ball from Boult in his eighth over to the point boundary, and taking England through to 27-8.
There had already been plenty of jawdropping moments, but Williamson produced the pick of the innings in the 16th over, leaping to his left to grab a onehanded catch that sent Stuart Broad his way with the team’s fifth duck.
Overton slashed at one and found the boundary at third man in Boult’s ninth over, then drove him into the covers for two, and square for another two, before finishing with a pull for four, a sign the bowler had tired somewhat.
With those runs, England moved past the two innings of 30, made by South Africa against them in 1896 and 1924, and a 35 and a pair of 36s.
After Anderson escaped the firing line with a single in the 18th over, Overton took England to 44, passing four more of the all-time worst scores.
Anderson then got a single as Boult returned for a 10th over, ensuring they wouldn’t set a new record low for themselves, and Overton hooked Boult for six, to take England past 50.
Overton finished not out on 33 off 25 balls, scoring 57 per cent of his team’s runs, as Anderson poked at one from Boult, bowling an 11th-straight over, to give Henry Nicholls an easy catch at point.
For coverage of the first test between New Zealand and England in Auckland go to stuff.co.nz