Joe Root registered an unwanted record during his 150th Test match against New Zealand at Hagley Oval. A man who has enjoyed the most distinguished career, was dismissed for a four-ball duck by New Zealand’s debutant Nathan Smith, marking a bitter moment in his history.
13th Duck For Joe Root
This dismissal marked Root’s 13th duck in Test cricket, his eighth of the WTC era, when he surpassed Virat Kohli and Steve Smith, who are also level with seven each. Root’s form remains lean going into these matches, adding only 90 runs across his last five innings following his memorable double-century versus Pakistan at Multan.
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Nathan Smith’s Incredible Start
Smith, making his debut as a seamer, had a dream start to his career, picking up two wickets in one over, removing both Jacob Bethell and Root. England’s top order was in trouble early, as Zak Crawley also fell, leaving the visitors struggling at 45/3. Ben Duckett’s dismissal further deepened their woes, reducing them to 71/4.
However, Ollie Pope (59*) and Harry Brook (54*) counterattacked, putting together a match-winning 103-run partnership. At tea, England were 174/4, still trailing New Zealand by 174 runs after the hosts posted 348 in their first innings.
Unwanted Record For Joe Root
Root’s duck in his 150th Test match places him in the company of Australian greats Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting, who also recorded ducks in their 150th Test appearances. Earlier, New Zealand were bowled out for 348, where Glenn Phillips remained not out at 58 after Kane Williamson’s brilliant 120. England’s bowlers Brydon Carse (4/64) and Shoaib Bashir (4/69) had outstanding performances, but the visitors faced early setbacks in their reply. Brook and Pope’s gritty fifty provided some hope, but for England, there’s still a significant task to close the deficit and face New Zealand’s deadly pace attack.
