Star England batter Joe Root endured a bitter milestone in his storied career during the first Test against New Zealand at Hagley Oval. Root, playing his 150th Test match, was dismissed for a four-ball duck by New Zealand debutant Nathan Smith.
Root's dismissal, his 13th in Test cricket and eighth in the World Test Championship (WTC) era, elevated him to an unenviable list of batters with the most ducks in the WTC, surpassing the likes of Virat Kohli and Steve Smith, both of whom have seven. This lean patch continues a difficult run for Root, who has scored just 90 runs in five innings since his double-century against Pakistan in Multan.
Smith, a debutant seamer, had a dream start, dismissing England's Jacob Bethell and Root in the same over, reducing the visitors to 45/3 after Zak Crawley's early exit. England's struggles were compounded by Ben Duckett's dismissal, leaving them reeling at 71/4. However, a resilient 103-run stand between Ollie Pope (59*) and Harry Brook (54*) brought some stability, with England reaching 174/4 at tea, still 174 runs behind New Zealand's first-innings total of 348.
Root's duck in his milestone 150th Test match places him in an exclusive yet undesirable club, joining Australian legends Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting as the only batters to record ducks in their 150th Test appearances.
Steve Waugh (AUS vs PAK, Sharjah, 2002) – 1st ball
Ricky Ponting (AUS vs ENG, Adelaide, 2010) – 1st ball
Joe Root (ENG vs NZ, Christchurch, 2024) – 4th ball
Earlier in the day, England dismissed New Zealand for 348, with Glenn Phillips (58*) anchoring the tail after Kane Williamson's composed 120 on Day 1. England's bowlers Brydon Carse (4/64) and Shoaib Bashir (4/69) excelled, but the visitors faced immediate setbacks in reply. Harry Brook and Ollie Pope's counterattacking 150-plus partnership provided hope, but England's task remains daunting with a significant deficit to overcome and New Zealand's pace attack firing on all cylinders. Both Brook and Pope hit gritty fifties in an unbeaten stand to help England after the top-order crumbled.
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