England vs New Zealand Test Match Update: Harry Brook's Counterattack Strategy

Entertainment Entertainment Entertainment - One good thing with Harry Brook is that he is rarely muddled. He follows a simple thought process - When in form, attack. When in trouble, counterattack. So expect a flurry of strokes to be played after the break, because one thing is for sure - you are not going to get runs by just defending the balls on THIS current pitch. There is one which will have your name on it, so might as well take the attack to the opposition and get them off their lines and lengths. The second session is scheduled to start around 12.40 pm GMT and with around 12 overs to go for the second new ball, it will be interesting to see if Latham gets Santner or Ravindra a go. Additionally, just 23 overs have been bowled so far, so Latham has to find a way to improve the over rate. Brook's conundrum - Some greats have said, 'Kid, you have got a bat to play. Use it.' Some other greats have said, 'Mate, attack is the best form of defense.' Some other souls have also said, ' Son, attack, but don't overattack'. With just one specialist batter in the middle, Harry Brook will feel a lot of weight on his shoulders. He has played in two different gears as of now - First 12 balls - 3 runs | Next 33 balls - 37 runs | Final 23 balls - 11 runs. It is like gear 1, zoom up to say, gear 4, in Tests, then back to gear 1. That's because the pitch has played totally different to how it has been playing over the last couple of days. The extreme heat has caused some of the cracks to open up and because of that, the ball is nipping around a big deal. It is not like England's lower middle order cannot bat at all, but in a pitch like this, it would be better if Brook does more of the talking, because one just feels that post Lunch, he will just come out and play the way he normally plays - aggressive. And if he bats long, England will get very close to New Zealand's 438, and completely flip the momentum. Yes, they have to bat last on this match, but anything can happen in the third innings. Smith hurts England again - If Steven does not, then Nathan will. Seems like New Zealand spent the whole night sitting with their analyst, because what they could not do for 45 overs on Friday, they started to do from the first ball of Saturday - bowl at the stumps. Nathan Smith struck on his second ball of the morning, trapping Joe Root LBW and then also went on to dismiss Jamie Smith. From the other end, Will O'Rourke got rid of the other overnight batter, Jacob Bethell and all of a sudden, this pitch was playing like a minefield. The Test and white-ball captain then got together and tried to resurrect the innings, before Zakary Foulkes bowled a beauty, assisted by the pitch, to get one through the gate. And since then, scoring has just been difficult, with every ball expected to do something. Who takes the pie? Normally, a pie chart is prepared for the entire day, with 3 sections cut for the three sessions. Without a doubt, it is New Zealand's session, but it is very interesting the way it panned out. First 6 overs - 11/3 | Next 9 overs - 54/0 | Final 8 overs - 26/1. Leave aside that brief period in the middle when Brook turned the boundary tap on, batting has definitely been the most difficult of all the 7 sessions played so far. 4 Overs67.3 Score314 - 6 Nathan Smith to Gus Atkinson, FOUR! A rare lapse in line from Nathan Smith. Coming from wide of the crease, he lands a length ball on middle and leg, just a touch too straight. Atkinson is quick to latch onto it, neatly picking it off his pads with a well-timed flick. He threads it through mid-wicket, and the lightning-fast outfield takes care of the rest. A welcome boundary for England, the last one from the bat came in the 59th over. The deficit is down to 124 now. 0 Overs66.3 Score308 - 6 Zakary Foulkes to Harry Brook, FOUR BYES! Goodness me, what happened there? Zak slants in a good-length delivery around off. The angle suggests it should dart into the batter, but the pitch has other ideas. It grips, nips away sharply and climbs steeply off this bone-dry surface. Brook stays back to defend, but the ball flies past the outside edge, quite away from the bat, in fact. Poor Blundell is completely wrong-footed. He tracks the expected line, only for the ball to take a different route altogether, sneaking past his right side and racing away to the deep third boundary for four byes. The pitch is certainly beginning to misbehave. 0 Overs64.2 Score301 - 6 Zakary Foulkes to Gus Atkinson, Shout for LBW! Not given. A touch short around off, angling back in, Atkinson rocks onto the back foot looking to pull but misses completely. He is struck high on the thigh pad, and New Zealand go up in an appeal. The finger stays down. It is hard to tell who convinced Tom Latham to review. The line looked promising, but the height always seemed the issue. Ball Tracking confirms exactly that, with the ball sailing over the stumps. New Zealand burn a review. 2 Overs63.1 Score298 - 6 Nathan Smith to Harry Brook, EDGED, SAFE! Straightaway, Smith causes problems for England. Steve or Nathan, does not make much of a difference in the name. On a length, outside off, Brook looks to defend but the ball kicks up and generates an outside edge. However, Brook plays it with soft hands and hence, the ball does not carry to Daryl Mitchell at first slip. He goes low to his left pretty late and the ball bursts through. Two runs taken. 2 Overs62.4 Score295 - 6 Zakary Foulkes to Harry Brook, A bit of drama, with the third umpire referral making it more serious than it actually was. On a length, outside off, HB worked it through mid-wicket and called for two. There was never a doubt there, but it seemed like Atkinson took it a bit too lightly. Or maybe, he was not expecting the second run, since it was the 4th ball of the over. He trots down for the second and towards the end, puts in a bit of acceleration. The throw comes into the bowler and even then, Atkinson is not dragging his bat. He plonks his bat just a metre outside the crease and then drags it in. The bowler collects the ball and whips off the bails, appealing for a run out and Rod Tucker does not want to take any chance. Refers it upstairs and the decision is made after a couple of replays. The bat just about slid in.