Out of the 87.1 overs which England batted in the first innings of the second Test match against New Zealand in Wellington, batter Ollie Pope (10) could last for a maximum of one over. However, the 25-year old player followed it with a couple of sensational catches as a close in-fielder to contribute generously to a team cause.
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Pope, who hit a couple of boundaries before edging a Matt Henry delivery to the slips to be one of the three early wickets which England lost after being asked to bat first by New Zealand captain Tim Southee on Day 1, assisted spinner Jack Leach in dismissing the likes of Henry Nicholls (30) and Daryl Mitchell (13) on Day 2.
New Zealand, who also started their innings by losing three early wickets, eventually managed to lose wickets at regular intervals to end another day of this series on the back foot.
Ollie Pope catch videos today
It was on the second delivery of the 25th over when Nicholls out of the blue opted to reverse sweep Leach only to be dismissed. Playing against the turn, all the left-handed batter did was top-edge the ball towards Pope at short-leg. With the ball hitting both the bat and the batter’s forearm, Pope had to adjust to a couple of deflections within no time before grabbing the ball with his right hand.
Mitchell, on the other hand, was dismissed at silly point as a proactive Pope grabbed the ball out of nowhere to what was a decent defensive shot by the right-handed batter. Pope’s second-to-none anticipation played a key role in Leach picking his third wicket in the first spell on the last delivery before the tea break.
Another Day 3 finish on the cards?
Struggling at 138/7 in 42 overs with wicket-keeper batter Tom Blundell (25*) and Southee (23*) set to resume proceedings on Day 3, New Zealand desperately need another heroic effort from Blundell, in particular, if they are to avoid the follow-on.
Having lost as many as 27 wickets across the 170.2 overs that they have played in the series, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the hosts lose their remaining 13 wickets tomorrow itself. The same, however, won’t be possible if inclement weather conditions interrupt for the third time in a row at Basin Reserve.
