Conway charts New Zealand’s rehabilitation

At Lunchtime on Day 2 of the first Test on Friday at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand reached 138 for 5 thanks in large part to Devon Conway’s confident, unbroken 72.

Conway immediately got going after starting the second day on 37 for 3, smashing three boundaries off Stuart Broad in the opening over of the day. He was with Neil Wagner as they battled James Anderson and Chris Broad’s unrelenting bowling lines for almost an hour in the afternoon.

Soon enough, Wagner got going, hitting three consecutive short balls off Broad for a boundary and two sixes. A slower full delivery from the pacer, which Wagner flicked to Ollie Robinson at mid on, though, gave him the final laugh. Soon after, Robinson added another wicket to his total when he leg-before-leg trapped Daryl Mitchell for a duck, dropping New Zealand to 83 for 5.

While Blundell opted to bat carefully, Conway occasionally provided a charge, reaching his half-century while tonking Joe Root for a six, as well as going down the track. While the hosts amassed 101 runs in the session, the pair rotated the strike efficiently and put on a 55-run partnership for the sixth wicket.

Short scores: England 325/9 decl. leads New Zealand 138/5 (Devon Conway 70*, Neil Wagner 27; James Anderson 2-19, Ollie Robinson 2-27) by 187 runs. (Harry Brook 89, Ben Duckett 84; Neil Wagner 4-82, Tim Southee 2-71)