NZ vs ENG, 1st Test, Day 2 Twitter Reaction: Rain trumps as New Zealand stretch lead

23.1 overs were bowled during the rain-interrupted day's play

By Sabyasachi Chowdhury

Updated - 23 Mar 2018, 14:25 IST

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5 Min Read

The opening day of the historic Day/Night Test between New Zealand and England was a witness to the carnage by the Kiwis bowlers. Joe Root’s men crumbled like a house of cards as the likes of Trent Boult and Tim Southee ripped the heart of their batting lineup. There was an instance when England was on the brink of being bowled out for their lowest Test score.

However, some lusty blows by Chris Overton entertained the crowned and saved England from the embarrassment. New Zealand came out to bat and ended the day with a lead of 117 runs. Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls were the overnight batsmen. Williamson raced away to his 18th half-century in Tests and therefore emerged as the highest century-maker for New Zealand in Tests.

Rain has the last laugh

Soon after, the rain arrived and the play was halted for an hour. Williamson perished soon after the resumption of play as he was trapped in front by a vicious in-swinger by James Anderson. After an hour, the rain returned and persisted long enough for play to be called off. The relentless rain played hide and seek, which added to the agony of the players.

There were quite a few inspections following which the umpires were forced to abandon play for the day. Despite the downpour, the hosts have the upper hand in the game owing to their stupendous performance in the opening day itself. They are currently leading by 171 runs with six first-innings wickets in hand.

Henry Nicholls has telecasted grit and is standing one run short of a half-century. BJ Watling, the Kiwi wicket-keeper who made a comeback, scorched three glorious boundaries to remain not out on 17 runs off 20 balls. Meanwhile, England has switched on the damage-control mode and would be hoping to pick some early wickets tomorrow morning when play starts half an hour early at 1:30 pm Local Time.

Here’s how Twitterati reacted after a dull day of cricket

 

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