Twitter Reactions: Root double guides England to safety in Hamilton

After the first four days, it can very well be said that the Hamilton Test is heading towards a draw, barring some miraculous turn of events. England could’ve found themselves into trouble, but Joe Root and Rory Burns carried the hosts to safer shores. By the end of the fourth day, New Zealand are trailing by five runs with eight wickets left and looks as if they will end with a 1-0 win in the series.

Root stamps in authority on New Zealand

Though Root had scored a ton on the third day, the Three Lions were still 106 runs behind with not much batting left. He had Ollie Pope for company and the game was in the balance. The duo played out the opening session, taking the Brits to a four-run lead. In the post-Lunch session, Root notched a double century off 412 balls. The stand between Pope and Root fetched a significant 193 runs.

Mitchell Santner got rid of Root, who got 226 with 22 fours and a six. Pope lent his skipper the apt support, scoring 75 patient runs off 202 deliveries. Neil Wagner got rid of him to separate the duo. Following his dismissal, Wagner ran through the tail as from 455/5, the visiting team was shot out for 476. Wagner picked up an impressive five-wicket haul, but England got a decent lead of 101 runs.

Williamson and Taylor steady the ship

The Kiwis made a rather nervous start. Sam Curran trapped Jeet Raval for a two-ball duck to strike first blood. A few overs later, Chris Woakes found Tom Latham’s outside-edge and reduced the hosts to 28/2. Latham was looking pretty impressive after scoring 18 off 29 with a couple of fours. Having lost the early wickets, the Black Caps needed someone to stop the bleeding and restore some sanity.

Kane Williamson (37*) and Ross Taylor (31*) have rescued their team a number of times. It wasn’t any different this time around. The duo put their heads down and saw New Zealand through to the end of the day. They staved off the English attack with grace. Both hit four fours each to keep the score ticking. Their task on the fifth day will be to disallow England from coming back into the contest.

Here is how Twitter lauded Root and Burns on their knocks:-