Twitter Reactions: BJ Watling's unbeaten ton helps New Zealand take command over England

England managed to pick only two wickets in the day.

By Bijoy

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5 Min Read

BJ Watling
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BJ Watling. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Riding on impressive knocks from BJ Watling and Colin de Grandhomme, New Zealand turned around their fortunes in the ongoing first Test against England at the Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui. The hosts needed to do well with the bat on day three and they did exactly the same. Watling scored an impressive century, helping the hosts finish the day on 394 for 6.

Earlier in the game, England had finished their first innings on 353. At 286 for 5, England were well on their way to post in excess of 400 before they suffered an inexplicable collapse. England lost wickets in a heap to find themselves eight down for 295 from 286 for 5. But they still managed to post above 350, thanks to the 52-run stand between Jos Buttler and Jack Leach.

Watling and De Grandhomme show steer New Zealand

England had started well with the ball on day two and had New Zealand reeling at 144 for 4 by the end of the day. With the likes of Tom Latham, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor back in the hut, the visitors were ahead in the game. However, nothing much went their way on day three as the Black Caps took command of the game.

Overnight batsmen Henry Nicholls and Watling started cautiously and negated the early overs brilliantly. The likes of Sam Curran, Jofra Archer and Stuart Broad could not make much impact with the soft ball. The breakthrough finally came from an unlikely source with skipper Joe Root dismissing Nicholls and ending the 70-run stand.

Before that wicket, Root should have dismissed Watling after inducing an edge from him only for Ben Stokes to drop the catch at slip. The miss turned out too costly as Watling went on to bat his side out of trouble by scoring a stunning ton. He was well supported by Colin de Grandhomme as the duo revived New Zealand’s chances in the match.

Archer did bowl a fiery spell with the second new ball but it did not bring any success. England’s miseries were further compounded by their poor fielding and DRS calls. Watling and Grandhomme added 119 runs for the sixth wicket before the latter departed for 65. But Grandhomme’s dismissal did not change England’s fortunes either as Mitchell Santner provided an equally impressive resistance.

The left hander and Watling helped the hosts wipe off the deficit and ensured that they did not lose any more wicket before the close of the day. At stumps, Watling was unbeaten on 119 while Santner was on 31.

Here’s how Twitter reacted:

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