WELLINGTON (New Zealand): England opener Zak Crawley’s first-over six against Tim Southee during the second Test against New Zealand at Wellington made history as he became the second player in the history of the sport to smash a maximum in the first over of a Test match.
After being put to bat first by NZ skipper Tom Latham who won the toss, Crawley looked to score quickly. After a thick inside edge into the leg side first ball and two runs on the next ball, the England batter did not get any runs till the final ball. Crawley made the most of the final delivery, hitting it straight back over the bowler’s head for a six at long-off boundary.
Before Crawley, the first-ever player to hit a six in the first over of a Test was West Indies batting icon Chris Gayle, who took down Bangladesh spinner Sohag Gazi for two sixes in the first over of the first Test of a two-match series back in 2012, as per Wisden.
The final ball of first over is also the earliest an England batter has hit a six in men’s Test, with the previous record owned by Arthur Milton, who in 1959, who cleared the rope off the second ball of the second over. Also, former England captain Michael Vaughan smashed a six on second ball of second over against New Zealand in 2002.
Also notably, when Test cricket still had eight balls per over, Cyril Washbrook smashed a six in the first over during fourth innings of a Test against South Africa back in 1949. Washbrook sent the seventh ball of the over for a maximum.
Coming to the match, England was put to bat first by Latham and was reduced to 43/4 and Crawley was dismissed for 17 in 23 balls. A counter-attacking century from Harry Brook (123 in 115 balls, with 11 fours and five sixes) and a fine half-century from Ollie Pope (66 in 78 balls, with seven fours and a six) took England to 280/10 in 54.4 overs. Brook and Pope put up a 174 run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Nathan Smith (4/86) was the pick of the bowlers for Kiwis, while Will O’Rourke also took 3/49. Matt Henry also got two wickets. England is leading the three-match series 1-0. (ANI)