Stuart Broad shreds New Zealand top order as England close in on win over New Zealand in pink-ball Test | Cricket News

Stuart Broad made himself and James Anderson the record wicket-taking partnership in Test history as he shredded New Zealand during a stunning spell to put England on course for victory in the pink-ball game at Mount Maunganui.

Broad (4-21 from 10 overs) bowled Devon Conway (2), Kane Williamson (0), Tom Latham (15) and Tom Blundell (1) under the lights on the third evening as the Black Caps tumbled to 28-5 chasing a New Zealand-record 394 to win after England were all out for a swashbuckling 374 in 73.5 overs.

Broad’s dismissal of Conway, castled through the gate attempting a lavish drive, took him and Anderson to 1,002 wickets in the 133 Tests they have played together, above the haul of 1,001 managed by Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne for Australia across 104 games.

Broad’s subsequent removals of Williamson and Latham were brilliant – the 36-year-old nipping a delicious delivery back through the gate to bowl the right-handed Williamson and then curling it the other way to poleaxe the left-handed Latham, shortly after having him dropped by Zak Crawley at slip.

The seamer then smashed the stumps of first-innings centurion Blundell after Ollie Robinson had nicked off Henry Nicholls (6).

A shell-shocked home side ended on 63-5 – Michael Bracewell (25no) and Daryl Mitchell (13no) extending the game into at least a fourth day – but England are closing in on a 10th victory in 11 Tests since Ben Stokes became captain and former Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum head coach as well as a first in New Zealand since 2008, the tour on which Anderson and Broad were first paired.

‘Nighthawk’ shot down but England score swiftly yet again

Broad began the day with the bat in his hand, having come out as England’s ‘nighthawk’ on the second evening once Crawley was caught behind off home debutant Blair Tickner (3-55).

Broad should have departed on Friday night when he skied the second ball he faced in a kamikaze cameo straight up in the air, only for bowler Scott Kuggeleijn and wicketkeeper Blundell to leave the catch for each other as England closed on 79-2 from 16 overs.

Broad (7 off 17) added only one run to his overnight total before slicing Neil Wagner’s fierce bouncer to gully but England’s recognised batters scored freely as the tourists plundered 158 from 25.1 overs in the opening session – one which ended a few minutes early when Joe Root (57 off 62) fell on the reverse scoop for the second time in the game, perhaps making him the first Test batter to do that.

Wagner’s short ball accounted for Broad but it was hammered by Ollie Pope (49 off 46), with the Surrey man striking two early leg-side sixes and a brace of fours before he snicked the left-armer down the leg-side to end a stand of 62 from 46 deliveries with Root.

Root and Harry Brook’s alliance was worth 81 from 65 balls, with Brook (54 from 41) the dominant partner as he recorded a sixth fifty-plus score in eight Test knocks, backing up his first-innings 89.

Brook, like Pope, tucked into Wagner’s bumper barrage, nailing two fours and a six in a 16-run 30th over and four successive boundaries – a sequence that ended with a six – in an 18-run 34th as Wagner’s figures read an eye-watering 2-104 from 11 overs at one stage.

Brook and Root fell shortly after reaching fifty, with Brook edging Tickner behind to Blundell and Root then out in funky style once again, as he deflected off-spinner Michael Bracewell (3-68) to Daryl Mitchell at slip, leaving England 237-5 at tea with a lead 256.

Stokes becomes highest six-hitter in Test cricket

Stokes, who came in behind Ben Foakes (51) and as low as No 8 following the second-evening introduction of Broad, became the leading six-hitter in Tests in the middle session, moving past McCullum’s haul of 107 when he smoked Kuggeleijn over fine leg.

Stokes moved on to 109 sixes from the very next ball as Wagner stumbled over the rope at deep fine trying to take a catch but the batter was unable to swell that total further, stumped for 31 from 33 balls after being deceived in flight by Bracewell as his stand with Foakes was snapped on 56 from 65 deliveries.

Foakes went on to become the second half-centurion of the innings, and its most patient, bringing up his fifty from 81 deliveries one ball before he snicked a fine seed from Tickner behind.

Robinson brushed off a tweak of the left knee while running to contribute 39 from 48 balls, frequently reverse sweeping as he added 42 with Foakes and bossed a partnership of 23 with Jack Leach prior to being bounced out by Kuggeleijn.

Leach (12) was last out – stumped off Bracewell – but not before uppercutting a gorgeous four of Kuggeleijn through point.

It was a shot the ‘nighthawk’ would have been proud of but it was Broad’s bowling that soon took centre stage as he produced another of his trademark box-office spells after his Ashes 8-15 at Trent Bridge in 2015, 6-17 against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2016 and countless others.

Broad: Perfect pitch for my bowling

Stuart Broad, speaking to BT Sport:

“My game-plan was to try to hit the pitch as the hard as I possibly could with the wobble seam. It was almost the perfect dryness of pitch for my bowling. I didn’t have to chase too full. I could really bowl it hard into the pitch but still bring the stumps into play – and it’s always nice when you get a few quality batters out bowled.”