WTC 2021-23, England vs New Zealand, 1st Test, Day 4: Joe Root’s 115* helps England win; Matthew Potts shines with 7-68 on debut
Brief Scores: Eng 141 (Crawley 43, Southee 55/4, Boult 21/3) & 279-5 (Root 115*, Stokes 54, Foakes 32* Jamieson 79/4) beat NZ 132 (de Grandhomme 42*, Potts 13/4, Anderson 66/4) & 285 (Mitchell 108, Blundell 96, Potts 55/3, Broad 76/3) by 5 wickets
Player of the Match: Joe Root (115*)
At the end of the third day, Lord’s Test was poised at a fine balance, where both results were possible.
England required only 61 runs to win the series opener and their opponent New Zealand needed only five wickets to bag a win. Joe Root was unbeaten on 77 on Saturday, whereas Ben Foakes was unbeaten on nine off 48 deliveries.
Read More: WTC 2021-23, Eng vs NZ, 1st Test, Day 3: Root holds ground with 77*; Eng at 216-5 chasing 277
Joe Root completes 26th Test hundred; carries England home
The batting duo of Root and Foakes started positively against NZ pacers, Tim Southee and Trent Boult. Foakes smashed the first boundary of the day off first change pacer Kyle Jamieson.
On the other end, Root played a straight drive to get a boundary and reached the 90s. Both players continued to crack boundaries against opponent pacers. The batting pair completed a 100-run partnership for the sixth wicket and the hosts were approaching a win quickly.
Joe Root completed his 26th Test century in this vital fourth innings for England. Also, he reached 10,000 Test runs, which is an iconic feat for any batter. He is only the second Englishman after Alastair Cook to achieve this record.
When only 10 runs were required to win the game, Root struck three boundaries in one over of Southee and helped his side clinch the Lord’s Test.
England went up 1-0 in the three-match Test series against New Zealand. Root was awarded the Player of the Match award for a phenomenal century in the fourth innings chase to take his side home.
Read More: WTC 2021-23, Eng vs NZ, 1st Test, Day 2: Mitchell-Blundell 180* stand gives NZ 227-run lead
What’s Next
Both teams will head to Nottingham to play the second Test of the series scheduled to begin on June 10.
Top Twitter Reactions from ENG vs NZ, Lord’s Test
Here are the top Twitter reactions on the Lord’s Test between England and New Zealand.
Read More: WTC 2021-23, Eng vs NZ, 1st Test, Day 1: Bowlers shine at Lord’s; Eng 116-7 in response to NZ’s 132
