OTD in 2018 | Tim Southee and Trent Boult spearhead New Zealand’s dominant display as England Collapse for 58

New Zealand has always been a challenging tour for any touring side, particularly in Test cricket. Visitors find it hard to acclimatize in those conditions and this lack of familiarity sometimes has a catastrophic effect. On this day in 2018, New Zealand welcomed England with a jaw-dropping bowling performance. It was a disastrous start for England in the 2-match Test series against the Kiwis. 

England humiliated 

The first match of the series was played in Auckland. Captain Kane Williamson won the toss for the hosts and made an obvious decision to bowl first. The two senior pros of the New Zealand bowling attack, Tim Southee and Trent Boult, breathed fire right from the start. The left-arm pacer made the first two breakthroughs by dismissing the two most important figures in the English batting order. First, the English veteran Alastair Cook was shown the way back and then his departure was followed by captain Joe Root’s dismissal. Boult uprooted the stumps to end Root’s knock before he could open his account. 

After these two initial blows, it was a free fall for England orchestrated by Southee and Boult. Boult continued his wicket-taking streak as he picked up his third wicket by getting the better of Dawid Malan. Soon Southee joined the party and got his first breakthrough. Opener Mark Stoneman could not tackle Southee’s delivery and gave up his wicket. With Ben Stokes’ dismissal half of the side was back in the pavilion with just 18 runs on the board. It was Craig Overton whose 33-run knock carried England beyond the 50-run mark. Eventually, New Zealand bowled the visitors out for 58 runs in just 20.4 overs. 

The Kiwis went on to take a massive lead as they declared their first innings after posting 427 runs on the board. England improved their batting display in the second innings but could not bridge the gap. In the end, New Zealand won the match by an innings and 49 runs to take a vital lead in the series. Trent Boult was adjudged the player of the match who picked up 9 wickets to lead New Zealand to a famous victory. 

For more exclusive updates Visit BJSports to access Exclusive News that is only for you, incisive analysis, and updates, and to keep up with all of the latest information on your remarkable cricket favorite players and teams. To ensure you never miss out, join in on the fun right away!