Hamilton: Despite centuries to Joe Root and Rory Burns England expressed disappointment at stumps on day three of the second Test against New Zealand after losing late wickets in Hamilton on Sunday.
England captain Root ended his run drought with an unbeaten 114 while Burns rode his luck to post 101. But after they took England to 201 for two, the tourists were 269 for five at stumps and still trailing New Zealand by 106. “I enjoyed the fact I got it (hundred) but at the same time disappointed me and Rooty couldn’t stretch our partnership and get us deeper into the game,” Burn said. “We’re disappointed to lose a couple of wickets at the back end as well.” With only five wickets remaining and 16 overs washed out by rain in the final session, England’s vision of building a healthy lead was rapidly fading. The tempo swung away from England when Burns was run out and New Zealand followed up with the quick wickets of Ben Stokes and Zak Crawley. “The run out got us going,” said Tim Southee who accounted for Stokes, adding that New Zealand never gave up hope despite the 63 overs it took to break the Root-Burns partnership. “We hung in there for long enough and we were able to get those rewards late in the day.” He added. (AFP)
