WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Joe Root secured his 36th Test century as England declared with a commanding lead of 582 runs on Sunday during the third morning of the second Test against New Zealand.
England resumed its second innings at 378-5, already boasting a substantial lead of 533 runs, with Root not out at 73.
The team continued to bat for 27 more minutes or 6.3 overs, allowing Root to reach his century. He ultimately scored 106 runs before getting dismissed, while captain Ben Stokes remained not out at 49 when the declaration was made, leaving nearly three full days left in the match.
At lunch, New Zealand found itself in significant trouble at 59-4, still 523 runs behind. The break was taken slightly early due to a quick rain shower moving over the Basin Reserve.
Chris Woakes, bowling against a challenging breeze, took the wicket of Devon Conway (0) in the third over of New Zealand’s second innings, followed by the crucial dismissal of Kane Williamson (4).
Brydon Carse, bowling downwind, picked up the wickets of New Zealand captain Tom Latham (24) and Rachin Ravindra (6) just before lunch.
The conditions on the third-day pitch aided the seamers, and Woakes managed to remove Conway with a delivery that wobbled and nipped back between bat and pad.
He then tested Williamson with a series of short balls before eventually delivering a perfect ball that straightened on its path.
Williamson attempted a straight bat defense but faintly edged the ball to wicketkeeper Ollie Pope, who completed the catch.
Carse made his mark with just his second ball of the morning, directing a quick delivery into Latham’s pads. Latham’s awkward attempt at a defensive shot resulted in the ball ricocheting back into Carse’s hands for an impressive one-handed catch on his follow-through.
Later, Carse tempted Ravindra into an ill-advised shot outside off stump that was edged straight to Pope.
Carse now has a total of 16 wickets in the series.
On his way to the century, Root became the fourth player in Test history to register 100 scores of 50 or more, joining the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting.
Root reached his century from 127 balls, executing a thrilling ramp shot over the wicketkeeper Tom Blundell’s head for a boundary when he was on 98.
He struck another four, bringing the total to 11 for his innings, before being caught by Blundell off Will O’Rourke two balls later, prompting Stokes to signal the end of their innings.
For New Zealand to win the match and even the series, they now face the daunting challenge of attempting the highest ever fourth innings chase. They would need to surpass the current record of 418 runs established by the West Indies against Australia in 2003.