England star Ollie Pope, on Saturday, completed a stunning reflex catch at silly point to pile more misery on beleaguered New Zealand in the ongoing second Test at the Basin Reserve, Wellington.
England, who are leading the series after winning the first Test, are looking set to win the ongoing Test too after completely dominating the proceedings so far. The visitors declared their first innings on 435 for 8.
They were off to a poor start with the bat and were reeling at 21 for 3 before centuries from Harry Brook (186) and Joe (153) not only steadied the ship for them but also guided them to the big total.
After the impressive display with the bat, England have come up with a solid display with the ball too. At the time of writing this report, the hosts were reeling at 105 for 7 after 36 overs. Veteran James Anderson once again gave his team a flying start by taking three wickets in quick time with the new ball. Spinner Jack Leach have also picked up 3 wickets while Stuart Broad has picked up 1.
Ollie Pope’s stunning catch:
At a time when New Zealand were desperately looking to stop the rot and build a good partnership, Ollie Pope came up with a stunning effort at silly point to reduce them to 96 for 6. Daryl Mitchell was facing left-arm spinner Jack Leach.
The right-handed batsman went for a front foot defence and middled the ball. And what happened in a fraction of second after the shot left everyone shellshocked including Mitchell. Soon after the ball lobbed up after the shot, Ollie Pope grabbed it within a fraction of a second, leaving Mitchell utterly shocked. The New Zealand batsman’s reaction after the catch made his feelings very clear.
Here is a clip of the catch:
What on earth ?
This is ???????????? from Ollie Pope ?
The perfect to finish the session! #NZvENG pic.twitter.com/hehHIe5UO0
— Cricket on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) February 25, 2023