On Monday at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, there was a moment when it appeared that Kane Williamson and Tom Blundell of the New Zealand team would bat throughout the day, leaving England, led by captain Ben Stokes, with a daunting target in the second Test.
However, the unexpected Harry Brook brought an end to the partnership by taking the valuable wicket of centurion Williamson, which opened the floodgates. New Zealand’s second innings, after being asked to follow on, came to a quick end, giving England a seemingly formidable target of 258 runs.
The tourists responded impressively, despite Tim Southee getting the best of Zak Crawley before the end of the penultimate day. Ben Duckett’s promising start reduced England’s chase to 210, with the team having nine wickets in hand.
During the latter part of New Zealand’s innings, a female fan was captured on camera with a unique placard for “Ben” while seated with her boyfriend. One of the commentators joked about the biggest question being which “Ben” the placard referred to.
The camera then focused on Ben Stokes, who appeared to acknowledge the sign on the giant screen. The incident sparked amusing speculation among commentators and social media users alike. When England resumes their innings on Day 5 of the second Test, Ben Duckett, who had scored 23*, will be joined by nightwatchman Ollie Robinson, who had scored 1*, with the team at 48 for 1.