England cricket team were bowled out for their fifth-lowest Test score — 58 in just 94 minutes on Day 1 of the first Test against New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland on Thursday, March 22.
Joe Root's men were heading into the first day-night Test of the tour on the back of a successful ODI series, which they had won 3-2 against the Black Caps. Also, there was a lot of positivity around the England team as Ben Stokes was back in the playing XI for the first time since missing 2017/18 Ashes Down Under.
However, New Zealand seamers Trent Boult and Tim Southee ran riot and swung the momentum back in their team's favor as early as in the morning session of the Test. With the pink kookaburra in hand, both the seamers looked unplayable as they picked up all 10 English wickets between them.
Skipper Root, who had promoted himself to bat at no. 3, was cleaned up Boult, who ended up with his career-best figures of 6 for 32. Southee finished with 4 for 25 from his 10-over spell.
Comeback man Stokes was one of the five men, who failed to trouble the scorers. The top-six contributed only 18 runs, which includes 11 from the bat of opener Mark Stoneman.
At one point in the morning session, England, reeling at 23 for 8, were starting at the lowest total in Test history. However tailender Craig Overton, who walked in at no. 10, top-scored with a 25-ball 33 and helped the visitors avoid a few embarrassing records.
Notably, New Zealand was bowled for the lowest Test score in Test history — 26 by England in Auckland in 1955.
International Business Times, India has compiled a few Twitter reactions to England's dismal show in Auckland. From calls to bringing back Kevin Pietersen, who retired earlier this week to praising Overton's heroics, check all the tweets below.
All out 58, 5 runs fewer than Steve Smith's Test average. #NZvENG
— Tom Morris (@tommorris32) March 22, 2018
What's the follow-on target when you bat first?#NZvENG
— Dennis Akmal (@DennisCricket_) March 22, 2018
Who says Joe Root doesn't lead by example? Poms have followed his lead beautifully by making 50 and then getting out. #NZvENG
— Xavier Mardling (@xave_55) March 22, 2018
That's Trent Boult's best bowling. 6/32, previous best 6/40. So much right on the money. Southee at the other end superb as well. What an unbelievable 94 minutes #NZvENG
— Guy Heveldt (@GuyHeveldt) March 22, 2018
England all out 58 before lunch day 1. Fifth lowest total in England's history #NZvENG
— Andrew Wu (@wutube) March 22, 2018
If it was a cunning ploy to be bowling at NZ by twilight it might have gone a bit far #NZvENG
— Chloe Saltau (@chloejane32) March 22, 2018
Two bowlers bowling unchanged to skittle out a side is pretty rare in Test cricket.
Last two instances:
Anderson and Broad, Lord's 2013, against New Zealand
Boult and Southee, TODAY, against EnglandRevenge is best... what was that saying again?#NZvENG
— Abhishek Mukherjee (@ovshake42) March 22, 2018
Screenshot of England's scorecard...#NZvENG pic.twitter.com/L2ILiKD77J
— Ayomal Praveen Fernandopulle (@ayomalpraveen33) March 22, 2018
Can @KP24 come out of retirement already? #NZvENG
— Simon Johnson (@sjstandardsport) March 22, 2018
#nzveng It takes a special kind of clueless batting to consign the team to humiliating defeat in a five day test before lunch on day one.
— Jeremy Leese (@caribbeanpotter) March 22, 2018
That feeling when Craig Overton has almost half your team's batting total. #NZvENG
— James Maasdorp ? (@MaasdorpJR) March 22, 2018
Safe to say this might be the first and last pink ball T20 match ever. #NZvENG
— Adam Hill (@adamhillmedia) March 22, 2018
#nzveng It takes a special kind of clueless batting to consign the team to humiliating defeat in a five day test before lunch on day one.
— Jeremy Leese (@caribbeanpotter) March 22, 2018
I think this new format of Test T20 could really catch on! #NZvENG
— Tim Lowell (@timlowell) March 22, 2018
England may as well have forfeit their innings instead of wasting one of those expensive pink balls. #NZvENG #NZvsEng
— Jonathan (@torpidkiwi) March 22, 2018
That pink ball should be in the running for New Zealander of the Year. #NZvENG
— Hilary Barry (@Hilary_Barry) March 22, 2018
Foxtel announce that today's broadcast of the New Zealand v England test has been moved from FOX Sports to the comedy channel. #NZvENG
— Ladbrokes.com.au (@ladbrokescomau) March 22, 2018
Overton 'favorite England player of all time'
When 52-9 in a Test match Innings constitutes a recovery!! #NZvENG
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) March 22, 2018
England’s least capped player has made more than half the team runs #NZvENG
— Gaurav Kalra (@gauravkalra75) March 22, 2018
Overton easily my least favourite England player of all time. #NZvENG
— Dan Liebke (@LiebCricket) March 22, 2018
England to bat reverse order in the second innings? #NZvENG
— The Niche Cache (@thenichecache) March 22, 2018
Overton clearly didn't get the message #NZvENG
— Avi (@Avi_Lal) March 22, 2018
Kiwis have lost the plot here, no wicket for 2 overs. Was fun while it lasted, back to work.#NZvENG
— Peter Hanlon (@PeterGHanlon) March 22, 2018
There's a half-century...for the team #NZvENG
— Andrew McGlashan (@andymcg_cricket) March 22, 2018
