Wellington, New Zealand

England are in pole position to win the second Test match against New Zealand after an all-round performance at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Saturday (Dec 7). The dominant show was capped off by a brilliant bowling spell as Gus Atkinson became the 15th English bowler to scalp a Test career hat-trick. He was seen ecstatic after the moment and cartwheeled away in celebration as fans enjoyed the classic moment with the red ball.

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Atkinson gets maiden career hat-trick

Having started the day at 86/5 in their first innings, the hosts New Zealand struggled to find their rhythm in the opening session of Day 2. New Zealand were soon reduced to 97/7 after the start of Day 2, with Brydon Carse leading the bowling onslaught. However, it was the 26-year-old Atkinson who caught the eye in the 35th over of New Zealand’s innings with flawless display.

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On the third ball of the 35th over, Nathan Smith was bowled on 14 followed by Matt Henry’s wicket, caught by Ben Duckett. On a hat-trick on the fifth ball of the over, former New Zealand skipper Tim Southee was Atkinson’s cherry on top after he was dismissed lbw. While Southee took a review to challenge the lbw call, third umpire Ahsan Raza stood with the on-field call as Atkinson’s hat-trick was confirmed.

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England on the brink of win

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At the time of writing, visitors England were 266/3 and led by an impressive 421 runs to stamp their authority on the contest.

First innings centurion Harry Brook (37) and Joe Root (31) were in the middle and were on their way to a mammoth second innings lead.

With New Zealand struggling with the bat, Ben Stokes and Co will be the hot favourites to win the match while a defeat will all but end the host's chances of reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s in June 2025.