Brook & Carse give England upper hand on New Zealand

England’s Dom Sibley was the lone bright spot in an otherwise lackluster Day One display against New Zealand at Edgbaston.

New Zealand’s pacers were on fire as England was reduced to 175/6 before Brook and Carse rescued England with a brilliant seventh-wicket partnership.

Jack Leach’s late cameo with the bat helped England post a respectable total of 258 in their first innings.

Brook was the star of the show with a gutsy knock of 91, while Carse provided valuable support with 47 runs to his name.

New Zealand’s batsmen struggled to deal with the English bowlers, as they were bowled out for just 201 in their first innings.

England’s Mark Wood was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with figures of 4/45 in a superb display of fast bowling.

England gained a 57-run lead and extended it to 96 by the end of Day Two, thanks to some aggressive batting from Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley.

The match hangs in the balance going into Day Three, with England holding the upper hand against the Kiwis.

Brook and Carse’s heroics have put England in a strong position to push for victory in the first Test of the series.

It remains to be seen if New Zealand can mount a comeback or if England’s dominance will continue in the remaining days of the Test match.