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During the first Test match against New Zealand at Hagley Oval, star England batter Joe Root faced a cruel turning point in his illustrious career. Nathan Smith, a rookie for New Zealand, removed Root for a four-ball duck in his 150th Test match. Root's dismissal put him on an enviable list of hitters with the most ducks in the World Test Championship (WTC), surpassing players like Steve Smith and Virat Kohli, who both have seven. It was his eighth in the WTC era and his thirteenth in Test cricket. Root, who has only amassed 90 runs in five innings since his double-century against Pakistan in Multan, is still having a rough time.
Following Zak Crawley's early dismissal, Smith, a debutant seamer, got an incredible start, removing England's Jacob Bethell and Root in the same over, bringing the visitors down to 45/3. Ben Duckett's ejection added to England's problems, which left them reeling at 71/4. Nevertheless, some stability was provided by a strong 103-run partnership between Ollie Pope (59*) and Harry Brook (54*), as England reached 174/4 at tea, still 174 runs behind New Zealand's 348 first-innings total.
Players who got out on duck in their 150th Test
Joining Australian greats Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting as the only batters to have ducks in their 150th Test outings, Root's duck in his historic 150th Test match puts him in an exclusive but unwanted company.
- Steve Waugh (AUS vs PAK, Sharjah, 2002) – 1st ball
- Ricky Ponting (AUS vs ENG, Adelaide, 2010) – 1st ball
- Joe Root (ENG vs NZ, Christchurch, 2024) – 4th ball
Following Kane Williamson's composed 93 on Day 1, Glenn Phillips (58*) anchored the tail as England defeated New Zealand for 348 earlier in the day. Brydon Carse (4/64) and Shoaib Bashir (4/69) of England were outstanding bowlers, but the visitors suffered instant losses in response. With a large deficit to overcome and New Zealand's pace attack blazing, England's job remained difficult despite the optimism created by Harry Brook and Ollie Pope's counterattacking partnership of more than 150. After the top-order collapsed, Brook and Pope both produced hard-hitting fifties in an undefeated run to aid England.
