Brook's sublime 184 not out puts England on top

Joe Root and Harry Brook put on 294 for the fourth wicket

A quite magnificent 184 not out from the prolific Harry Brook put England in the ascendancy on day one of the second and final Test against New Zealand.

The tourists had been 21-3 after being asked to bat on a green pitch at the Basin Reserve - Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope all falling cheaply.

But Brook batted with all the style, certainty and confidence of a man who now has four hundreds in his first six Tests.

His 169-ball effort was laced with some sublime strokes and moved him to 807 Test runs in total, the most after nine innings for any player in history.

Root, who survived a review for lbw from his first ball and then again on 31, was the perfect foil. Batting at a more modest tempo, the former captain ended unbeaten on 101.

Between them, the Yorkshire pair have added an unbroken 294 for the fourth wicket and left England in the perfect position to push for their seventh successive Test win and a series triumph that would be New Zealand's first home defeat in six years.

Master and apprentice bully Black Caps

This had all the ingredients of an intriguing challenge for England's ultra-aggressive batting line-up, and initially New Zealand looked set to exploit the emerald surface.

With the returning Matt Henry bowling a beautiful opening spell, Crawley was drawn into a nick and Pope played across one to give a thick edge.

Duckett poked a drive and was spectacularly caught one-handed by the diving Michael Bracewell at third slip off Tim Southee.

Brook, though, countered by hitting three fours in a single Southee over and England never looked back.

Whether batting conditions eased or England made them look easier, Brook and Root bullied a New Zealand attack that was a bowler light after the Black Caps chose to lengthen their batting by including Will Young.

While Brook played some breathtaking, almost unbelievable shots, the biggest cheer from the huge contingent of England fans inside a sold-out Basin Reserve was for Root's hundred, completed in the rain just before the players left the field.

The bad weather gave respite to the New Zealand attack, ending play after only 65 of the scheduled 90 overs had been bowled. Day two will begin 30 minutes early at 21:30 GMT on Friday.

More to follow.