'Brook has done a winter's work Santa would be proud of'

Harry Brook was on his way to speak to the media, but encountered a problem. He was locked out.

How New Zealand must wish it was that simple to keep Brook quiet in the middle.

England's number five had played what is likely to be a match-defining innings in the second Test, a week after he played one in the first. Brook's 123 on the opening day in Wellington, following his 171 in Christchurch, has the tourists in reach of a series win.

He is putting together a winter's work Father Christmas would be proud of. The twin hundreds in New Zealand are on the heels of a triple-century in Pakistan. The Yorkshireman's away record is bettered only by the great Sir Donald Bradman. He is the best traveller to leave England since holiday-show Wish You Were Here host Judith Chalmers.

Given the match situation and the conditions, this was Brook's best knock of his 2024 tour trio. The man himself went one stage further and said it is his favourite of his eight Test hundreds.

Either side of Brook's outlier partnership worth 174 with Ollie Pope, whose 66 provided invaluable support, England lost their first four wickets for 43 runs and their last four for 21. England made 233 of their 280 runs while Brook was at the crease. In all, 15 wickets fell across the day. Brook was 123-1, the rest 243-14.

This was breathless stuff at the Basin Reserve, picking up from the Wonder of Wellington, the last time these two sides met on this ground. On that occasion, New Zealand won by one run.

Brook made a hundred then, too. He also took his one and only Test wicket. In the second innings, he was run out without facing a ball. Given the margin of defeat, it probably cost England the match. It also dented, realistically ended, his shot at the holy grail of Test batting records - the fastest man to 1,000 runs.

Still, staggering numbers followed. In Christchurch he reached 2,000 Test runs in his 36th innings. Only Herbert Sutcliffe, almost 100 years ago, got there faster for England.

This century in Wellington, from 91 balls, was Brook's second Test ton at better than a run a ball. Lord Botham is the other Englishman to make two centuries striking at faster than 100.

Brook's eighth Test hundred came in his 38th innings, so he is averaging a century at better than one every five knocks. Only Denis Compton got to eight three-figure scores in fewer innings for England.

The 2,225 runs Brook has made in his first 23 Tests is more than any other England player at this stage of a career. There are 118 runs between Brook and second-placed Wally Hammond, and Brook still has one more innings in his 23rd Test.

After Brook's 317 in Pakistan, James Anderson, who knows a thing or two about being the best of all time, raised eyebrows by saying Brook could end up as England's greatest batter.

At the start of the Wellington Test, Brook was ranked as the second-best batter currently playing Tests, behind England's GOAT Joe Root. Root may soon not be rated as the best batter in Yorkshire.

Kevin Pietersen was the other player Anderson mentioned alongside Brook, and their styles are similar. Such is Brook's superior record, KP has started wearing Harry Brook pyjamas.

The genius of Brook's hundred at the Basin was the way in which he solved the problem of runscoring.

Conditions on Friday morning were devilishly difficult. The ball was nipping, Matt Henry and Nathan Smith relentless in their accuracy. England players were falling to edges and rash shots.

Brook said he spent his final pre-match net session on Thursday defending everything he faced, yet come matchday knew that defence was the best form of attack.

He got proactive. Brook moved around his crease, trying to knock the Black Caps off their line and length. Every fifth ball, 20% of the deliveries he faced, Brook either advanced down the pitch, gave himself room outside leg or walked across his stumps.

Three times Brook danced down to hit pace bowlers for sixes over the long-off region. One of them went out of the ground. Brook hit five sixes in total, as many times as he was dropped in Christchurch. Rather than offering catches to fielders, he gave them to the crowd.

The 24% of deliveries Brook played on the front foot was the lowest of all the England team. Playing so often on the back foot shows two things: Brook persuaded New Zealand to drop short and also did not over-commit, watching the movement and lessening the chance of an edge.

If chancing the arm sounds simple, look what happened when Zak Crawley tried the same.

The England opener began the Test with an average of 9.88 against New Zealand. If he was eager to crack on, he was not helped by a delay to the start of play when a lady in a floral dress stood behind the sightscreen. The particularly mischievous would say it lengthened Crawley's usual time at the crease against the Black Caps.

A six at the end of Tim Southee's first over, the first maximum struck by an England batter in the opening over of a Test, at least took Crawley past his Kiwi average, but that was the peak.

A couple of wild hacks at Henry, then a nip-backer to take the top of middle stump sent Crawley on his way for a frantic 17. Henry has bowled 49 deliveries at Crawley in Test cricket, dismissing him five times at an average of 3.8. Crawley probably checks under his bed before he goes to sleep to make sure Henry isn't there.

It was reminiscent of Dan Lawrence's swiping in the second innings of the third Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval in September. Lawrence, opening in place of the injured Crawley, knew he had one last innings to save his Test career and failed.

Crawley is at least safe in the knowledge that England will back him throughout this series and beyond. He does, however, have three more meetings with executioner Henry before he can escape home for Christmas.

Even if Crawley fails to make another run, it looks likely England will win this series, thanks chiefly to Harry Brook.