Brook hits five sixes in over in England warm-up

Harry Brook hit five sixes in an over as England warmed up for the first Test against New Zealand with typical aggression in Hamilton.

After defending the first ball of an over from leg-spinner Adi Ashok, Brook hit the next five balls for maximums.

Dan Lawrence weighed in with 85, Joe Root made 77 and Ben Foakes 55.

England were due to play two two-day matches – one with a red ball and another with the pink – but instead are playing just one, under floodlights, to prepare for the day-night opener to the two-Test series in Mount Maunganui on 16 February.

This batting day was pre-determined and England exhibited all of their attacking intent against a home side that included pace bowler Kyle Jamieson, who has been included in the New Zealand Test squad after recovering from a back injury.

Brook defended the first ball from Ashok’s over into the off side, then slog-swept the next ball over the mid-wicket boundary and out of the ground to start the onslaught and he only missed out on a century when he uppercut seamer Jarrod McKay into the hands of third man.

Brook, who made hundreds in all three Tests of England’s 3-0 win in Pakistan, has the opportunity to become just the second England batter to score centuries in four successive Tests – after Ken Barrington did so twice in the 1960s – when the tourists meets the Black Caps at the Bay Oval.

“I’m not bothered about that,” Brook told BBC Sport. “If I don’t get runs, so be it, but if I do get runs it’s an absolute bonus.

“All I want to do is try to win as many games as I can for England and hopefully I can be a vital part of that.”

“There are so many players in the country,” added Yorkshire’s Brook. “There are a few sat back at home or playing in a T20 league. There is always competition for places, that is why you have to keep on scoring runs.”

Lawrence is playing after captain Ben Stokes opted to sit out and the Essex man demonstrated England’s batting depth with a 55-ball knock that included 12 fours and three sixes.

Stokes batted in the nets, bowled in the middle during an interval and chatted to New Zealand skipper Tim Southee, who was in attendance as a spectator.

He again handed the captaincy reins to Ollie Pope, the Surrey man being groomed for leadership. Pope made 26, Ben Duckett 32 and Zak Crawley 17.

Root looked in supreme touch before he edged a sweep down the leg side off a poor delivery from Ashok.

The former captain will be looking to end a run of six Tests without a hundred, a relative lean spell given his spectacular form stretching back to the beginning of 2021.

Jonny Bairstow remains sidelined with a broken leg sustained in an accident playing golf.