Centurion kept diving deeper into risk and coming out the other side a hero
Vithushan Ehantharajah06-Dec-2024In the 2019 NBA post-season, Damian Lillard hit one of the most memorable shots in play-off history, sealing a Portland Trail Blazers first-round series against Oklahoma City Thunder with a 37-foot three-point buzzer beater.What gave the shot extra cultural currency was Paul George’s comments afterwards. “That’s a bad, bad shot,” said George, who was guarding Lillard. “I don’t care what anybody says. That’s a bad shot.”George was half-right. Scores were level at the time, and running down the clock for a shot from that range was unnecessarily high risk. But Lillard had nailed 39.2% of his shots from 30 to 40 feet that season, comfortably above the league average of 25.9%. It was a “bad” shot for everyone else, but not for Lillard.Harry Brook’s eighth Test century was littered with “bad” shots. The kind Ben Stokes said did not exist last year in a bid to get his charges pushing the envelope, but most of them could not get away with on day one of this second Test.England were bowled out for 280 inside 54.4 overs, and Brook’s 123 was seemingly the perfect execution of the rest’s mistakes by diving deeper into risk and coming out the other side in style. In typical Basin Reserve conditions that called for batters to show patience and diligent, still defence, he brought freneticism and chaos. Glory duly came with what might be the knock of his career.That it was his second-fastest century – taking just 91 deliveries – was in keeping with the vibe of the innings. Stuck in (though Stokes said he would have batted first had he won the toss) their first innings rattled along at 5.12 an over.Related
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Only five batters made it into double figures, with Brook the sole ranger striking at better than a run a ball. All with a false-shot percentage of 29%, bettered only by Ollie Pope (23%) in the top seven, who faced 37 fewer deliveries (for 57 fewer runs).England’s approach was peculiar, even if they were practicing what they preach. They often try to speed run their way to above-par totals when conditions are against them. By stumps, New Zealand were 86 for 5 after 26 overs. At that stage of England’s innings, they were 124 for 4. It is fair to say they nailed it.Well actually, Brook nailed it. Arriving at the start of the 11th over at 26 for 3, leaving at 259 for 7 at the start of the 53rd. Devastation sandwiched by collapses, like a grenade between two stale slices of Mighty White.Zak Crawley’s attempts to knock Matt Henry off his metronomic length was akin to trying to deter a lion with your shoe. Brook, however, was able to stare down a man who had begun with four maidens – and two wickets – from the Scoreboard End, driving through the covers for the first of his 16 boundaries when nicking off with those shots was a clear hazard.Jacob Bethell, with his penchant for a pull shot, gloved his first attempt down the leg side. It was the right option to take, even with the Black Caps telegraphing the short-ball ploy by setting a man back at deep square leg before Nathan Smith’s delivery. When Henry returned for his second spell after lunch with men out, Brook took on his bouncer and cleared square leg.Both Joe Root and Ollie Pope were indecisive and indeterminate to cope with precise, sustained lengths. Brook offered contrasts to both England’s all-time runscorer and their next best batter on this tour.Where Root fended at one outside off from Smith, Brook was charging down and blazing the bustling seamer over extra cover for sixes. The first of three was sent out of the ground in a 20-run blitz off Smith’s fourth over – a counter-attack with England 50 for 4. Brook even made Root’s patented guide through the slips work for him – twice – despite that being the stroke that brought about Root’s downfall. Brook was basically mocking the man ahead of him in the ICC Test rankings.Pope, solid for his 66 in a partnership of 174 with Brook – their second vital stand in a week – was eventually bogged down by a strong spell from Will O’Rourke. The quick’s steepling bounce from a straighter length forced Pope to try and manufacture something to the leg side as a last resort, popping up a chance to midwicket twice. Rachin Ravindra pouched the second. Brook, however, had O’Rourke second-guessing, hammering a slightly fuller ball into the stands at long off, while also making room at points to cut square when O’Rourke pulled back.Harry Brook celebrates his century•Getty ImagesAt the innings break, New Zealand were right to be satisfied with their work. But the bowling figures hinted at prior devastation, like abandoned cars on the freeway.Henry, the most economical of the home attack (at 2.86, the only bowler to concede less than four an over) conceded 31 off the six overs worth of deliveries he exchanged with Brook, and 12 off the nine overs against everyone else.Smith bowled better for his four wickets from 11.4 overs than the 86 runs conceded suggests – 34 came from 25 deliveries at Brook. He at least extracted some revenge with the run out of Brook, starting a collapse which saw England’s final four wickets fall in 16 deliveries.”He showed today that we were bowling quite well and he tried to hit us off our lengths using his feet,” said Smith of Brook. “He played some ridiculous shots, so full credit to him.”There’s a temptation to say Brook picked his deliveries better, but he didn’t. At all. He was just, well, better. Fast hands, two right feet, a precise eye, clear mind and ice in his veins. Off the cuff and out of this world. Far more cavalier than his 171 in Christchurch, and yet dropped five times then and flawless here.”I’m not sure you can run down with instinct – that’s got to be pre-meditated,” Brook admitted, with the humblest of brags. A current average of 61.80 has him third on the all-time Test averages list. He will only ever be the second-coming after Bradman, but he turned water into a prime Kiwi sauvignon blanc today.The irony is, for all the talent in this England side – realised or otherwise – Brook is just different. His shots were irreplicable, his movements only achievable by the top of the one-percent, provided they also possess the imagination and gumption. Particularly those sixes over extra cover, even if he thought they were run-of-the-mill.”It actually felt like a fairly easy shot today,” he said of those ludicrous strikes. “I was trying to clip off my hip and run it down but it just wasn’t working so I felt like getting as close to the pitch of the ball was a lot easier for me.”Though England lead by 194 and New Zealand are already five down, they probably should be ahead by more. Bad shots brought about their downfall. Those same which has Brook’s name in lights. After all, the glory of the outcome is so much greater because of scale of risk involved.As George ceded at the end of his 2019 press conference: “But hey, he made it. That story won’t be told that it was a bad shot.”
