NZ vs ENG 1st Test: Joe Root Dismissed For Duck To Own Unwanted Record; Joins Steve Vaugh And Ricky Ponting

Star England batter Joe Root was dismissed without scoring in the first Test of the bilateral series against New Zealand.

Christchurch (New Zealand): Star England batter Joe Root owned a bitter milestone in his illustrious career during the first Test against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval, Christchurch. Root, playing his 150th red-ball fixture was dismissed for a four-ball duck by Nathan Smith.

It was the 13th Test duck for Joe Root and also the eighth in the history of the World Test Championship (WTC). With the dismissal, he surpassed Virat Kohli and Steve Smith in terms of having the most ducks in the history of the WTC. Root’s duck continued his lean patch in recent times which includes just 90 runs from the last five innings. Smith had a dream start to his spell as he dismissed England's Jacob Bethell and Root in the same over.

Root’s duck in the 150th Test match added him to an exclusive and undesirable club. He joined former Australian stars, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting as the only batters to record ducks in the 150th Test appearances.

Players Out for Duck in Their 150th Test Match

1. Steve Waugh (AUS vs PAK, Sharjah, 2002) – 1st ball
2. Ricky Ponting (AUS vs ENG, Adelaide, 2010) – 1st ball
3. Joe Root (ENG vs NZ, Christchurch, 2024) – 4th ball

The 1st Test between England and New Zealand is in balance currently as England have responded with 319/5 to New Zealand’s total of 348. Harry Brook is at the crease after scoring an unbeaten 132 runs by the end of the second day of the fixture.