New Delhi: Ben Stokes-led England created the record for the fastest-ever 100-plus run chase in Test cricket history on Sunday, December 01. England achieved the remarkable feat in their second innings of the 1st Test against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. The visitors chased down the target of 104 runs in just 12.4 overs on Day 4 to beat New Zealand by 8 wickets in the 1st Test.
Young Jacob Bethell slammed an unbeaten half-century while Joe Root and Ben Duckett played quickfire cameos to help England chase down the target of 104 runs in just 76 deliveries with 8 wickets to spare. In pursuit of the 104-run target in their second innings, England got off to a shaky start losing opener Zak Crawley cheaply on just 1 run.
However, Duckett and Bethell combined to put England on course of a comfortable victory with a 54-run stand for the second wicket. Root added the finishing touches to England’s chase with his unbeaten 23 of 15 balls. Bethell was the star with the bat in England’s second innings with his unbeaten 50 off 37 balls laced with 8 fours and a six.
Fastest 100-plus chase in Test cricket
Thanks to the quickfire knocks from Bethell, Root and Duckett, England scaled the target of 104 runs in just 12.4 overs. They surpassed New Zealand to claim the record for the fastest 100-plus chase in Test history. New Zealand held the record for seven years having chased down 109 runs in 18.4 overs against Bangladesh in a Test match in Christchurch in 2017.
Fastest 100-plus run-chases in Test history:
12.4 overs – ENG vs NZ, Christchurch, 2024 (target: 104)
18.4 overs – NZ vs BAN, Christchurch, 2017 (target: 109)
19 overs – WI vs ENG, Headingley, 1995 (target: 126)
19.3 overs – WI vs NZ, North Sound, 2012 (target: 102)
19.5 overs – SA vs NZ, Hamilton, 2012 (target: 101)
England batted at an impressive run rate of 8.21 and wrapped up the run-chase in just 53 minutes against New Zealand to script history in the first Test. With the victory, England went 1-0 up in the three-match Test series between the two teams.
England remain in 6th spot on WTC points table
Despite their comprehensive victory against New Zealand in the first Test in Christchurch, Stokes-led England remain sixth on the WTC points table with 10 wins, 9 losses and 1 draw in 20 matches in the current cycle so far. New Zealand are in the 4th spot on the table with six wins and as many losses from 12 matches in the ongoing cycle and a win percentage of 50.
England chased down the target of 104 runs in just 12.4 overs in their second innings of the 1st Test agianst New Zealand in Christchurch to create history. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
