NZ vs ENG | Try to be as positive as possible to pressure bowlers, reveals Harry Brook

Despite early blows on Day 1 of the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington, England’s strong comeback, thanks to an outstanding partnership between Harry Brook and Joe Root (101* off 182 balls), helped them finish strongly at stumps. They recovered from 21/3 to 315/3 after 65 overs of play.

This was Brook’s fourth Test hundred in nine innings in Tests, and he currently averages 100.87 after tallying 807 runs. He also has three fifties, and his strike rate of 99.38 makes his stats look even more impressive. When asked about the secret of his consistency following the day’s play, Brook revealed a few of his mantras which has helped him to get early success in red-ball cricket.

"Usual mindset, plenty time, pressure on the bowler, be as positive as possible. I was trying to move around in the crease, but the more positive you are, the more you get away with, if I'd been half-hearted I might have been caught,” Brook said after the match, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

Further, Brook, who turned 22 two days ago, expressed his thoughts on Root, who played in his usual fashion to steady the ship. Then the youngster mentioned he is looking forward to notching a double hundred tomorrow to take England’s total as far as possible.

“(Root) was more excited about me getting my hundred than I was. We were the perfect partnership, he struggled early on, but later was the Joe Root we all know. Never got a 200 before... only on the first day of a five-day Test. No declaration, just carry on batting, carry on the momentum in the next few days," he added.