Daryl Mitchell has been the first New Zealander to hit 400 runs in a Test series against England in 73 years.
When Daryl Mitchell scored 400 runs in New Zealand’s Test series against England, he became the first Kiwi to do so in more than 70 years. On the first day of the third and final Test against England at Headingley in Leeds on Friday, the all-rounder achieved this accomplishment.
Mitchell now holds a 78-point lead. The all-rounder has been on a tear so far in the series, putting up 423 runs at an average of 150.33 in five innings. As of this writing, Mitchell has amassed two hundred and two halves throughout the series, with the best individual score coming from him at 190.
As of this writing, he has eclipsed Bert Sutcliffe’s all-time record for New Zealand. During his team’s 1949 tour of England, he amassed 451 runs in seven innings. During that tour, Sutcliffe amassed a century and four half-centuries.
Mitchell (78) and Tom Blundell (45) were New Zealand’s leading scorers on the opening day of the match, which ended at 225/5 in 90 overs.
After deciding to bat first, New Zealand got off to a shaky start, losing wickets frequently. Devon Conway (26) and Kane Williamson (31) contributed significantly to the Kiwis’ final score of 123/5. Mitchell and Blundell then put their team in a better position with an undefeated 102-run partnership.
The Test series is currently 2-0 in favor of the English.
