<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">Centurion Joe Root was left unbeaten as England declared their first innings and made a double breakthrough to take command of the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington on Saturday.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Root struck Matt Henry for four to reach 153 before England captain Ben Stokes called the innings over at 435-8, leaving his bowlers about half an hour to attack the Black Caps before lunch.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They did so to lethal effect, with veteran seamer Jimmy Anderson (2-9) obtaining thin edges from Devon Conway (0) and Kane Williamson (4) to leave the hosts languishing at 12-2.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anderson, reinstated this week to the top of the ICC's world Test bowling rankings at the age of 40, has put England on course for a sweep of the two- match series, having won the first Test by 267 runs in Mount Maunganui.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The tourists lost five wickets and added a further 122 runs in an</div><div style="text-align: justify;">entertaining opening session at the Basin Reserve after resuming at 315-3.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Harry Brook fell in the third over for 186, having added just two to his overnight score.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">His blazing knock formed part of a 302-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Root, the second highest in all their Tests against New Zealand and having rescued England from 21-3 early on day one.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Root was unperturbed, advancing from his overnight 101 to surpass 150 for the 14th time in his career.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">His innings was a mainstay, with his middle and lower-order partners prepared to throw their bat at the other end.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Stokes scored 27 off 28 balls while Stuart Broad (14) and Ollie Robinson (18) offered late runs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Root struck 10 fours and three sixes, including a reverse ramp shot that cleared the boundary rope off the fourth ball he faced on Saturday, from Tim Southee.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Seamer Matt Henry took the key wicket of Brook, holding onto a sharp caught- and-bowled chance, to return New Zealand's best bowling figures of 4-100. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>