Tom Blundell slams his 12th half-century in Tests: Key stats

Tom Blundell slams his 12th half-century in Tests: Key stats

New Zealand's wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell scored the team's first half-century of the series, as they fought back against England on the opening day of their second Test at The Oval.

Blundell made a vital contribution of 51 runs and formed key partnerships with Daryl Mitchell (44) and Glenn Phillips (unbeaten on 49).

The Black Caps ended the day at 291/7.

Here's more.

Blundell steadies New Zealand's ship with two gritty stands

New Zealand's batting performance was a stark contrast to their 115-run defeat in the first Test at Lord's earlier this month.

After being sent into bat, they had a shaky start before being reduced to 107/4. Blundell walked in and steadied the ship with a partnership worth 81 alongside Daryl Mitchell, who fell for 44.

After Mitchell departed, Phillips joined Blundell and the two put on 75 runs off 89 balls.