LEEDS (England), May 25: Joe Root’s composed half-century steadied England after lunch on day two of the second and final Test against New Zealand at Headingley on Saturday.

Root, in his sixth Test, was not out 61 with Jonny Bairstow on 13, both playing on their home ground, as England progressed to 178 for four at tea.

England lost Ian Bell for 30 to part-time off spinner Kane Williamson in the afternoon session after he and Root had added 79 for the fourth wicket.

The hosts, opting to make first use of a track that offered some swing and seam movement, lurched into lunch on 67 for three after losing Jonathan Trott (28) and Alastair Cook (34) to successive balls just before the interval.

Root and Bell steadied the ship before the latter, who had a reprieve on 12 when given out leg before, overturning the decision on appeal, feathered Williamson behind to New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum.

Root began where he had left off in the first Test at Lord’s in top-scoring in a low-scoring match with 71, quick to punish anything short and wide.

His first boundary, a graceful punch past backward point, was greeted by loud cheers, as was each run until the 22-year-old was greeted with even louder acclaim when he brought up his 50 with a push for two through midwicket.

New Zealand, who lost by 170 runs at Lord’s, had struck early in the first session following Friday’s complete washout when Tim Southee removed Nick Compton for one in the fourth over.

Compton drove at a fullish ball that swung away late and edged head high to Dean Brownlie at third slip.

A late-comer to the Test arena last year at the age of 29, Compton has scored just 47 runs in five Test innings since making centuries in the first two Tests of the drawn series in New Zealand in March.

Cook, accumulating patiently and at one point going 29 balls without scoring, shared a stand of 56 with Trott before both lost concentration.

Trott played a loose drive at a widish ball from left-armer Neil Wagner to edge behind to McCullum and from the first ball of the next over, Doug Bracewell found Cook’s edge and Brownlie again took a comfortable catch in the slips.—Reuters