Century-maker Blundell in 'fight mode' facing England bowling greats

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Tom Blundell said facing England bowling greats James Anderson and Stuart Broad sends him into "fighting mode", after his century left the first Test finely poised on Friday.

The New Zealand wicketkeeper ripped the advantage from England's hands with a whirlwind 138 on day two at Mount
Maunganui, his knock lifting the home side to 306 and just 19 short of their opponents' first-innings score.

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It was a continuation of the 32-year-old's prolific form, having scored three tons and eight half-centuries since the start of 2022.

Blundell's quality was evident despite last June's 3-0 series defeat in England when the gloveman scored 383 runs at an average of 76.6 in a losing cause.

He admitted the prospect of facing Anderson and Broad still got his blood pumping.

"For me, I'm sort of in awe. These guys are the greats of the game and they're bowling at you, which is a cool experience," he said.

"It's something that makes me get into fighting mode really and takes me to the next level. It's always nice when you're facing the world's best."

Blundell, whose batting is good enough to command a place at number six in the order, said he had also benefitted from steady selection since the long-serving BJ Watling hung up his Test gloves in 2021.

Before that, Blundell had played sporadically as a Test opener and, despite scoring a century on debut against the West Indies in 2017, he said the role never felt comfortable.

"Opening was fun for a little bit, but then I gladly dropped down," he said.

"There's a real skill to it, a real art, batting with the tail.

"At 32, I'm still learning. The more you play, you get that experience of playing against the best teams in the world.

"I took a lot of confidence from what happened last year in England."