Christchurch is crawling with Europeans in their early twenties who are here for the geography. Andrew Flintoff, Fred to his friends and fans, came and made history. With Graham Thorpe, he put together the highest partnership ever made for England's sixth wicket in a match when the previous-best stand was 56. Thorpe was excellent, but Flintoff was a revelation. He hit the first meaningful hundred for England by a genuinely fast bowler since Ian Botham's heyday in 1986-87. It was occasionally streaky, mostly majestic and utterly exhilarating. Other allrounders have wilted in the heat of the B-word, and from his Test debut 42 months ago right up to Wednesday, when he made a dismal duck off 14 balls, Flintoff the batsman was very much among them. But today he invited the comparison from the start. His second and third boundaries, off consecutive half-volleys generously supplied by Ian Butler, were pure Botham in both intent and execution: not just massively powerful, but simple, clean, full-face hits, which had only to evade the fielder by a yard or two to be sure of reaching the rope. Later, there would be top-edged hooks too. The comparison should not be pushed too far - Botham could do it to Lillee and Alderman, who were Drum and Butler to the power of ten - but this, for once, was a day when it was genuinely called for.

Thorpe played as good an innings as it is possible to play while coming close to being overshadowed. Anything wide of off stump was cut or punched for four, the strokes of a man big enough and skilled enough to keep on going for the sort of shot that had been his downfall in the first innings. Anything on the stumps was flicked or worked for ones and twos to leg, with the odd six to stop the wagon-wheel going round and round. Thorpe's sixes are all his own, crisp and unfussy as a Granny Smith.

The very best thing about the partnership was the freedom and aggression with which both men played. When they came together, England were 106 for 5, there had been several other near-misses, and New Zealand had a sniff of the sort of comeback England had made here five years ago. Another England - a very recent England - might have crumbled, especially given that this is the first Test of the series. Thorpe and Flintoff rose to the occasion, counterattacked, and kept on attacking, walking all over their opponents, making them look even more depleted than they were. Yesterday Matthew Hoggard had been magnificently English. Today Thorpe and Flintoff were even more magnificently Australian.

Tim de Lisle is editor of Wisden.com.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd