That’s it from me for the day, the TV has firmly been flicked to Glastonbury so I’ll bid you adieu.
Ali’s report and the colour pieces from another enthralling day of Test cricket will be along soon.
I’ll be back in the morning to OBO the final knockings. Thanks for your emails and company and see y’all on the morrow. Goodnight!
Updated
This sums it up quite well:
It's a measure of England's new approach that they've faced 39 overs in a big fourth-innings run-chase, have reached stumps on 183 for 2, and no one's batting an eyelid.
— Lawrence Booth (@the_topspin) June 26, 2022
STUMPS - England 183-2 (Root 55, Pope 81)
Root brings up his FIFTY in the last over of the day, seizing on two loose Bracewell deliveries, he doesn’t miss out. Great session for England, they will come back tomorrow with 113 needed for a record breaking win.
Updated
38th over: England 173-2 (Pope 80, Root 46) England putting the foot on the throat, accumulating and picking off runs with ease. We’ve got one over left...
37th over: England 171-2 (Pope 79, Root 45) The Kiwis look ragged, Bracewell fires a ball down the leg for four byes.
36th over: England 163-2 (Pope 77, Root 43) Pope takes 14 from the over! A pull, a glide and the best of the lot a beautiful on drive down the ground. The camera cuts incongruously to a chap wolfing down a salad (?!) in the crowd. Waldorf? Caesar? Why not sir.
Updated
35th over: England 149-2 (Pope 63, Root 43) Root reverse-sweeps Bracewell for four! The crowd greet that boundary with a particularly raucous cheer.
34th over: England 142-2 (Pope 61, Root 38) Pope picks up three through cover-point.
This made me chuckle from John Tumbridge:
My Wife: “What are you doing?”
Me: “Watching the cricket”
Her : “I meant on your Laptop”
Me: “Reading about the Cricket”
Her “Why?”Me: “Because I can”
Updated
33rd over: England 139-2 (Pope 58, Root 38) Bracewell back into the attack. He isn’t hitting the rough (‘rubbish’ according to Mike Atherton) enough and Root and Pope are happy to hang on the back foot to nudge and nurdle away.
Updated
32nd over: England 135-2 (Pope 57, Root 35) Shadows creeping across the Yorkshire turf, just a single off Southee.
31st over: England 134-2 (Pope 57, Root 34) Boult is starting to spray it about a bit and England are happy to pick up easy runs.
A reminder that this gets underway in Taunton tomorrow. Double England Test cricket. Ambassador...
Headshots ✅
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 26, 2022
Just one day to go until 🏴 #ENGvSA 🇿🇦 gets underway! pic.twitter.com/yd0t1uCJij
30th over: England 130-2 (Pope 54, Root 33) Root plays an effortless pull off Southee that skims away to the fence. Pope glides past backward point to pick up a brace. Southee has another strangled appeal turned down by Umpire Kettleborough. Too high this time, Tim.
29th over: England 122-2 (Pope 52, Root 28) Four runs collected from Boult. The sun comes out at Headingley - the crowd are singing “Joe Root” to the tune of Hey Jude. England on top. Tomorrow is FREE entry. Glory days indeed.
28th over: England 118-2 (Pope 51, Root 25) Southee comes back into the attack and is flogged away by Pope for a streaky four that brings up the Papal Fifty. His second of the series in his new home at number three.
Updated
27th over: England 112-2 (Pope 46, Root 24) Just a singe off Boult as things calm down a bit.
If England did manage to chase these runs, they would be the first team in Test history to successfully chase a target of 250+ three times in a single series. #ENGvNZ
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) June 26, 2022
A few OBOers asking this question. It would be some achievement.
Updated
26th over: England 111-2 (Pope 46, Root 23) Pope flays Wagner away through point for another boundary.
25th over: England 107-2 (Pope 42, Root 23) Boult is back into the attack with Williamson searching for the breakthrough. Pope swivels the wrists on a pull to pick up a couple.
24th over: England 104-2 (Pope 39, Root 23) A maiden from Wagner.
1 hour left today. England need 192 runs and New Zealand need 8 wickets.
STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND WATCH THIS:
That’s an OBO order.
Are you actually joking mate pic.twitter.com/wk7PmzF5j2
— Will Macpherson (@willis_macp) June 26, 2022
23rd over: England 104-2 (Pope 39, Root 23) Four easy runs from the over. New Zealand need to make something happen here. Right, let me have a scooch for that Root reverse ramp shot on the social meedjas. You’ll thank me later, promise.
22nd over: England 100-2 (Pope 36, Root 22) ROOT REVERSE RAMPS WAGNER FOR SIX!
What. a. shot.
“That is barking, but so, so good” says Mark Butcher on commentary. Wagner had been hanging the ball outside Root’s off stump and after five-balls of watchful play Root decides to be ludicrous. An amazing, audacious stroke.
Updated
21st over: England 93-2 (Pope 36, Root 16) Pope plays a scuttling ball well and times it away to the extra-cover fence. He’s looked in nice touch today. We will play until 6.49pm this evening, apparently.
20th over: England 89-2 (Pope 32, Root 16) Just a single off a probing Wagner.
I’m on to something, I reckon. https://t.co/FAPHUU6JDN
— daniel norcross (@norcrosscricket) June 26, 2022
More than a whiff I reckon.
19th over: England 88-2 (Pope 31, Root 16) Root gets his reverse-sweep out to pick up four from Bracewell. Too easy. Oooof! That one spat like a baccy chewing camel! Root gets an edge on a devilish ball that flies between keeper and Daryl Mitchell at slip! Mitchell is surely too wide to be at a conventional slip, it isn’t the first time the ball has evaded his left hand and if he stays that wide it surely won’t be the last. England march on towards a hundred.
18th over: England 79-2 (Pope 30, Root 8) Wagner is caressed through mid-wicket by Root. England ticking along at a lick.
Neil Wagner is coming on for some heave-ho. The ball has gone all misshapen again though so we’ll have a drink whilst they bring out the box o’balls.
“Afternoon from Cape Town.”
Afternoon Bob O’Hara.
“I’ve been travelling for the last day or so. I’m a bit disappointed that the match is still going - that suggests there might have been some normal test cricket at some point...”
Very droll, Bob.
17th over: England 74-2 (Pope 30, Root 4) Pope helps himself to three boundaries off Bracewell! One crunching cut is followed up by a more fortuitous one that flies passed Mitchell at slip. The last boundary is a peach - a lovely hop and a skip to the pitch of the ball and an elegant drive through the covers.
16th over: England 60-2 (Pope 17, Root 3) Just a single and another strangled appeal (outside the line again, duh) from Southee.
Simon Withers emails in:
“I’ve only ever contacted OBO once before, and that was also regarding an underestimated Somerset spinner - Ian Blackwell.
I’m so pleased that in Ben Stokes England has a captain who clearly has confidence in the ‘Taunton twirler’ (great description, by the way).
It seems Leach has been criticised for not being Shane Warne, or even Graeme Swann, but he’s been the best England-qualified spin bowler for the last few years, having overcome numerous issues. While having a self-effacing look, you get the impression he’s absolutely as hard as nails underneath.
Hopefully this will be the start of chapter two - or three, or four?! - of his England career.
And hopefully it’ll coincide with the end of Zak Crawley’s presence in the England team. Unkind? Maybe. But his record is very, very poor...”
Could be harsh but fair Simon. Sometimes the look of an innings just isn’t right and it felt a bit like that with Crawley today. He looked a bit shot to me. A ‘scrambled brain’ as Nasser would say.
Updated
15th over: England 59-2 (Pope 16, Root 3) Bracewell continues and gets the odd ball to spit off the pitch. Engrossing cricket. Simon Doull is not happy with Williamson’s profligate use of the DRS.
14th over: England 56-2 (Pope 15, Root 1) Oh Kane! says Nasser on commentary as the Kiwi skipper burns through TWO reviews back to back. Root was the batter and they dearly want his wicket but both were pretty spurious - Root was outside the line to both and Kane has to kiss ta-ra to a brace of reviews. The home crowd loving it, obviously.
Updated
13th over: England 56-2 (Pope 7, Root 1) Pope shows Crawley what he should have done by waiting for a full ball to drop right by his feet and opening the face. Four runs. Root is the new batter and is off the mark with a tickle to leg.
WICKET! Crawley ct Williamson b Bracewell (England 51-2)
GONE! Crawley’s skittish innings comes to an end in dismal fashion. Bracewell gets one above his eyeline and Crawley can’t resist a big drive, serving only to plop a catch to cover. Nicht gut.
Updated
12th over: England 51-1 (Crawley 25, Pope 7) England bring up the fifty in the 12th over. Pope guides a full ball from Southee to the boundary.
11th over: England 47-1 (Crawley 25, Pope 7) Time for some spin. There’s turn and bite. Bracewell gets a lorra lorra overspin on the ball causing it to loop and droop. Crawley tries a slog sweep but misses out. England will try and get after the spinner and put the pressure on. Sure enough the last ball is swept powerfully by Crawley for four.
10th over: England 41-1 (Crawley 20, Pope 6) Pope gets off the mark with a flick off his pads into the leg side. Southee is honing in on Pope’s front pad, something’s gonna give. It does! Pope plays a stylish on-drive to pick up four.
9th over: England 35-1 (Crawley 20, Pope 0) I reckon Crawley is cutting his losses here, he looks pretty clueless against the new ball and is reeling from the Lees run out. He picks up a short ball from Boult over mid-wicket for a pressure-relieving boundary before two drives bring him another couple of fours. Two on the up through the covers and another! - more convincing, down the ground. ‘If it is up it is off’ seems to be the tactic now.
8th over: England 19-1 (Crawley 4, Pope 0) HOW HAS THAT NOT BOWLED ZAK CRAWLEY?! The tall Kent man looks all at sea here, he plays a jelly-legged booming straight drive at a full ball from Southee and the ball somehow misses the stumps! Crawley even looks shocked not to hear the death rattle.
Updated
7th over: England 18-1 (Crawley 4, Pope 0) Don’t do that Ollie Pope! A nothing-y drive at a wide ball nearly sees the end of him, it was neither a defensive or attacking stroke. A maiden.
6th over: England 18-1 (Crawley 4, Pope 0) To make matters worse Crawley is very nearly done LBW but for a tiny inside edge! He looks shaken by the run out. Not like he didn’t have enough on his mind already. Ollie Pope is the new batter. Don’t go away.
Updated
WICKET! Lees run out Williamson/Boult (England 17-1)
If looks could kill... Zak Crawley flashes a drive to Williamson at mid-off and ball watches, loitering in the middle of the pitch. Lees is looking for a call, anything from his partner but nothing comes - Williamson gathers the ball and throws the ball in from his knees for Boult to take and whip off the bails with Lees stranded. Great fielding. Shocking calling. Lees glares at his opposite number before trudging off. I actually think both batters could be at fault for that. England lose their first.
Updated
4th over: England 17-0 (Lees 9, Crawley 4) Lees plays a flashing blade and gets a four wide of gully. Not entirely convincing but the intent is clearly there.
“Hi James,”
Wotcha Jonathan Salisbury:
“I like the way Lees always checks the back of his bat just before the bowler delivers to make sure he’s got it the right way around”. Ha. It actually looks exhausting to me!
3rd over: England 13-0 (Lees 5, Crawley 4) SHIMINECKERS! as my brother would say (Hi Andrew) - Crawley plays a real softy-wafty drive to Boult and nicks through Southee’s fingertips at second slip!
Good spot Gavin... only SEVEN more needed.
Reckon Ben Stokes might be number 1 on this list by tomorrow - https://t.co/prUSBESrdo
— Gavin Sellar (@GavinSellar) June 26, 2022
2nd over: England 9-0 (Lees 5, Crawley 0) Southee is honing in on Lees’ pads but errs too far onto the leg-side - England benefit from four leg byes. Crawley will be on strike to Boult. Penny for ‘em Zak.
1st over: England 5-0 (Lees 5, Crawley 0) Lees glides a full ball from Boult down to the boundary at third to get England underway. Athers on comms thinks the runs will be much harder to come by than Trent Bridge as the pitch is less true and there have been definite signs of turn and a bit of up and down bounce. The outfield is rapido though. Lees gets a single off the last to keep strike.
Updated
Russell is in touch from Saigon:
“If England send in YJB to open and finish this quickly I may get some sleep tonight...”
Sorry Russell - I can confirm it is Lees and a very-much-in-need-of- runs-Zak-Crawley to open up. Trent Boult has the nw ball in his south paw. Let’s do this!
What do we reckon then? Do get in touch on email or twitter with how you see this playing out. I have no clue whatsoever and in truth that feels quite fun.
Before we HEAD TOWARDS THE DANGER once more I‘m sticking the kettle on. Buckle up kids.
WICKET! Boult b Leach 4 - New Zealand all out for 326!!
Jack Leach has ten in the match! The Nut loves Headingley and the feeling is very much mutual as the ground rises to the Taunton twirler.
Boult smeared Leach’s first ball to mid-wicket for four but then tried a huge yahoo with the next ball to be cleaned up comprehensively.
England need 296 runs to win. And that is TEA.
“Lads, looks like it’s cheese & ham toasties & coffee for tea …” notes Ewan Glenton. Quite. It’s all going to kick off in about 20 minutes, isn’t it?
Updated
105th over: New Zealand 322-9 (Blundell 88, Boult 0) Blundell crunches Potts through backward point to add four more. RAMP! Off the last ball Blundell backs away to off and just gets enough on a length ball to get it over Billings and away for another boundary. Boult will be on strike to Leach...
104th over: New Zealand 314-9 (Blundell 80, Boult 0) Leach sends down a maiden to the ever-entertaining Boult. Blundell will be on strike to Potts. Can he push this lead up to the 300 mark? I can’t even bring myself to think about how harum-scarum England’s run chase is going to be... odds on 50-7 at close? 0r 200 for none? Who even knows any more with this side?!
103rd over: New Zealand 314-9 (Blundell 80, Boult 0) So New Zealand have just one wicket to play with, the match situation has moved on rapidly in the past hour. Blundell is still there and he plays two bludgeoning cover drives off Potts to pick up two boundaries and eke the lead up to 282. All rather exciting this isn’t it!?
WICKET! Wagner ct Billings b Leach 0 (New Zealand 305-9)
It’s out! Wagner gets an edge and the ball somehow gets wedged between Sam Billing’s knees. They all count eh!
102nd over: New Zealand 305-9 (Blundell 72, Boult 0)
Updated
REVIEW! And another?! Leach gets one to shoot to Wagner and Sam Billings traps the ball in his pads... we are going upstairs!
WICKET! Southee b Leach 2 (New Zealand 305-8)
Bowled ‘im! Leach skittles one through Southee!
Updated
101st over: New Zealand 305-7 (Blundell 72, Southee 2) Potts slams down another over and asks plenty of questions. Blundell tries an almighty heave to leg but fails to connect. If he had it would have gone to Otley.
100th over: New Zealand 304-7 (Blundell 72, Southee 1) Leach starts with a beauty, ripping and spitting past Blundell’s edge. Ayeayeaye! A sweep shot is then edged fine for four by the batter. Welcome runs to NZ, Leach is bowling very well here.
99th over: New Zealand 300-7 (Blundell 68, Southee 0) Another bustling over from Potts. The 300 comes up for New Zealand. The lead? 269.
Matt Potts, born to play Test cricket 🏴#ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/lPoGUP5u9c
— Jonny Bairstow’s Barmy Army (@TheBarmyArmy) June 26, 2022
Updated
98th over: New Zealand 297-7 (Blundell 67, Southee 0) Leach is getting some BIG turn. Gulp. A full blooded cut from Southee hits root on the full at slip. I suppose you’d have to call it a drop but it feels a tad harsh on Root. The lead creeps up to 268.
And Chris Brown has an important question:
“Has a team ever won three consecutive games batting last and needing more than 200 to win each time? We need stats, stat.”
OBO hivemind?
Updated
Thanks Daniel, after what looked like a wicket-less stint you got two in the end! This game is riveting, where’s your money?
Hello OBO - Jim here to pick up the call. Potts is cruising in, full of vim and vigour. Blundell guides him away classily for four but Potts persists with a full length and almost nicks off his man with the last ball of the over, Blundell playing a wild waft and a hand coming off the bat in the process. Southee is the new batter btw, this could be fun...
97th over: New Zealand 297-7 (Blundell 60, Southee 0)
Updated
That is, I imagine drinks, and after New Zealand’s tremendous start to the day, two quick wickets have England right back at them. Much as I’d love to chat all day, though, I am finished, so here’s James Wallace to guide you through what promises to be yet another invigorating afternoon.
WICKET! Bracewell c Crawley b Leach 9 (New Zealand 291-7)
One brings two! Leach probably didn’t mind getting carted fox six because he knew Bracewell would go at him again, and he does, miscuing a pull to deep midwicket where Crawley pouches easily! I think this is the best I’ve seen the England batter bowl.
Updated
96th over: New Zealand 291-6 (Blundell 60, Bracewell 9) And there are six of em! Bracewell swings big and muscles six back over Leach’s heed with his toe-end.
95th over: New Zealand 285-6 (Blundell 60, Bracewell 3) Bracewell mooches across his stumps and with Potts coming at him from around, the ball cracks him on the pad. We see the start of a celebrappeal from the bowler – he’s learning fast from the greats around him – but that was going down so there’s no review. Eeesh, and looking at it again, that was actually much closer than it seemed, but it yields a leg bye, getting the new man down the non-striker’s, then Blundell miscues a pull and takes one more before Bracewell plays into the ground and towards cover, the ball gathering speed off the practice pitches and scooting away from Leach. The lead is 254, and you should probably consider some existential thoughts if, like me, you’ve found yourself thinking you fancy England to chase that and a few more with it.
94th over: New Zealand 280-6 (Blundell 59, Bracewell 0) Leach is a different bowler here, now he’s got the confidence to toss a few up instead of firing in darts and hoping something might happen. Blundell looks to score off him, but the tightness of the line means he can’t, and that’s Leach’s 10th maiden of the innings to go with the eight he sent down first dig.
93rd over: New Zealand 280-6 (Blundell 59, Bracewell 0) Potts is flying in now, a single to Blundell giving him fivbe balls at Bracewell. and his first is a peach: full, slanting in then moving away, defeating Bracewell’s inside edge in the process. He looks like he could bowl all day, then batter me and all my mates for tea – OK, just me then – come back and bowl 20 overs tomorrow.
92nd over: New Zealand 279-6 (Blundell 58, Bracewell 0) Bracewell has shown some batting chops this series, but the ball is doing more for Leach than at any time previously in the series ... and what on earth?! Again, there’s decent turn, again there’s an edge, and again Root, at slip is beaten on his inside, to his left. Will he move finer? Surely he’ll have to now. A single follows, but you can sense a change in the atmosphere at Headingley – England, and the crowd, sense opportunity.
Updated
91st over: New Zealand 274-6 (Blundell 53, Bracewell 0) Credit too to Richard Kettleborough, who wasn’t put off by a verdict of out being overturned just for balls earlier. Can England dig into the tail now?
REVIEW! OUT!
Well bowled Matty Potts and well done Ben Stokes, who brought his man back at Stuart Broad’s end, an act of quite tremendous bravery.
Updated
REVIEW!
This looked out, but I’ve said that thrice today.
WICKET! Mitchell lbw b Potts 56 (New Zealand 274-6)
This is another colossal shout! Mitchell moves a long way across to turn to leg, bat gets stuck behind pad, ball strikes pad, finger goes up!
Updated
91st over: New Zealand 274-5 (Mitchell 56, Blundell 53) I said at the start of play that the chaotic margins of elite sport have been with England in this series, but perhaps that momentum has altered here. BUT ALLOW ME TO INTERRUPT MYSELF! HAVE A LOOK! After a single to Blundell, Potts contacts pad again!
NOT OUT!
What on earth! Somehow, that was whizzing past leg peg!
REVIEW!
This looked very out on first view...
WICKET! Blundell lbw b Potts 52 (New Zealand 273-6)
Potts comes to the party! Straight, full, into the pad and gone!
Updated
90th over: New Zealand 273-5 (Mitchell 56, Blundell 52) Blundell milks a single to cover, then Mitchell gets down to haul Leach from outside off to the fence at deep square; the runs are coming more freely now, and if England can’t find a breakthrough soon, they could be looking straight at one of these.
Updated
89th over: New Zealand 268-5 (Mitchell 52, Blundell 51) Broad, who’s been full today, slants one across Mitchell, he edges ... and this time the ball drops short of Root and skips away for four, laughing at him. That raises the hundred partnership, the fourth of the series compiled by these two legends, an absolutely rrrrridiculous effort, and they add four more when Mitchell moves bat from cross to straight, running through third man. That’s fifty for him too, and this is great stuff.
Updated
88th over: New Zealand 260-5 (Mitchell 44, Blundell 51) Leach into the attack, bowling to a slip on either side ... and his fourth delivery is edged by Blundell, who gets forward, presses, and watches the ball skid across his bat ... before whizzing away inside Root! Perhaps he was a little wide, but he’s trying to cover an area, so probably wasn’t at fault; they run two, raising Blundell’s fifty. A dot follows, then Leach turns one sharply – it’s doing plenty now! – and Blundell bails on a pull accordingly.
Updated
87th over: New Zealand 258-5 (Mitchell 44, Blundell 49) Blundell forces Broad to off and skips through for one, as we learn that entry tomorrow is free – what a heartwarming development this is, that I hope becomes tradition. Broad, meanwhile, is still toiling through today and the final delivery of the over grips a little, whooshing past Mitchell’s edge. Who you just know will put it out of his mind and keep doing what he’s doing.
Challenge set by Nottinghamshire, challenge accepted by Yorkshire... free entry for day five! https://t.co/J2t1HmBhSR
— Ali Martin (@Cricket_Ali) June 26, 2022
86th over: New Zealand 257-5 (Mitchell 44, Blundell 48) Blundell pushes towards cover for a single, and they’re ro-tating the strike nicely here, better than they did this morning. The next five balls are dots, and these two have settled immediately – not something you see that often when tow set batters return after a break.
“As well as these two have batted,” the quality of England’s bowling this morning means they’re nowhere near out of sight and a chase of 300 odd is eminently doable. (PS the real reason I’m sending this is whoever I send a message to OBO on some arcane subject during a lull in play, a wicket falls so standby).
I’m not sure we can call England’s bowling an arcane subject – England’s batting maybe – but for the purposes of blathering in a wicket, it’ll suffice.
85th over: New Zealand 256-5 (Mitchell 44, Blundell 47) Have a look! Broad goes full, Blundell goes forward and tries to drive ... inside-edging before, in a panic, having to turn and move trickling ball away from stationary stumps. I’m not sure he actually gets a touch on it, but he’s still out there so that’ll do; he then shoves a single towards mid off and takes the single, before Mitchell again defends positively. They are so equilibrious.
84th over: New Zealand 255-5 (Mitchell 44, Blundell 46) Here comes Potts again, and after two loose deliveries, one leg side and one wide of off, he finds his usual groove ... but so does Blundell, who defends positively coming forward, then turns one to deep sqaure.
83rd over: New Zealand 254-5 (Mitchell 44, Blundell 45) England huddle, discussing McCartney’s show last night I imagine. On which point, James Anderson, not yet 80 but currently sat on 651 Test wickets, wants 700 but would take 652. How England could do with him this afternoon. But they’ll have to make do with Broad who, bowling to three slips, immediately pulls Mitchell forward to defend – five dots follow to complete a, maiden, and though England couldn’t convert dry bowling into wickets this morning, they’ll fancy themselves harder with the new ball. The lead, by the way, is 223, and it’s worth noting that four of the five highest run-chases in England have come at Headingley – though it’s worth noting that they’ve required the performances of a lifetime from Stokes, Butcher and others.
Right, here we go again. Settle in, mates!
Updated
I wonder if we might see the match take a big step forward this afternoon. If New Zealand win the session as conclusively as they did this morning, by the end of they’ll be close to out of sight – though if one of Baz’s batters picks up the Gray-Nicolls of Omes, sight beyond sight is always a possibility.
Lunchtime email: “Good grief. This is actually a wee bit mad,” says Robert Wilson. “Mitchell is gaining full death and taxes status here in terms of inevitability and ubiquity. How big is he seeing it in this series? A bin-lorry, a mid-ocean fishing trawler or a 1990s provincial sports centre? I think there’s clearly been some kind of Faustian bargain. You know the deal, the old blind beggar at the forest crossroads grants you reverse swing or a doosra but then you have to spend two decades as the cleaner in Darlington’s premier swingers’ club.”
It’s absolutely brilliant isn’t it – someone totally at one with themselves, in any walk of life, is moving to see, never mind in this thing of ours. I know he’s a little bit older, but the way he’s taken to Test cricket reminds me a little of Marnus Labuschagne – though perhaps Mike Hussey is a better comparator.
I’m going to step away from my keyboard, but I’ll be back presently for what promises to be a crucial first hour of the afternoon sesh.
82nd over: New Zealand 254-5 (Mitchell 44, Blundell 45) What can Matty Potts muster? Mitchell squirts his loosener into the on side for one, then blocks one that keeps a little low outside off. This is like a trailer for the what we’ll see after the interval, and it features an alluring performance from Tom Blundell, who cracks a yorker through midwicket for four. The partnership is 93, 86 of those runs scored this morning, and the lead as they head off for fress is 223.
81st over: New Zealand 249-5 (Mitchell 43, Blundell 41) Here comes Stuart Broad, three slips waiting expectantly, and as the ball bounces and jags in, it’s worth noting how good the pitches have been in this series – in a cricketing sense, as in good for batting, but in an absolute sense too, in terms of their quality. Broad’s into this right away, moving one past Blundell’s inside edge then rapping the pad! There’s an appeal, of course there is, but it looked outside the line and a replay shows an edge too. Maiden, but Broad isn’t entirely happy, concerned about a patch right before where he wants his delivery stride to be. This is intense; can they bump lunch please?
Updated
80th over: New Zealand 249-5 (Mitchell 43, Blundell 41) I presume this’ll be the final over with the old rambutan because England will get to have a dart with it both before and after lunch. In the meantime, that’s another maiden to Leach and indeed England make the change immediately.
79th over: New Zealand 249-5 (Mitchell 43, Blundell 41) Ah yes, I was wondering if Stokes might allow a short leg as well as a slip and leg slip – Leach is bowling a tight line. Root has all three, and Blundell turns his final delivery to midwicket; Overton barrels after it and saves two with a painful-looking dive.
“Of course Jos Buttler watches the ball,” returns Tim Sanders. “It’s about the incredibly fine margins of how long a batter can keep still and wait, and still have time to decide and play the shot. Jonny did lose his way in Tests for a while, and of course Jos could come back. Here’s the late Ted Dexter explaining the art, better than I ever could.”
Sure – I’m just saying that I don’t think it’s beyond Buttler, who’s been let down by the carnage around him. How often has he been able to do what he’s there to do?
78th over: New Zealand 247-5 (Mitchell 43, Blundell 39) This is another good over from Leach, testing Mitchell with a tight line. I’d written more about it, but somehow it all vanished from my CMS, so you’ll have to forgive me and make do with me reporting a maiden.
“I email you after three days being a nurse at Headingley for this Test,” says Sam Charlton. “Tired is not the word. I have to say that I’ve enjoyed being here probably more than the ashes of 2019. I just love it when NZ come to town, it’s always a thrilling contest played in the spirit of cricket, solid sportsmanship and no posing. Here’s to a similar event next week.”
Great to hear and thanks for your efforts.
Updated
77th over: New Zealand 247-5 (Mitchell 43, Blundell 39) Better from Root, three dots, then Mitchell looks to turn off the hip when he might’ve left and the ball goes just over Pope at short leg; they run one. Then Mitchell comes down, can’t decide what shot to play, and checks a drive that drops just short of mid on!
Updated
76th over: New Zealand 246-5 (Mitchell 42, Blundell 39) I wonder if England will keep Leach on when they take the new ball – i’d not be averse to seeing what he can do with the extra bounce. This latest over yields just one run, Mitchell nudging into the on side.
75th over: New Zealand 245-5 (Mitchell 41, Blundell 39) Root opens his second over with a dot but then Mitchell asserts his authority, twinkling down to hammer over long on for four, then easing back and clattering a wide one to the cover fence. That picking of length tells us plenty about why yerman has been so successful in this series, and he adds one more into the onside, having overtaken his mate in the scoring stakes. Root’s two overs today have yielded 19.
74th over: New Zealand 236-5 (Mitchell 32, Blundell 39) Two singles come from this latest Leach over, the partnership now at 67. These two have batted with such composure this morning.
“You say Buttler at 7 can’t work because that would leave keeper at 8 and ‘only 3 bowlers’… “ says Ewan Glenton. “Well, I was once at the Adelaide Oval (ODI, Jan 1980) and the West Indies lined up v England with an all-rounder (Collis King) down to bat at 6 (he actually went in at 5 because Lawrence Rowe was unfit to bat) - surely Stokes is at least as handy a bowler - and precisely 3 specialist bowlers. That worked fine, Windies thrashed England by 107 runs. Just by way of detail, the three bowlers names were Andy Roberts, Michael Holding & Joel Garner (Croft was deemed surplus that day). No spinner, only Viv Richards (who was surely no better than Root with the ball(?). So it can be a successful formula.”
I didn’t say it couldn’t work, but I don’t think this side is good enough to wear it on a regular precisely because they don’t have bowlers like Roberts, Holding and Garner, or batters like Richards, Lloyd, Greenidge and Haynes.
73rd over: New Zealand 234-5 (Mitchell 31, Blundell 38) Yup, Overton is despatched to hang about and, with just eight overs until the new igneous, Joe Root will have a twirl. So Mitchell gets down, reverse his first delivery for four, then chases a wide one, shuffles on his knees when it’s even wider than he thought, and when slips moves over to block the intended shot, he somehow drags it finer for four more. That’s excellent, inventive, improvisational batting, a two to square leg comes next, and that’s 10 off the over; the lead is 203, and England need something here.
72nd over: New Zealand 224-5 (Mitchell 21, Blundell 38) “Oh that’s so close!” chirps Billings, when Mitchell sweeps a single towards fine leg. I guess he’d have been out had he missed it, but he didn’t, so. Two more singles, then three dots complete another riveting Leach over, not words I necessarily expected to type when I stretched and flexed my fingers this morning.
71st over: New Zealand 221-5 (Mitchell 19, Blundell 37) This hasn’t been Overton’s best spell. Blundell gets on top of a bouncer to earn one towards point, then another bouncer is called wide for height. Mitchell then takes a further single to cover, before Blundell bottom-edges a pull to finest leg for four. Expensive over, and I daresay Overton is off for a graze now.
“Have you ANY idea what Jaffa, or more accurately JAFA, means in New Zealand?” asks Bill Bennett. Er, none whatsoever. “It’s what country people say: ‘Just Another F***ing Aucklander’.”
That’s great to know – the OBO is always grateful to expand its vitriol.
70th over: New Zealand 214-5 (Mitchell 18, Blundell 32) Blundell takes a risk moving back to one which keeps low and hurries on; he jams the bat down in the nick of time. For more dots follow, then a single to backward point ends the over.
“Although Jos Buttler is an amazing cricketer,” emails Tim Sanders, “I disagree with you and Steve Hudson. The important point that Mark Ramprakash made in his article was about the level of premeditation in limited overs batting generally, and Buttler’s in particular. Contrast that with Jonny Bairstow’s comments when interviewed on Friday, about watching the ball and responding in the moment. That’s what makes the difference against the moving ball.”
Perhaps – I don’t think watching the ball is beyond him, and it’s taken Bairstow plenty of time to find what we’ve seen from him lately. I’d think about giving Buttler a go when one of 4-6 weren’t available or needed dropping, but otherwise I don’t now where you fit him on.
69th over: New Zealand 213-5 (Mitchell 18, Blundell 31) Blundell takes one to fine leg then Mitchell does likewise to extra, giving him his 5ooth run of the series; great stuff. So Overton bangs one in and Blundell’s eyes light up – he absolutely cleanses a pull to deep square that Bairstow’s dive can’t yank back. Four to the total, the fifty partnership, and Bairstow runs off for what we can probably assume are minor repairs; a bumper follows and Blundell pulls for a single. The lead is 182.
68th over: New Zealand 206-5 (Mitchell 17, Blundell 25) That’s another maiden, and Leach is building pressure now!
NOT OUT!
That’s a great review from Mitchell, though who knows if he knew that was just too high. But it was, the big stride saving him.
Updated
New Zealand review!
It looked good to me...
WICKET! Mitchell lbw b Leach 17 (New Zealand 206-6)
Jack Leach in the house! He finds turn and bounce, Mitchell comes forward but can’t get bat around pad, and when the ball hits the latter, the finger goes up!
Updated
68th over: New Zealand 206-5 (Mitchell 17, Blundell 25) OK, there’s something there for Leach! As he did when binning Young in the first innings, he finds some drift, Mitchell presses forward and sees the ball zip past his edge!
67th over: New Zealand 206-5 (Mitchell 17, Blundell 25) Overton continues after drinks and the batters taken a single apiece, then a bouncer that Blundell contemplates hooking is called wide on height. I feel like I’ve said this on various occasions during this Test, but I’d like to see Stokes have a bowl.
66th over: New Zealand 203-5 (Mitchell 16, Blundell 24) Oooh yeah! There’s the jaffa I wasn’t expecting, Leach wide of the crease, spinning hard off the straight – not the rough – so good it misses everything, beating bat and gloves before running away for four byes! That completes a good first hour for the tourists, and it’s time for drinks.
65th over: New Zealand 199-5 (Mitchell 16, Blundell 24) Again, Overton begins his over with muck, so Blundell carts him to the square leg fence via pull. A single to cover follows, then another pilfered into the on side by Mitchell.
“Thoughts about Buttler,” says Steve Hudson. “A fabulous talent and very much suited to the McCricket style. Like everyone I had concluded that he just wasn’t suited to Test cricket and needed to be binned. But then reading Mark Ramprakash’s comments on him in the Graun, I wonder. Ramps said that when he was England’s batting coach he worked with Buttler and that Buttler’s main difficulty is that he never felt he knew when to bat ‘properly’ and when to blitz the bowling. If that is the case, might there be room for him as a No 7, with a McLicence to blitz the bowling from the word go, regardless of the situation? A big risk, a luxury player maybe, but imagine how intimidating a lineup at 5, 6 and 7 would be, Stokes, Barstow and Buttler.”
I’d love to see it, but I’m not sure this side can ride a specialist seven because then you’ve got Foakes at eight and only three bowlers.
64th over: New Zealand 193-5 (Mitchell 15, Blundell 19) Yeah, Mitchell is seeing it now, easing a front foot forward and collaring a sweep from outside off the fence at deep backward square. Leech won’t mind him playing a shot, but it feels like he’s waiting for a miscue rather than setting up a jaffa probing to w.in the battle of wits
63rd over: New Zealand 189-5 (Mitchell 11, Blundell 19) Eeesh, Overton begins with an overpitched gift on the pads and Blundell isn’t missing out on that, power-flicking four through midwicket. Those are the only runs from the over and these two are every bit as assured as we’ve come to expect. England could use something here, as we near the end of the crucial first hour and segue into the crucial second hour.
62nd over: New Zealand 185-5 (Mitchell 11, Blundell 15) No: though Potts does take a blow, it’s Leach not Overton replacing him. I’m enjoying Stokes’ commitment to trust his spinner – more than I’m enjoying the actual spinner, if I’m being brutal – because that’s still the way to get most from him. Blundell goes back to his loosener, forcing a single to point, then defends five dots; good start from Leach, for which he’s rewarded with an arm around by Billings.
61st over: New Zealand 184-5 (Mitchell 11, Blundell 14) Blundell deflects Broad to off and sprints through for a single, the only run off the over. Both sides will be relatively happy with the start they’ve made, New Zealand probably more so because this partnership, though it’s not contributed much in the way of runs so far, is still intact.
Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell have been batting together for 23% of this entire Test series
— Ben Jones (@benjonescricket) June 26, 2022
Updated
60th over: New Zealand 183-5 (Mitchell 11, Blundell 13) I wonder if we might see Overton after this over – another tight one from Potts, but I reckon Stokes will want to pose a different challenge. Meantime, in comms, Sanga wonders what Jos Buttler might do at the top of the order in Tests, which is not something I was expecting to hear – maybe I’m burned after advocating for Jason Roy then seeing how that went – but that doesn’t sound like the best use of him. The problem with Buttler was that he was constantly coming in in a crisis, and it’s hard to see where you insert him into this side unless he’s got the gloves, which isn’t happening anytime soon – though I guess it might’ve happened today. Maiden.
59th over: New Zealand 183-5 (Mitchell 11, Blundell 13) Thing is, when you’re in the form that Mitchell is you can be patient without platzing for your next run. So he keeps calm, then when broad is too straight he twizzles him off the tootsies for four to deep square, his first scoring shot of the morning. Broad, though, responds in typical fashion; he’s mainly been taking it away so far, but the nip-backer slices through Mitchell at the midriff and is jags back in, narrowly avoiding edge and stumps. Again, Mitchell retains noggin, turning into the leg side and dragging Blundell back for two as the throw slams into Billings’s gloves. It’s pretty windy out there this morning; when Broad charges in, he aborts in the delivery stride when caught by a gust before Mitchell nurdles one more to leg. He’s into the session.
58th over: New Zealand 176-5 (Mitchell 4, Blundell 13) Ooooh well bowled! Five tight deliveries, then an absolutely beauty that pins Blundell on the crease, bounces and nips away from his outside edge while keeping him cramped. Three maidens on the spin.
Updated
57th over: New Zealand 176-5 (Mitchell 4, Blundell 13) New Zealand’s lead is 145 as Broad struts in, hurling down four dots before the ball is under review once again. Out comes the briefcase, Umpire Kettleborough selects Marsellus Wallace’s soul Fiesta and Ben Stokes performatively punches air. That’s a third straight maiden and I think we’ll soon see Jamie Overton, who’s stretching away.
“Greetings from the Lugogo Oval in Kampala,” says Andy Kineen, “where Uganda are playing local rivals Kenya in an atmosphere that’s banging to the point of deafening. You can keep your Macca at Glasto, here we’ve got a dude dancing on stilts to Afrobeats.”
This sounds incredible, further details and photos greatly received.
56th over: New Zealand 176-5 (Mitchell 4, Blundell 13) It’s funny really, for all the talk of cavalier cricket, England have been getting their wickets in a more Andy Flower kind of way, keeping it tight and waiting for error or the ball to do just enough – and as I type that, Potts spirits one past Blundell’s outside edge, then again, the ball straightening off the seam to induce the forward press. Excellent over, and another maiden.
“Potts ahead of Wood?” asks Ed Bannister. “Not for me Clive I mean Daniel – fitness and longevity issues notwithstanding. I agree on the rest though...”
I wasn’t expressing a preference – I too would find it hard to exclude a fit Wood – but I don’t think the selectors are binning Potts if he’s fit.
55th over: New Zealand 176-5 (Mitchell 4, Blundell 13) Broad’s bowling pretty full here, which seems like a good call – though Mitchell, who’s facing, wants to come forward. He plays out a testing maiden with all the confidence you’d expect from a man in such ridiculous form.
Martyn Reynolds emails in asking for the TSM overseas link; go well.
54th over: New Zealand 176-5 (Mitchell 4, Blundell 13) Potts really does look the part doesn’t he? He moves one back into Blundell, who leaves well, and is now the man in possession. I’d be looking to get Archer back in as soon as he’s fit, but Potts is now ahead of Wood, Stone, Woakes and the Overtons (of this world). Does that count of pluralisation, of do we need to say the Overtonses for those purposes? As I type that, of course, he overpitches and Blundell cracks him for four to long off, but still, he’s been one big positive and clearly has loads of room to improve.
53rd over: New Zealand 172-5 (Mitchell 4, Blundell 9) There’s a touch of Pietersen/Collingwood about this partnership, not in strokeplay terms, but that one, KP and Mitchell, wants to get forward and the other, Collingwood and and Blundell, hangs back. That’s aggravating to bowl to ... but there’s little better bowling to watch than an aggravated SJ Broad. He starts nicely too, his fourth delivery nipping off the pitch and away from Mitchell’s outside edge. Maiden.
52nd over: New Zealand 172-5 (Mitchell 4, Blundell 9) Unusually for him, Potts is leg-sideish to begin with and Blundell wastes not time turning him to deep square for four.
It’s Matt Potts to finish his over from last evening, which isn’t just an excuse to say last evening, I promise.
The teams are with us and here we go!
What a great addition Mark Butcher is to Sky’s A-Team. He’s been quietly engaging, enlightening and witty on the county stuff for years, and is now adding a new dimension to the Test coverage. It’s great to see.
Email! “They’re still using petrol powered rollers at Headingley by the looks of it,” says Andrew Benton. “There should be a blanket ban on non-renewable-powered grounds equipment – power sockets are only a trundle to the boundary away.”
I can’t claim to be an expert in this field but yup, that sounds reasonable to me.
Amazingly, yesterday was a phenomenally uplifting day in the green-and-pleasants. Bread and circuses, yes, but we’ve got to take our joy where we can find it. McCartney and Glasto singing Hey Jude together, oof madone.
The atmosphere yesterday was absolutely banging, and I’m sure we’re down for more of the same today.
Branderson who?
Happily for us, this is not today’s only cricket – far from it. Join Tanya Aldred at the Oval for Champo fun!
1999. Time to party, yes, but also the year that England last met New Zealand in a series of longer than three matches. Frankly, it’s an absolute nonsense, and not just because of the how consistently excellent the matches are – that’s a bonus. Ultimately, sport – in a sporting sense – is about the contest, identifying the better team. That has nothing whatsoever to do viewing figures, the prioritising of which are to the game’s shame.
You only have to test if you’ve symptoms and Foakes was off the park yesterday with a sore back. Feel better soon, Ol Blue Eyes.
Ben Foakes tests positive for Covid-19 and is out of the match
Sam Billings replaces him.
Preamble
Far be it for the OBO to offer guidance of any kind, but before the start of what we know for almost certain is another bazzing day of Test Match CricketTM, it might be worth taking a moment to be very, er, intentional about, um, staying in the moment to be, well, present in enjoying it. We’ve seen some seriously affirming stuff these last few summers, but even in that context this has been a helluva ruckus. May we know many others.
Somehow, during the course of it England have become a team, winning the big sessions and refusing to retreat when things have gone against them. If it wasn’t for the comfortable familiarity of some avante-garde slip catching, it’d be quite disconcerting.
So they start today as favourites to complete a series whitewash, and with good reason. But for all England’s rejuvenation, they’ve also been served well by the chaotically fine margins of elite sport – fitness, form and fortune have all gone in their favour – and the world champions are plenty good enough to reverse that, especially with Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell at the crease. The first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth hours could be crucial
Play: 11am BST
