After another chaotic day of Test match cricket at Lord's, England will enter day four of the first Test against New Zealand needing 61 runs to win with former captain Joe Root unbeaten on 77.
England began day three needing something special to drag themselves back into the game and a crazy over with the second new ball from Stuart Broad threatened to do just that. A brilliant partnership from Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell on day two put the visitors firmly in the driving seat and the pair initially picked up where they left off.
Mitchell went to his hundred with a beautiful drive off Broad for three and Blundell looked set to follow suit. However, Broad proceeded to turn the game on its head when England picked up a team hat-trick in just the fifth over of the day.
Mitchell was the first to go, getting caught behind for 108, before Colin de Grandhomme was run out in bizarre fashion the very next ball. After being hit on the pad, De Grandhomme left his crease and was run out by a direct hit from Ollie Pope, with former England bowler Isa Guha labelling it a "dopey mistake" from the all-rounder.
Broad then completed the team hat-trick by bowling Kyle Jamieson for a duck, with New Zealand falling from 251-4 to 251-7 in the space of just three balls. And with the momentum now firmly with England, James Anderson got in on the act by pinning Blundell lbw.
It was a heartbreaking dismissal for Blundell, who fell just four runs short of a third Test century after batting so well on day two. However, it was massive for England, who were able to bowl New Zealand out for 285.
Debutants Matty Potts and Matt Parkinson finished off the tail, with Potts pinning Ajaz Patel lbw for four and Parkinson getting Tim Southee caught at slip for 21. It meant England needed 277 runs to win and openers Alex Lees and Zak Crawley made a decent start, before Lees was bowled by Jamieson for 20.
Jamieson also picked up the wicket of Crawley, producing a brilliant delivery to get him caught in the slips for nine. Boult then bowled Pope for ten, before Jamieson dismissed Jonny Bairstow for 16 to leave England in trouble at 69-4.
New captain Ben Stokes then joined former skipper Root at the crease and was immediately handed a lifeline when he was bowled off a no ball from De Grandhomme. And in a bid to capitalise on that reprieve, Stokes and Root proceeded to stage an important partnership worth 90 runs.
Stokes took down spinner Ajaz Patel with two big sixes and brought up his 27th Test fifty, before getting out for 54 after gloving a short ball from Jamieson straight to the wicketkeeper. Root, meanwhile, showed his class to end the day unbeaten on 77 and he will hold the key for England if they are to chase down the remaining 61 runs they need to win this match.
