Key events
91st over: England 413-7 (Atkinson 27, Stokes 60) Atkinson smashes Smith through the covers for four – he does better than run a ball. Atkinson then plays another pull, this time along the carpet, behind square leg for another four. It thrives against armor.
90th over: England 402-7 (Atkinson 17, Stokes 59) Atkinson pulls Matt Henry for a six! It has all-around potential. Another puller ends the over… with the ball not being carried to Rachin Ravindra in the deep.
89th over: England 395-7 (Atkinson 10, Stokes 59) Nathan Smith returns, replacing Southee. After Brooke’s dismissal, Stokes reined in his end-of-match adventure, removing the skip down the pitch. He hits it to mid-off for a single before Atkinson collects two with a leg-side clip.
88th over: England 390-7 (Atkinson 6, Stokes 58) Atkinson clears the forward defense as Matt Henry charges in with a thunderbolt. The over ends with the number 9 slotting the ball through point for another three.
87th over: England 387-7 (Atkinson 3, Stokes 58) Gus Atkinson, the Test centurion, joins Stokes as Southee gets the ball for a hoop. Atkinson shows off his flicks with a leg-side pinch for three.
VARITKA! Woakes c Latham b Southee 1 (England 382-7)
Southee strikes straight after drinks as Tom Latham gets rid of his catching blues with a low grab at second slip! Woakes pushed the ball wide. It goes to the TV umpire to check that the catch is clean – note the awkwardness of the slow-motion replay, which makes every catch look a little sketchy. However, I think he’s fine here and the judge agrees. Outside.
86th over: England 382-6 (Wakes 1, Stokes 56) Chris Woakes is next and still has a lot of work to do: the lead is hardly huge. Stokes gets hit on the arm after failing to throw a punch at Henry. Ouch
VARITKA! Brooke c Blundell b Henry 171 (England 381-6)
Sixth time lucky as New Zealand finally hang on! Brook tries to play that third-man lead again, but an outside advantage travels into the hands of Tom Blundell.
85th over: England 381-5 (Brooke 171, Stokes 56) Oh my days. Brook sends Southee on the roof, swinging down the leg side for a six. Then comes a delicate guide behind point for four. Find someone who can do both.
Krishnamoorthy v asks a pertinent question: “What is the record for most missed catches by a batsman. I don’t remember 5 for one player – it’s really crazy.”
Don’t think Cricinfo has a list for such things.
Half century for Ben Stokes!
84th over: England 370-5 (Brooke 160, Stokes 56) Ben Stokes has his first 50 of the summer and wants more: Shimmy out the pitch and slapped through the covers for four – by Matt Henry. Stokes and Brook put on 51 in 10 overs today.
Harry Brooke has reached 150!
83rd over: England 362-5 (Brooke 159, Stokes 49) Brook moves to 152 with some serious flicking, skipping down the pitch to smash Southee through the off side for four. He then tries the scoop…but fails to make contact. The two batsmen trade singles before Brook walks into leg for a pair. A leg side kick from Brook to the ropes ends the over. Escapes are flowing and these two are in a hurry.
82nd over: England 350-5 (Brooke 148, Stokes 48) Stokes unties his cover from Matt Henry, almost offering Williamson a catch, but the ball falls just short. The left-hander looks a bit nervous trying to force things with the bat.
Guy Hornsby writes in:
Doesn’t Christchurch look like an absolutely beautiful place to watch cricket? These panoramic shots of games taking place in the shadow of the pitch are the best thing ever. Even better is watching girls play. I went to these lovely islands in 2001, it was a really great time, but unfortunately the end of May was not the time for Test cricket. Perhaps the Black Caps fielders are willing to get on the bus themselves rather than take another catch. They really give so much life to England. But it’s a new ball season, it should be interesting!
81st over: England 350-5 (Brooke 148, Stokes 48) Time for the second new ball with England just one behind. Stokes promptly skips down the pitch but fails to connect with Tim Southee’s batsman. Stokes dances around his crease, making his intentions known: he wants to have a shot. He sneaks through a quick single before Brook does the same to set up a first-inning lead.
80 overs: England 347-5 (Brooke 147, Stokes 46) Stokes pulls Smith to claim a couple. TV replays show five times Brooke has run out in this innings – it’s so different from New Zealand.
79th over: England 340-5 (Brooke 147, Stokes 41) O’Rourke makes the ball thump to the front of Brook, although it is high and probably slides down leg too. Armor follows and the 6-foot-tall speedster still gives the 147* guy trouble … and after that another a drop! Brooke looks up at the sky and smiles. He cut outside, went to Glen Phillips in gully and really should have been taken. Right at him, but it popped up.
78th over: England 340-5 (Brooke 147, Stokes 41) Smith gets one to leap to the shoulder of Brook’s bat but the ball stays low as it bisects the defensive cordon. Brooke then punches a drive through extra cover for four; England quickly work their way into the lead.
77th over: England 332-5 (Brooke 140, Stokes 41) Stokes manages to cover O’Rourke’s shot… but Kane Williamson makes a sweeping dive down the right to collect before firing at the striker’s end. The England captain is forced to drop back and dive to make his pitch.
76th over: England 329-5 (Brooke 138, Stokes 41) Nathan Smith, very impressive on day two, is at the other end. Brooke is quick at work though, going through the point for his first boundary of the morning. Then comes the flawless front guard, probably my favorite shot of his (kind of boring, I know). I think he can thrive at #3.
75th over: England 324-5 (Brooke 133, Stokes 41) Will O’Rourke opens with six overs to go until the second new ball. Brook is on strike and quickly backs away, tucking behind square on the leg side for a single. Stokes tosses the bat wide but only connects with the air; he leaves the next well alone. I wonder if he’s up for a thrash before the new prom? He manages to blast a shot for four to bring up a stand for centuries.
Ben Stokes and Harry Brookall smiling, exit towards the middle. Let’s go.
“Morning from wet Auckland,” writes Chris Pitts. “Assuming England can go on this morning, what would the lead be?”
England will probably be very excited to get to 450, secure a 100 run lead? Considering where they were at lunch yesterday, any lead feels like a good achievement.
TalkSport providing radio communications for this seriesi have they had their cameras stolen!
William Lane writesoffering some herbal wisdom:
Sorry to hear the weather is bad.
I can’t go wrong with the classic lemonade, but I like to make my own lemon-ginger concoction on the stove to stir up the powdery stuff. A tablespoon of honey too and you’re onto a winner.
To be honest, there’s not much to say about the cricket itself, it’s all a bit ‘classic England’ isn’t it? Use your luck to be close to the first innings score with a couple of wickets in hand, collapse, concede a significant 3rd innings score before an all-time great fourth innings chase. yawn…
Mark Quinn is having a great time. As I turn on my electric heater, the jealousy grows. “Long term reader, first time writer… Just thought I’d drop you a line as we’re on holiday in Christchurch. Watching the Test cricket boss sitting on a grassy bank was a real joy, and on top of that, yesterday was a terrible day. The first session looked tough yesterday but it would be fantastic for Stokes to get a century in his home ground…”
Elsewhere in the Test game, there’s this crazy scorecard. Apart from the obvious “Sri Lanka, what are you doing?!?!?”, it’s worth noting that Themba Bavuma, a fine player struggling to convert his fifties, got his third Test ton.
Where does Ollie Pope want Ollie Pope to beat? He made it pretty clear, despite an impressive hit on No. 6 on day two.
Preamble
New Zealand, England, Hagley Oval, day three and it could prove to be a tight game. That’s how Friday nights are done, right?
The hosts had a bit of trouble on the field yesterday, dropping a couple of catches, and Harry Brooke took advantage to post his seventh Test hundred and sixth away from home which is a bit ridiculous. He remains unbeaten on 132, with an in-form Ben Stokes alongside him on 37. England trail by 29 with five wickets still in the bag.
Feel free to drop me a line with your thoughts, queries, views on where Ollie Pope, Lemsip’s favorite flavor, should rank (I’m feeling a bit meh)whatever makes you happy.
