And a live picture to end it all. I’ll be back tomorrow to enjoy the rest of England’s history-crushing run-chase. Bye!
Day five tomorrow will see England return at 44-0 and trailing the BLACKCAPS by 410 #engvnz #leeds ^CE pic.twitter.com/2At4jRbrPa
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) June 1, 2015
Play abandoned
The news we’ve all been waiting for, some of us (not me, mind) while huddled under umbrellas in a wind-swept Headingley, has come: there’ll be no more cricket today.
Play has been abandoned for the day at Headingley #EngvNZ
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 1, 2015
On the downside, today’s a bit of a write-off. On the plus side, the forecast is decent for tomorrow and tickets are a fiver!
Day 5 tickets will go on sale in the morning at #Headingley priced £5 adults & FREE for U16s accompanied by an adult pic.twitter.com/T69RBGYJsT
— Yorkshire CCC (@Yorkshireccc) June 1, 2015
I’m looking for good news. I’m not finding good news. It’s still raining, it’s going to rain for a while, at some point someone will tell us to go home and come back tomorrow.
The latest from Headingley is … it’s still raining, and there’s no sign of a let-up [sad face].
TEA
Or nearly tea, anyway. At 3.10pm BST, in about a minute, it will officially be tea. It’s still raining. “Is it not the case, that this series is already shaping up to be one of the most entertaining in a very long time?” suggests Jerry Knight. “It has seen both sides come back from seemingly impossible situations, all results have been on the cards and the spirit is terrific. Hard to remember a better one.” It’s been excellent. We’ll probably find ourselves, a couple of months hence, wistfully dreaming of these happy, innocent days of early summer.
Updated
It’s still raining at Headingley, as people wearing waterproofs wander around double-checking the covers. The stands look pretty empty, but apparently there are enough people still in them to do a bit of singing:
Chant around Headingley... Heyyyy Brendan....I wanna know....why you declared so late.... #engvnz #FunkyCaptain
— Innocent Bystander (@InnoBystander) June 1, 2015
So England have 9.67% of the runs they require to win, scored under grey skies with a whooping wind yet scored calmly and chancelessly, by two confident batsmen in decent form. The weight of all history argues the opposite, but given everything we’ve seen today, England could win this. They’re more likely to lose, to be sure, but this match offers at least a decent chance of the greatest fourth-innings run chase in the history of Test cricket. Surely it’s in the best interests of both teams, all fans, all neutrals, statisticians and historians for this rain to clear off sharpish.
Updated
Here’s the latest rain radar, zoomed out a bit. You’ll notice that the rain that has just reached Leeds is the very easternmost cusp of a great big swirling chorus of cloud.
While we break: OBO demagogue, Rob Smyth, has a new book out, Gentlemen and Sledgers: A History of the Ashes in 100 Quotations. You can buy it here immediately, and read an extract here. Do both.
Updated
Rain stops play
It looks to be raining very lightly. The players are in no hurry to leave the field, and the covers are manoeuvred on slowly. But it does look like they’ll be there for a while.
13th over: England 44-0 (Lyth 24, Cook 18)
Boult bowls, and both batsmen score a single. As the over ends, the rain is falling and the umpires peer at their light meter and at the skies, and don’t look happy with either. “With the track alternately offering the bowlers lots or very little depending on the weather – is it cowardly to pray for sunshine?” wonders Hugh Maguire. Interesting question. I think the worst possible scenario is repeated showers, the best (in the circumstances) that this cloud dumps whatever water it wants to dump and then floats away elsewhere.
12th over: England 42-0 (Lyth 23, Cook 17)
Cook takes a single from the last to keep strike. “Since the fairly but not entirely arbitrarily chosen year of 1991, when Mark Ramprakash made his debut, 47% of England debutants went on to play five or fewer tests, the most of the major nations,” notes Elliot Carr-Barnsley. “New Zealand, neatly, happen to have the least itchy trigger fingers, booting just 28% of players in that time.
Australia - 45%
SAF - 39%
India - 33%
Pakistan - 45%
Sri Lanka - 32%
West Indies - 44%
“Australia has mainly totted up recently to counter the changing of the guard post-Ponting, but otherwise I’m not surprised to see the organisational calamities that are Pakistan, West Indies and us at the top.” Fine statsnuffling there, good work.
11th over: England 41-0 (Lyth 23, Cook 16)
Cook clips the ball fine down leg side for a single, a gutsy/foolhardy (delete as appropriate) shot given that there’s a leg slip hanging about waiting for that kind of thing, though this is far enough away from him to be safe enough. “So who is the genius who scheduled just the two Tests for this series?” wonders Paul Griffin. “I have not felt so disappointed by a needlessly truncated drama since Eldorado (to the Costa Del Sol what The Wire is to West Baltimore, but with less swearing and crime) was scrapped.” Eldorado didn’t need to bother with depictions of crime, though, because it itself was one.
10th over: England 40-0 (Lyth 23, Cook 15)
Matt Henry gets the afternoon action under way, and Lyth pushes the ball in the air towards cover, where there’s no fielder waiting to catch it, and away for four, and then hits the final ball of the over in a similar direction and with a similar result, only this time entirely along the ground.
The players come back out, under heavy grey skies. Here’s the rain radar, with the clouds travelling eastwards – the wet stuff is coming.
Hello world!
So, a decent start to the second innings for England. Just the 423 runs to go. Here’s some lunchtime music.
Miles from nowhere
I guess I’ll take my time
Oh yeah, to reach thereLook up at the mountain
I have to climb
Oh yeah, to reach there.
Quick stat afore I go: Stuart Broad’s economy rate for the match is 6.11. Only Bob Willis, at Headingley in 1984, and James anderson, at Napier in 2008, have, er, bettered it, in English cricket history.
Anyhow, Simon Burnton will be with you in half an hour or so, to narrate England’s inspiring fight-back.
9th over: England 32-0 (Lyth 15, Cook 15) Boult drops short to Cook, and on his pads, too - this is only going to one place, diverted there with leaping elan; four to square-leg. Then he’s back to defending and leaving where possible, and that’s lunch; well enough batted England, not so well bowled New Zealand. Based on what we’ve seen in that mini-session, Mark Craig will need to chip in with a few wickets, but let’s not forget quite how superbly New Zealand started the day and quite how miserably England failed to retain their discipline (again).
8th over: England 28-0 (Lyth 15, Cook 11) Oooh, some turn for Craig there, third ball, nipping past the outside-edge, and then some in-drift, spinning to straighten and pass the presented face. The pitch is a little dry, so there should be enough in it, but then a fuller one encourages Cook to drive, and a rare misfield - caused by the spin - allows a single.
Updated
7th over: England 27-0 (Lyth 15, Cook 10) Lyth drives through point to get himself three, and after three dots, we see Craig getting limber. Probably time for two overs before lunch, and yep, here’s some spin.
6th over: England 23-0 (Lyth 12, Cook 9) Southee’s outside off, even when he comes around the wicket, and Cook’s more than happy to leave when he can. The thing about this, er, “chase,” is that if England don’t lose, they probably can’t avoid being close enough for a dart, so have no need to go after it.
“Regarding lack of spinners available to England,” reckons Chris Evans , “what was Swann’s FC record like before he was picked for his comeback in India? I may be wrong, but I’m sure he wasn’t regarded as a certainty, and was more regarded as a left field selection to be a second spinner to Monty. I think that if you assume English county cricket in early season is probably the hardest place to bowl spin, then we should be less dismissive of higher averages and look for potential. But I think Ali cops a lot of flak; there’s a decent, wicket taking spinner there, although his run rate can be a problem. He’s a good bat and a decent fielder though. I don’t think he’s the reason that we’ll probably lose this match.”
That’s fair, yep - assuming England lose here, if we’re pinpointing one factor, it’s how the seamers bowled on day one. But at the same time, a spinner is the most obvious thing missing from the team.
5th over: England 23-0 (Lyth 12, Cook 9) Cook takes two, forcing one into the ground from in front of his body, and subsequently does well to avoid a beauty, shaping away from an off-stump line. But then Boult strays onto the pads, and is duly clipped away for a single.
4th over: England 20-0 (Lyth 12, Cook 6) Lyth seizes onto Southee’s first ball, pushing forwards and timing four through cover. But Southee responds well, beating the bat just outside off - that’s the best delivery of the innings so far, full, moving away and enticing the shot. The sun’s out, though, and as such, it’s surely a matter of time until we’re urged to look up, not down.
“I think you lot are a shade pessimistic!” exclaims Ian Dunn! “The NZ attack is a bit like England’s, one-trick ponies. Survive the new ball and you might make 1000 - never has there been a more free scoring test. As an Aussie, I give the English a real chance.”
Ha, England have a trick? It’s possible, I suppose, and I agree, this attack doesn’t have depth or variety. But not sure it’s one to be taken for a world record score, least of all by this bunch.
Updated
3rd over: England 15-0 (Lyth 8, Cook 6) There’s a right old win blowing as Boult whips in, and Lyth takes a single to long-leg, before Cook glances two to backward-point. The bowling is full and straight, but with no demons in the pitch, far from unplayable, and England are looking confident enough. In other words, expect a wicket.
“That is what a bowling attack looks like when Stuart Broad is your best bowler,” emails Harry Tuttle, “and he is the only member of this attack who is in his prime. You can win matches if Broad is your second best bowler. If he’s your third best, you’re in great shape. When we had peak Jimmy and Swanny, Broad’s lean spells could be overlooked. We were also ranked number one in the world, don’t know if anyone else heard about that. As it is, I honestly can’t remember the last time England bowled well in both innings of a match. Related tangent: I believe Jimmy got greyer during that last session.”
I’d love not to agree with any of that. I agree with all of that (aparty from the suffixy).
2nd over: England 12-0 (Lyth 7, Cook 4) Southee’s wide and short first up, and Lyth’s not letting that off, leaping to smack four through point; already, he looks a much better partner for Cook than Robson or Trott. And, when a single gets him down the other end, Southee overpitches - well, gives the ball every chance to swing - and Cook jams down to deflect his first runs away on the leg-side. That’s well played, and another two follow it, this time squirted from outside off to on; nine from the over, and England look well set to win from here.
1st over: England 3-0 (Lyth 3, Cook 0) Boult’s on the money right away, and Lyth defends, then folds and jumps into a lifter, turning away two on the leg-side. Then he rides another which bounces, this time knocking down and to point; they amble a single. With Cook now on strike, Boult starts shaping them away, but, though they’re sharp, the line’s not quite right, and Cook can play inside them as they whoosh by. New Zealand race around to get Southee at England a-sap.
Lyth to face Boult...
New Zealand are out, and here come the batsmen, dancing into their shots. They daren’t lose a wicket before lunch.
Updated
So, there we are. New Zealand have from being 2-2 and 68-3 in their first innings, marshalled this game superbly to more or less guarantee a result. And they did more or less the same at Lord’s, before being caught by a session of individual brilliance that turned things; England have the bones of a very handy team, but a lot to learn and lot of improving to be done. Their reply begins in ten.
91st over: New Zealand 454-8 (Craig 58, Henry 12) Craig stands and leans towards the on-side, making room to flow six straight down the ground; that is ludicrously aesthetic. Then, after a single, Henry goes after his first ball, spinning off his feet and glancing high into the on-side, tantalising Broad who can’t quite catch up. But his eye’s in now, and he clatters six over square-leg, as Michael Holding says “I thought Brendon McCullum was a gambler”, with minor disgust. Oh, and there’s Broad, banging in a short one, and there’s Henry crunching six more! Yes! Six more! Over square-leg! And that’ll do; when, eventually, they see him waving at the window, McCullum puts England out of their misery in order to put England into their misery.
90th over: New Zealand 435-7 (Craig 51, Henry 0) One brings two, and all that; England have New Zealand right where they want them.
WICKET! Southee c Anderson b Ali 40 (New Zealand 435-8)
Southee waits for another one and swings hard to long-off, but he’s not got enough of it, or underneath it enough, and Anderson hops across a couple of steps to hold around shoulder-height.
Updated
90th over: New Zealand 435-7 (Craig 51, Southee 40) Hell’s bells, Moeen into the attack. Craig shovels him towards cover and takes the single that he needs for his fifty - surely the declaration is imminent, though maybe Southee will be permitted his. That way, New Zealand get two goes with the new ball, one before lunch and one after.
Drinks and email: “On the subject of England’s bowling,” says Alfred Moore, “I wonder if they are going to persist with only playing three full-time, front-line bowlers? Stokes and Ali are both batting all rounders, and both worth their place in the top six as batters alone. Both have similar bowling stats (Ali’s slightly better). They would both be great supplements to a good four-man attack, but they’re not replacements. I’d be happier seeing Moeen bat at four, though that would mean making a tough call on one of Bell or Ballance, and picking an extra specialist bowler, seam or spin, take your pick.”
I’m not convinced by Moeen as a batsman yet, I must say. I’d be more tempted to swap him for a spinner, if there were one.
89th over: New Zealand 432-7 (Craig 49, Southee 39) “Swinging like a 1960s suburban tea-party,” says Bumble. “Everyone’s a winner.” And yet it doesn’t matter, until it does later, when England are batting; how entirely hilarious. Perfect first hour for New Zealand; only one team can win this now.
Gary Naylor tweets to observe that eight of New Zealand’s XI have hit sixes in this match, and delivers the below via email.
“We’re going into The Ashes with four seamers, all right arm and a spinner who
doesn’t turn it and wo takes wickets at about 40 or so? And those seamers? One’s
got a dodgy radar, another looks like he’s losing his zip, one might snap at any
moment and the other’s got so much baggage off the field, he needs a carousel to
himself at the airport. Sorry - just cut and paste something from ten years ago by mistake.”
It’s hard to know what to do with the bowling: not just the spinner, but how Broad can be improved. The team isn’t good enough, and the opposition is too good, to allow him to produce those rushes of devastation and not so much in the meantime, and yhet, he’s better than any alternative.
88th over: New Zealand 428-7 (Craig 45, Southee 39) Anderson continues around the wicket to Craig, who wallops him flat-batted, forcing him to dance through his follow-through like a cowboy avoiding bullet for extra burning murderous fury. Gosh, and there’re four more, Craig standing to punch through cover - we’re close to declaration time, I shouldn’t wonder. This really is ridiculously good batting, as it has been since yesterday mid-afternoon, from this amicably vicious side.
87th over: New Zealand 420-7 (Craig 37, Southee 37) “He seems to miss it by an absolute mile or nail it out of the middle of the bat,” says Athers. “He’s nowhere near this!” replies Bumble. “Everyone’s a winner! ... New Zealand are racking them up!” Oh dear. Broad, on for Wood, is heaved to backward-square for four, then tries a shorter ball, only to be hoofed over his head for six. Ah. I wonder how many of England’s ills would be solved by the ability of their bowlers to offer yorkers - Broad does goes into one-day mode, and try a slower leg-cutter, and Southee bottom-edges it around the corner four, then drives through point for four more. That’s the fifty partnership off 33 balls, and to win, England will need to score more than any team ever has in Tests. Six fielders are on the fence, roughly commensurate with Broad’s gas mark, and that’s 20 [twenty] from the over!
Updated
86th over: New Zealand 400-7 (Craig 37, Southee 19) England can see this Test racing away, Southee missing the balls outside off and connecting with those that are straighter. He bangs one over mid-off for two, then clatters the next, shorter one for four to square-leg, and then a single takes the lead up to 400. This is ballsy, lovely batting.
“Just for clarity, I wouldn’t pick Klusener, Hayward, Nel or Ntini immediately,” says Elliot Carr-Barnsley, but their reliance on one type of bowling is interesting. At least Mullally, Tuffnell, Panesar, Sidebottom, Swann and Giles all got 50 from Donald and beyond, for instance, and Croft got 49. I don’t think many of them would exactly walk into a South African team either. So what I’m saying is that I don’t know what my point is. Something about spinners probably.”
Probably - I wonder how long England will give Moeen before taking a risk on someone more likely to remove batsmen, good or otherwise.
85th over: New Zealand 390-7 (Craig 37, Southee 10) Southee’s eye’s in, so he reaches forward and humps Wood’s first ball over mid-on for four. And we’re closing in on och and vey territory here, as Craig inadvertently deflects a short one wide of clips, then somehow bundles the nest delivery around the corner for four more. 13 from the over, and that’s 52 in ten overs this morning.
84th over: New Zealand 377-7 (Craig 29, Southee 5) Anderson coming around the wicket to Craig, and there’s swing, seam and generally pleasing movement - unless you’ve to bat to save - because that’s probably where we are now - a Test match. And there’re four more to further cement the circumstance, flicked very nicely off the hip by Craig.
83rd over: New Zealand 373-7 (Craig 25, Southee 5) Good from Wood, showing his ability to bowl with the new ball. The seam is beautifully upright, and he’s generating movement by hitting it, but could perhaps bowl a little fuller and aim for the stumps, because at the moment, Southee is swinging, missing and escaping. Until, finally, he imparts an edge, and it flies away for four between Root and Bell, each leaving it t’t’other. That’s really not good enough - we saw yesterday how New Zealand’s cordon will all go for the ball and whoever gets there first takes it, all of them able to focus with bodies moving around them.
82nd over: New Zealand 369-7 (Craig 25, Southee 1) Eyes down for some biffing, because it’s unlikely Tim Southee is going to bat time.
“Re: tail end bowlers,” says Neil Withers, “it always annoys me when people do bowlers down by asking how many of their wickets were tail-enders (Gough used to get criticised for it, I think). As the cliched truism goes, you’ve got to take all 20 wickets to win a Test match, not just the top 5 four times - if you see what I mean. I’d /Keegan/ love it \Keegan\ if we had someone who could run through the last few cheaply, a lower-order stand is probably the most frustrating thing in cricket. Rant over. Bring back Goughie!”
Yep, mainly agreed - obviously you need bowlers who can get out the best batsmen, but yep. Ronaldo was decried as a flat-track bully for a bit as well, as though leagues aren’t won by beating the rubbish teams twice.
WICKET! Watling c Root b Anderson 120 (New Zealand 368-7)
Brilliant wicket to end a brilliant innings. Anderson persuades one to bounce a little more, squaring Watling, who lifts bat above sternum and fences. Even so, the ball’s dying as it flies wide of Root at third slip, but, naturally, he times his dive perfectly and snaffles it low and two-handed. He is startlingly, wondrously, mortifyingly competent.
Updated
81st over: New Zealand 366-6 (Watling 118, Craig 25) Wood continues with the new ball just as the skies cloud and there’s an edge first up, but a strangulated appeal subsides once everyone’s clear that it went into the ground before going to hand. So Watling wattles hard next ball, a square drive zipping to the fence.
“I had to look up the meaning of ‘ganting’ and all I could find was ‘baulking at a particularly unattractive female’, emails Colin Howard. “Please clarify.”
I’d define it as “in desperate need of” - I’d imagine it’s a Geordie term, as I learnt it from Viz. It also has Yiddish equivalents, platzing and chalishing. One would platz for the toilet and chalish for a drink.
80th over: New Zealand 361-6 (Watling 113, Craig 25) Dropped catch! Craig drives hard, and Broadm, at mid-off, dives left, leading with with his right hand over the top. It’s a tricky one, and would’ve been a belter had he taken it, but looked like he could’ve got both buckets to that. Affronted, Anderson responds with consecutive bouncers, the first into the body from wide of the crease and stinging the torso, the second just passing grill and grille.
“Blowing the tail away is a pretty specific skill,” emails Paddy Blewer. “A subtle, skilful bowler like Anderson is more likely to get good players out but he may lack the killer few MPH / ability to bowl a Yorker that will deal with 8-11. For all the fear generated in the top order, Mitch Johnson was actually incredibly effective in polishing off the tail vs England. Similarly Murali and Warne were both great at finishing off teams. Finally, the Windies sides of 70s-90s were brilliant at it. 90mph bouncer followed by a Yorker, and the (probably) grateful bunny was back in the hutch.”
Yep, agree with that, certainly to a point - but, in the end, Warne and Murali, Johnson, the West Indies battery, are amazing bowlers.
79th over: New Zealand 358-6 (Watling 111, Craig 24) Craig is starting to enjoy this, unfurling a delectable drive through mid-off when Wood overpitches, and then ending the over with four more, flowed down to long-off. England are absolutely ganting on this new ball.
Updated
78th over: New Zealand 350-6 (Watling 111, Craig 16) Quiet over, two runs added by Watling with a flick to long-leg.
Meantime, Elliot Carr-Barnsley emails: “Two thoughts, 1) Game for the day, Left Handed England XI, which leads me onto 2) Diversity of attacks. England get a bit of stick for lack of variety with all our right arm fast-medium bowlers, but that didn’t seem to stop Donald, Pollock, Steyn, Kallis, Klusener, Ntini, Philander, Nel and Hayward over the last twenty years. They haven’t had too much diversity beyond that, In fact only Paul Adams and Nicky Boje are the only non right arm, seam up South Africans to take more than 50 test wickets since Donald made his debut.”
I’m fascinated by the lefty thing - for so long, and unlike in most sports, a disadvantage when bowling, and now, the new black. England have had hardly any decent left-armers, which seems obvious, and as for the fast-medium thing, I guess in depends a lot on skill and consistency, and also style. Of those you list, they’re not all better than those England have.
77th over: New Zealand 348-6 (Watling 109, Craig 16) Wood to continue, and he’s been the find of the summer so far for England. Like Stokes and Root, he appears to have the knack of making things happen - more important than a skill, in some aspects, or a skill itself, depending on how you look at it. Anyway, three from the over.
“Did they provide any possible explanations for the stat about England’s struggles to remove lower order batsmen?” asks Anthony Hule. “There’s a couple that spring to my mind, being the lack of pure pace and a quality spinner in that period. The new ball moves around more so Anderson and Broad pick up early wickets, but once it gets older and moves less their lack of pace (and that of the change seamers) is exposed. A good spinner would offset this, but there isn’t one, and thus in the absence of genuine pace batting for the lower order is much easier until you get the second new ball.”
They didn’t but I’m sure you’re right. The lack of a spinner means fewer wickets - oddly, Moeen seems better when there’s less help - and that it’s rarely possible to rotate tired seamers from the other end. And yep, someone hurling it fast and straight is very useful - hopefully Wood will address that in time.
76th over: New Zealand 345-6 (Watling 107, Craig 15) Anderson begins with customary outswing, and Watling is circumspect. It’ll be interesting to see how New Zealand handle this morning, as they’ve plenty of time to score, but that’s not how they do. And there’s a deliciously timed four, flicked adroitly through midwicket, and then a push down to the cover fence, where Wood catches up as they run thrice.
“I thought I’d get in early,” writes Jonathan McCauley-Oliver, “but don’t want my comments to detract from an excellent couple of proper cricket matches. However, the way England Test cricket is set up, how are Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali going to improve on their respective basic skills. We have compromised on a wicket keeper ever since Jack Russell retired and, by batting Ali at number 8, have made him a front line spinner (which he clearly isn’t). I don’t suppose either will play much, if any, county cricket this summer so when are they meant to practise and improve? Rant over. Bring it on.”
It’s tricky with Ali. I guess that once Stokes is reliable as a third seamer, Rashid might get a go, but in the meantime he’ll have to learn on the job. His innings at Headingley last summer was as good as I’ve seen in the last few years, but he’s still to prove himself against fast stuff.
Jimmy Anderson will begin, with the new ball due in five overs.
Here come the chaps!
Updated
First email of the day, from Robert Wilson: “If Test cricket is a novel then it must follow that Test nations are novelists. Which seems to be something so right and just as to amount to an epiphany. Already it seems clear that Pakistan show clear signs of being one of the uncalm 19th century Russians (Doestoevsky or Gogol, take your pick). Bangladesh are obviously Italo Svevo (buddy and inspiration to Joyce and all-round good egg). The West Indies? A touch harder. An odd mix of F Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Norman Mailer, all profligate talent, divisiveness and rampant testosterone. Sadly, I think England might be Zola. Serious, impeccable, sincere and committed. But actually slightly better in translation.”
Heh - it’s very hard to see beyond Dickens for England, which is deeply unoriginal. Grim, cluttered, and painful funny more than funny funny.
Interesting stat from Sky: since October 2013, England’s bowlers are the best in the world at removing batsmen 1-5, for an average of 36.86 runs (Sri Lanka are next, at 41.18). But when it comes to numbers 6-10, they’re sixth, with an average of 29.62 (South Africa are best with 16.04).
Preamble
If football is a soap opera, reliable, implausible and fantastical, then Test cricket is the novel, an investment that guarantees no return and demands significant patience and effort. Only in that context can slow become slow-burn and irrelevance change into nuance - basically, it’s hard and long.
But not quite always. England and New Zealand have given us a series that is at the same time a triumph for the form, a different form, and revolutionary for the form. From the very first ball, until now, and until the end, the teams have compelled in every conceivable aspect, a George Eliot page-turner describing the lives of Ena Sharples, Elsie Tanner and Terry Duckworth. We are lucky to exist in its time.
Now, though, for the first time, it seems roughly clear what’s going to happen. England bowl New Zealand out at some point, or they declare, then New Zealand bowl England out short of a monster target.
And yet, you never know. The pitch hasn’t deteriorated much, there’s sun around, and England have several batsmen in form, with others due a score. In particular, Alastair Cook is in perfect touch, brutalising bowlers with quiet concentration, while New Zealand can rely only on Trent Boult and Tim Southee; the runs are out there.
Either way, of one thing we can be certain: this is going to be exceptional.
