Here’s the report.
Burnton and beer snakes.
The game is finely poised after three days. You’d imagine England are a Mitchell and a Blundell away from forcing a 3-0 win in this series. New Zealand have a lead of 137 runs and will need their two batting stalwarts to put on another hefty-ish partnership to set England a challenging target. No matter what they post this amped up England side will go for, be in no doubt about that. It’s all simmering nicely for the final couple of days in LS6.
I’m going to take advantage of the slightly early finish and head off for bath time. I can hear my 14 month old sploshing away down the hall which I’ll take as my cue to bid farewell.
Thanks for your company as ever, I’ll be back tomorrow with Daniel Harris. Until then, goodbye!
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Play is done for the day
It’s dark and grimy in Leeds and that’s yer lot.
Rain stops play
Proper pantomime. Potts is pinged through mid-wicket by Blundell as he searches for that full yorker. Next ball, Potts very nearly has his man, a toe cruncher and a huge appeal but England know it was just sliding down leg and opt not to review. The rain starts to fall and Potts tries to gee up the crowd for what will be the last ball before the umpires take them off - as the crowd reach the apex of their wooaaahhhs and Potts enters his gather, Blundell plays the role of the villain and steps away from his crease. Boooooooo! Potts has a word but it is all good natured. Sure enough, Umpire Marias Erasmus sends for the covers. A riveting couple of hours of play, England have grabbed hold of this game.
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50th over: New Zealand 164-5 (Mitchell 3, Blundell 0) Just a couple off Leach. Dark clouds looming. England rushing between overs to get another from Potts before the wet stuff arrives.
50th over: New Zealand 162-5 (Mitchell 3, Blundell 0) Very tidy again from Potts, he doesn’t have the wicket but I’d argue this has been Potts’ most impressive Test performance so far.
49th over: New Zealand 161-5 (Mitchell 2, Blundell 0) Leach finishes a tidy, wicket-taking over and returns to fine leg to a huge ovation. He’s having an excellent game, fair play to him too - if ever a cricketer deserved a run of good karma, it’s Leach.
A reminder of how Henry Nicholls was dismissed in the first innings... 🙃
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) June 25, 2022
📲 Watch Today at the Test on @BBCiPlayer at 19:00 BST#BBCCricket #ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/SgQLNfLixo
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WICKET! Nicholls c&b Leach 7 (New Zealand 161-5)
No sooner are Nicholls’ damning statistics against left-arm spin reeled off (they are bad) he spoons a simple catch back to Leach. Good again from Stokes too, who must surely have been made aware. This has been an excellent hour for England, the New Zealand lead stands at a very gettable 130 runs. Mitchell and Blundell come together at 161-5. Timestamp this post for posterity...
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48th over: New Zealand 160-4 ( Nicholls 7, Mitchell 1) Potts is right on the button again, he rasps one past Mitchell’s outside edge and follows it up with two balls aimed right in at the toes. Mitchell finally gets a full one away to get off the mark.
Thanks for sending in your collective nouns for umpires:
John Starbuck: “In baseball, it’s ‘a crew’ of umpires. Possible alternatives include ‘a blind’ which seems rather harsh. It ought to be ‘a decision’”
John Burton suggests a ‘grumble’ - at his club on a Saturday evening anyway.
A hungover Aled Walker summons up enough energy to suggest a ‘mull’ of umpires. Well done Aled, solidarity.
47th over: New Zealand 159-4 ( Nicholls 7, Mitchell 0) This is a gripping passage of play, the game in the balance - England, Broad and the crowd throwing everything at New Zealand who have their ‘Moose in shining armour’ at the crease in the form of Daryl Mitchell. The lead is 128 runs. Don’t go anywhere.
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46th over: New Zealand 155-4 (Nicholls 3, Mitchell 0) Good stuff from Matt Potts who is trying to zero in on Daryl Mitchell’s shin. Potts had him in that fashion in the first innings remember, if only England had gone for a review.
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45th over: New Zealand 154-4 (Nicholls 1, Mitchell) “Stuart Broad is doing his best Andre Previn” notes Mark Butcher as Broad begins to conduct the crowd into a frenzy. Stokes, Root and Bairstow all join in and just as the delirium reaches fever pitch... new batter Mitchell steps away. Great drama. Well doused by Mitchell.
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44th over: New Zealand 153-4 ( Nicholls 1, Mitchell) Potts completes a wicket maiden.
Updated
WICKET! Williamson ct Bairstow b Potts 48
Potts has Williamson AGAIN! Fine captaincy by Stokes who whips Root out of the attack and brings on his Durham tyro to have a dart at Williamson. Potts must see bunny ears poking out of Kane’s helmet, he nicks him off and gives out a huge roar! Williamson was forcing at a back of a length delivery that just held its line. The Kiwi captain throws his eyes to the heavens as he drags himself from the field.
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43rd over: New Zealand 153-3 (Williamson 48, Nicholls 1) Broad is nagging and it is another maiden. England sniff an opportunity to get into the Kiwi engine room here. We all know who is in next...
42nd over: New Zealand 153-3 (Williamson 48, Nicholls 1) Henry Nicholls is the new man and is off the mark straight away with a single.
WICKET! Conway ct Pope b Root 11 (New Zealand 152-3)
GoldenArm strikes! Joe Root picks up Conway with the first ball after the rain break! Conway gets an inside edge on a stock delivery and Ollie Pope takes a brilliant catch at bat-pad, his knuckles grazing the turf as he scoops up the ball. Root was ticking earlier after his dropped catch but the impish smile is back after that crucial wicket.
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Joe Root has the ball and three balls left in the over. The sun is out, PLAY!
The covers are coming off! The sun is out, fickle Yorkshire weather. What’s the collective noun for Umpires? There’s a huddle of them on the outfield overseeing the tarpaulin removal. We’ll have play at 5.10pm all being well.
41st over: New Zealand 147-2 (Williamson 47, Conway 11) Leach back into the attack and he is accurate, hitting the same spot six balls in a row. Three maidens on the trot. It is blowing a gale now at Headingley and very dark. The umpires get together and tell Stokes that he needs to bowl spin so Root is called for. He only manages three balls before the rains come and the players scurry off.
RAIN.
40th over: New Zealand 147-2 (Williamson 47, Conway 11) England beginning to build pressure. Overton sends down a maiden.
Rain incoming… pic.twitter.com/nvUZBtGJKS
— Ali Martin (@Cricket_Ali) June 25, 2022
Something else building too...
39th over: New Zealand 147-2 (Williamson 47, Conway 11) Broad has packed the off-side field and hangs the ball outside Conway’s off stump. The Kiwi is not for biting though. A maiden.
38th over: New Zealand 147-2 (Williamson 47, Conway 11) Stokes nearly pulls off a spectacular diving catch off a full-blooded pull from Conway! Fingertips only I think but he did well to get anywhere in the same postcode as the ball fizzed to the fence. Williamson heads towards fifty, a fine glance brings him four off the last ball.
37th over: New Zealand 141-2 (Williamson 43, Conway 10) Williamson and Broad continue their tussle, Broad beats his edge again but Kane hits back with a glide for four off a ball on fifth stump.
36th over: New Zealand 137-2 (Williamson 39, Conway 10) Overton is enjoying his work here. Shirt untucked and smeared with cherry marks, he resembles a menacing butcher. Conway fences another short one away for four.
Sun out again at Headingley and Azeem Rafiq is in attendance:
35th over: New Zealand 132-2 (Williamson 38, Conway 6) Broad again after tea and he shows his cunning - bowling a cutter that beats Williamson’s outside edge. A single brings Conway on strike and he looks ill at ease against a back of the length ball. England trying to prise open the door.
34th over: New Zealand 131-2 (Williamson 37, Conway 6) Crunch! Devon Conway is felled by a Jamie Overton bouncer, a vicious delivery to get first up. He seems to be ok, concussion test and new helmet called for. After the delay the batter takes one straight in the mid-riff too. Overton has his dander up here. Conway fences at the next which brings him a somewhat spawny four. A nudge into the covers brings two off the last ball and the twelve minute over to a close.
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WICKET! Latham ct Bairstow b Overton 76 (New Zealand 125-2)
First ball after tea and Jamie Overton does the business! Latham had played wonderfully this afternoon but the break has done him no good at all as he nibbles at a length ball and Bairstow pouches the catch.
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Tone White parps up amusingly from somewhere near Narbonne:
“Mr. Wallace, comforting to know that your treasured OBOing is coming from Sarf Lunnon. As an Essex boy (Chumf’d) who moved to South London, I’m always wary of anything from the Norf, the locations remind me of ailments :
‘my dad’s wearing a truss until they can operate on his Finchley’
‘Have you anything for Pinner’s worms, please?’
‘I think my Camden’s burst!’
Tony, ex Blackheath, now Peyriac de Mer, get out of that!”
Shades of Pete n Dud, Tone. BTW... have you heard about Mr Totteridge’s Whetstone’s? ‘Orrible.
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33rd over: New Zealand 125-1 (Latham 76, Williamson 37) Williamson drives Broad’s first ball of the over away for four, just to help the bowler’s FANTASTIC mood... it’s the only action of the over, five dots and the umpires call TEA.
New Zealand’s session. They lead by 94 runs and have nine wickets in the hutch.
Time for a brew, back soon.
32nd over: New Zealand 121-1 (Latham 76, Williamson 33) Immediate penance? Root is brought on to bowl the next over and chunters away throughout. Broad is stood at mid-on and it is noted that the two men don’t catch each others eye. Latham gets a sweep away fine for four.
Do we have any Glastonbury revellers tuning into the OBO? Having a breather in a shady/dry spot somewhere on Worthy Farm?
31st over: New Zealand 116-1 (Latham 72, Williamson 32) Broad replaces Stokes but it seemingly makes no odds to Latham who drives him the bandana’d one through the same mid-wicket area for four more. DROP! Gah! Root spills a simple chance at first slip, Broad turns and walks back to his mark in disgust. Root is livid with himself, it was a regulation chance and would have been Broad’s 550th Test scalp. Awkward.
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30th over: New Zealand 110-1 (Latham 66, Williamson 32) Leach is quietly impressive. He joins the dots and sends down back to back maidens.
29th over: New Zealand 110-1 (Latham 66, Williamson 32) Stokes is going at 8s an over from his short spell here. Latham drives him through mid-on for another four. Athers on comms reckons that this match is right in the balance, right here, right now.
Have you tried this yet? 😉
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) June 25, 2022
(via @leicsccc) pic.twitter.com/qr776dKTMB
Root > Kohli empirical proof.
28th over: New Zealand 106-1 (Latham 62, Williamson 32) A maiden from Leach keeps Williamson honest.
27th over: New Zealand 106-1 (Latham 62, Williamson 32) Double purr! Latham plays identical on-side drives off Stokes and both go to almost exactly the same spot on the mid-wicket boundary. Effortless from the left-hander. Nasser reckons England have to drag their length back as the ball is doing nada.
26th over: New Zealand 98-1 (Latham 54, Williamson 32) Williamson light on his feet once more, rocking back to scythe Leach away to the point boundary. Grey clouds roll in but this pitch looks flat as owt oif you’re asking me, which you weren’t. Good absorbing Test match cricket though. Let’s hope the rain stays away.
25th over: New Zealand 92-1 (Latham 54, Williamson 26) More accurate from Stokes, Williamson leans on a full one to pick up three down the ground.
Ben Foakes has back stiffness and has returned to the team hotel, he’ll not be back on the pitch today. Pass the Voltarol and get well soon.
24th over: New Zealand 89-1 (Latham 54, Williamson 23) Leach twirls, Latham sweeps for four.
Jeremy Boyce emails in from (Sunny?) Southern France:
“Get it up there! I was saying the same thing for 2 days now, first about young Pottsy/Potty/Pottsdam when he was bowling too short on day 1, then about the Kiwis when they had England at 56 - 6. this is ‘Eadingley, it’s made for crikkit. Old school. if your technique is good enough, you can bat or bowl as you like oop ‘ere. there are rewards for all.”
23rd over: New Zealand 85-1 (Latham 50, Williamson 23) Hmmm Stokes not quite at the races. His first ball is too full and driven away deliciously by Williamson. Four of the most graceful runs you’ll see. Kane then flicks a length ball away to the midwicket fence for four more. Stokes does the teapot. A no-ball is followed by a single and then Latham gets in on the act, a back foot punch from his tippy-toes goes to the rope. More teapotting. Latham brings up his FIFTY next ball with a quick single. Well ‘badded’ as they say these days.
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22nd over: New Zealand 70-1 (Latham 45, Williamson 14) Eight off Leach’s over as Latham sweeps him away for a couple and then pokes a single. Williamson, who looks to be rediscovering his touch, rocks back to glide The Nut away for a four through point. A warm cheer rumbles around the ground as it is announced Captain Stokes is coming on for a first bowl in this Test match.
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21st over: New Zealand 62-1 (Latham 42, Williamson 9) JOverton is very enamoured with the middle of the wicket as he bangs down ball after ball into the guts of the pitch. One is short enough to be called wide. Get eeeet up there lad.
20th over: New Zealand 61-1 (Latham 42, Williamson 9)
Thanks Niall and hello OBO. Jim here in a balmy south London. What have we here? A sedate passage of play? All the better for a couple of OBO riffs. Do get in touch on the emails or the twitters.
Yorkshire looks a picture under bright blue skies, I used to live a bread cake’s (bread roll, bap, cob, barm... other names for bread products are available) chuck from Headingley and today my 10 year old nephew Alfie, his bezza Thomas and a gaggle of their teammates from Adel CC under 11s are watching their first Test match. Lovely stuff... though I’ve just had a text off my brother to say they’ve all headed down under the Howard Stand to play an impromptu match! Too slow this passage for the youth of today eh, they demand ‘Baz Ball’ at all times.
Leach twirls a maiden in the sun. Bliss.
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19th over: New Zealand 61-1 (Latham 42, Williamson 9) Overton opens with a short one that bounces sharply and has Latham in a pickle. Two slips and a gully in, with another bouncer tempting Williamson. Better from Overton, now getting some vocal backing from the stands.
Time for drinks, and time for me to hand over to Jim Wallace for the rest of the day’s play.
“They’re discussing Leach’s bowling on the telly, noting he has reduced his run up,” says Dean Kinsella. “I had noticed his delivery speed has increased from 45-50mph to closer to 55mph. Seems a little counterintuitive, but there’s no doubt that he is getting more drift and dip with these changes.”
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18th over: New Zealand 60-1 (Latham 41, Williamson 9) A touch of class from Williamson, turning his wrists to drive Leach through the covers. Zak Crawley gets across to prevent the boundary. Leach not giving much else away, as Headingley basks in the calm after the storm.
17th over: New Zealand 57-1 (Latham 40, Williamson 7) Jamie Overton is struggling to find his rhythm, and Latham steers a fuller ball opportunistically away for four.
16th over: New Zealand 52-1 (Latham 35, Williamson 7) Leach is in for Potts, and twirls his way to a maiden. After Friday’s mayhem, a Test match has broken out here.
15th over: New Zealand 52-1 (Latham 35, Williamson 7) Before Overton can go again, Alex Lees has to get across to pick up an errant beach ball and return it to the stands. Textbook fielding.
Anyway, it feels like another wicket is in the air – not least when Latham plays and misses at an outswinger across the body. Williamson gets a nice settler, though, steering a half-volley away for his first boundary. Another loose one is punished by Latham, and that’s 10 from the over off Overten.
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14th over: New Zealand 42-1 (Latham 30, Williamson 2) An absolute pearler from Potts that flies past Latham’s inside edge – and just escapes Bairstow’s dive, too. He’s looking the most likely but Williamson, still far from settled, straight-bats the rest of the over.
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13th over: New Zealand 41-1 (Latham 30, Williamson 2) Jamie Overton takes over at the Kirkstall Lane End. An awkward outswinger right across the ankles has Williamson worried. Maiden, the first of this innings.
12th over: New Zealand 41-1 (Latham 30, Williamson 2) Pope shifts to leg slip and Potts finds the right line, but Williamson is wise to it and prods away for a single. “Steady as she goes” is the verdict from Simon Doull on New Zealand’s early efforts.
In case you’re wondering why New Zealand have black armbands on today – it’s a tribute to the great Don Neely, who died earlier this month at the age of 86.
The team & support staff are wearing black arm bands on Day 3 of the 3rd Test against England to honour the passing of former NZC selector, president and life member Don Neely.#ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/akbNxvs8eH
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) June 25, 2022
11th over: New Zealand 40-1 (Latham 30, Williamson 1) Broad holds his line and length, short, angled at the off-stump, patted down by Latham before a fuller final ball is fended off. A post-lunch lull has descended on Headingley.
10th over: New Zealand 39-1 (Latham 30, Williamson 0) New Zealand have retaken the lead, for what it’s worth. Potts continues to threaten, more movement off the seam that has Latham fumbling around his off-stump. The opener stays on the front foot, a fuller ball driven down the ground, Williamson skipping over it as it trundles to the boundary.
9th over: New Zealand 35-1 (Latham 26, Williamson 0) Tom Latham continues to look calm and collected despite that breakthrough, flicking Broad nonchalantly away for four. He’s joined by his captain, Kane Williamson, who could use a big innings here.
WICKET! Young c Pope b Potts 8 (NZ 28-1)
Potts keeps his head up, finds the perfect length and gets his reward as Young edges carelessly to Ollie Pope in the slips.
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8th over: New Zealand 28-0 (Latham 20, Young 8) A mixed bag for Potts – a loose ball that goes unpunished, and then a dart off the seam that troubles the outside edge – but Young cushions it nicely away for four.
“May I suggest spells of three overs each for the pace bowlers?” You may, Jazz. “Really get up ‘em, umbrella field and all.”
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7th over: New Zealand 21-0 (Latham 17, Young 4) England have Yorkshire youngster James Wharton on the field as a sub. He made his first-class debut earlier this season, and has been compared (no pressure) to Joe Root.
Broad continues, England going for pace with the two batters needing to settle all over again. Latham drives and they run three, before Broad gets some movement, and a nervous swish of the bat from Young. He gets off the mark with a nudge behind that runs all the way for four.
6th over: New Zealand 14-0 (Latham 14, Young 0) Matty Potts kicks off the afternoon, with Bairstow staying behind the stumps. Latham flicks away one single, before Potts offers an outswinger that Will Young decides he’d better leave, right now.
The afternoon session is about to begin. The weather over Headingley is still bright and breezy, although there are a few grey clouds on the horizon. A metaphor, perhaps, for ... let’s just get on with it.
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“Is this some England-specific Pauli exclusion principle?” asks Adrian Goldman. “As soon as the cricketers remember how to play, the footballers lose the plot. There can’t be more than one competent team at a time?”
Not sure what you mean, Adrian – the Lionesses look in great nick. Is there another England football team I should be aware of?
Lunch: NZ 13-0, trail by 18 runs
This morning, we’ve seen Jonny Bairstow pass 150, Jamie Slightlyunderton fall at 97, and Stuart Broad smash 42 of 36 balls. New Zealand were under real pressure, but cleared their heads and cleaned up the England tail. All of which leaves this Test match on a knife-edge – don’t go anywhere ...
5th over: New Zealand 13-0 (Latham 13, Young 0) Four slips and a gully in place as Broad tries to draw an edge from Latham. The batter pounces on a fuller ball – and a gap in the field – to get his first boundary, then edges beyond Stokes at gully. And that’s lunch.
4th over: New Zealand 6-0 (Latham 6, Young 0) Four dot balls, then a tentative push into the covers from Latham. Another one-run over. Pfft, what is this, a Test match?
3rd over: New Zealand 5-0 (Latham 5, Young 0) Foakes isn’t out altogether – he’s just being spared this pre-lunch spell, to give him some more treatment time. Broad finds some movement here, finding the gap between bat and pad – and Latham is fortunate not to edge that one into the stumps.
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2nd over: New Zealand 4-0 (Latham 3, Young 0) Jack Leach is handed the new ball at the other end! We’re through the looking glass, here. Just a Latham single from the over as Will Young stays sensibly defensive.
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Second innings, 1st over: New Zealand 3-0 (Latham 3, Young 0) No let-up for Jonny Bairstow; he’s taking the gloves with Ben Foakes nursing a back problem. Tom Latham gets New Zealand off the mark, with a single and double off Broad.
Jonny Bairstow is taking the gloves because Ben Foakes has a stiff back #EngvNZ pic.twitter.com/6RYpHSoaqc
— Vithushan Ehantharajah (@Vitu_E) June 25, 2022
So, at the halfway mark, England lead by 31 runs. Which is a bit like saying that the army of Rohan just shaded the battle of Helm’s Deep. New Zealand’s openers will have 20 minutes or so to see out before lunch.
England all out for 360!
Southee goes fuller to end the over and appears to have pinned Leach lbw. He reviews, more in hope than expectation. It’s plumb, and England’s rollercoaster 67-over innings is done.
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66th over: England 359-9 (Potts 0, Leach 8) Bairstow heads off to a huge ovation, but there’s barely time to process that double breakthrough for New Zealand before Jack Leach is out there, creaming two consecutive boundaries.
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WICKET! Bairstow c Boult b Bracewell 162 (England 351-9)
And with the next ball, Bracewell finally dislodged Jonny Bairstow! Caught slightly out of position by a wider ball, the batter doesn’t get enough on it – and Boult races in to claim it.
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WICKET! Broad b Southee 42 (England 351-8)
Williamson has a quick word with Southee, who promptly sends down a regulation ball that crunches into the off-stump, to almost no reaction from anyone in the ground.
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65th over: England 351-7 (Bairstow 162, Broad 42) Southee looked dangerous again in his last over, but Broad makes more hay here, flaying over the covers and padding another away for four leg byes. Worrying times for New Zealand ...
“A bit cruel, but can we now refer to him as Jamie Slightlyunderton?” honks Nick Williamson.
“England have unearthed a proper all-rounder,” notes Ewan Glenton. “JOverton avs 97 with bat, 85 with ball. The real deal.”
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64th over: England 339-7 (Bairstow 162, Broad 34) Bracewell back in for the first time since today’s opening over. He appeals heartily as Broad pads down his first ball, but nobody else seems convinced. Next ball, a big edge from Broad squirms between Blundell and Mitchell – remember them? – and trickles away for four. Finally, an attempted slog over Bracewell’s head ends up whistling through the bowler’s fingers. An over of pure, uncut vibes from Broad.
63rd over: England 332-7 (Bairstow 161, Broad 28) Tim Southee comes back into the attack, his figures a dispiriting 1-90. The field is spread far and wide ... but from around the wicket, he keeps Broad firmly on the back foot. Bairstow on strike, and he prods dangerously outside off-stump. Some unexpected menace from Southee, there.
“Getting ahead of myself here, but there’s still 19 overs till the new ball,” notes Andy Bradshaw.
Hopefully Jamie Overton's disappointment at missing a ton won't leave a chip on his shoulder. His innings was anything but half baked.
— Harry Lang (@MrHarryLang) June 25, 2022
Played out of his skin etc etc@SkyCricket @niallmcveigh #ENGvNZ #CricketTwitter
62nd over: England 331-7 (Bairstow 161, Broad 28) Stuart Broad is already England’s third-highest scorer of this innings. He’s also outscored England’s opening quartet put together – and all inside two overs.
Meanwhile, I’m not sure where Trent Boult is on bowling’s existential plain, but he’s still giving it everything. Would you expect any less? Time for drinks.
61st over: England 329-7 (Bairstow 160, Broad 26) Wagner to Broad, who picks a straightish one through long-off – and then clubs another six over midwicket. And with that, the scores are level! England were fifty-five for six.
60th over: England 317-7 (Bairstow 159, Broad 15) Broad has been mowing merrily in the village style, but now he starts connecting with intent. Two boundaries biffed in quick succession – and then a six, belted over Boult’s head and towards the fidgety patrons that got under Overton’s skin.
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“Farewell Jamie Overton, the Spud-we-Liked,” writes Dan. “Well done, you played out of your skin.”
59th over: England 300-7 (Bairstow 158, Broad 0) Time for YJB to fully release the handbrake? It looks that way, another punchy drive off Wagner taking England past the 300 mark. The hosts trail by just 28 runs.
58th over: England 296-7 (Bairstow 153, Broad 0) Swing and a miss from Broad, but he sees out the over. Bairstow and Overton’s partnership is finally broken after 241 runs.
Bairstow jogs over to throw an arm around Overton, who trudges off to a big ovation. As cruel as it is for him, Boult deserved something for his efforts so far this morning. Who’s in next to calm things down? It’s Stuart Broad ...
WICKET! J Overton c Mitchell b Boult 97 (England 296-7)
Oh no. It’s heartbreak for Jamie Overton, with Boult’s relentless pressure paying off as the batter goes looking for a boundary, and edges low to Daryl Mitchell, who gets under it smartly.
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57th over: England 295-6 (Bairstow 152, J Overton 97) Bairstow’s 150 is the second-fastest by an England batter in a Test match, behind only his current captain. Now, can Overton get to his own milestone? He prods a very wide one away to move one run closer.
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150 for Bairstow! Off Neil Wagner’s bowling, Bairstow’s drive is well fielded by Williamson, but Bairstow gallops for two anyway, then sets off on a celebratory loop around the wicket. He is absolutely loving life, and why shouldn’t he?
56th over: England 290-6 (Bairstow 148, J Overton 96) Bairstow and Overton both raise their arms in frustration at more movement up in the hospitality boxes. Overton channels his irritation expertly, finding the gap to move within four of what could be an extraordinary century.
55th over: England 286-6 (Bairstow 148, J Overton 92) Boult ends the previous over with a shot at Overton but gets no joy – much to the relief of the poor soul in the Sky control room who had cut to an advert a ball early.
Southee continues, and Overton edges closer with a single, complete with full-length dive as Williamson shies at the stumps. Then a beauty from Bairstow, steered between mid-on and midwicket with surgical precision.
54th over: England 278-6 (Bairstow 141, J Overton 91) Four! The Western Terrace murmurs into life as Bairstow slaps Boult dismissively through the covers. Which reminds me – this is quite the statistic:
Shahid Afridi
— Mark Puttick (@GryllidaeC) June 24, 2022
Brendon McCullum
Jonny Bairstow
Men's Test batters to make consecutive Test tons, while passing 100 with a strike rate of 100+#ENGvNZ #bbccricket
53rd over: England 270-6 (Bairstow 134, J Overton 91) An early Bairstow single puts Overton on strike, and Southee has him stepping forward with a wide delivery that zips low off the wicket. New Zealand are offering plenty of threat, but no breakthrough yet.
52nd over: England 269-6 (Bairstow 133, J Overton 91) There’s a brief pause as Overton gets a new pad brought out – he damaged the old one diving to make the crease. Just one over for Bracewell, as Boult returns. Overton edges one short of the slips, and fumbles at another. He’s in the nervous 90s, alright – and that’s a maiden for Boult.
51st over: England 269-6 (Bairstow 133, J Overton 91) Tim Southee is in next, hoping the stiff breeze blowing across Headingley can add some menace to his outswingers. Overton plays at one and misses, before Bairstow runs a risky double. He then leaves the final ball of the over, which jags in perilously close to off-stump. Nerve-jangling stuff already.
“I was intrigued by Jonathan Liew’s excellent piece on Trent Boult, in which he likened batting to the cycle of death whereas bowling was about (re)birth,” writes Brian Withington.
“I am moved to wonder where fielding sits on the existential plane? Is it perhaps the Big Sleep that precedes or follows life (especially if you are posted at fine leg and mid on)?”
50th over: England 266-6 (Bairstow 131, J Overton 90) Bairstow on strike and New Zealand start with Michael Bracewell’s spin. It’ll be 31 overs until the tourists can get their hands on the new ball. A single apiece for the batters, Overton moving into the 90s.
Play!
Here we go, then. The players are out at Headingley, where the sun is intermittently shining. England resume on 264-6, trailing New Zealand by 65 runs. It’s up for grabs!
This image will haunt my dreams ...
More reaction to Friday’s action here. Remember Jack Leach?
“This match should ideally end with Stokes and Root at the crease, winning it with a boundary,” says John Starbuck. “What could go wrong?”
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Start your day with Jonathan Liew on Trent Boult, bowling and rebirth.
If batting is analogous to the cycle of existence and death, then bowling is more akin to the miracle of fertilisation and birth. The odds of success are infinitesimal, and yet still you keep trying and failing, swimming against the indomitable tide, striving for the prize of life itself. This is why – mentally speaking – batters end their careers drawn and empty, while bowlers get stronger and stronger. Batters are constantly dying. Bowlers are constantly being reborn.
Preamble
Are you not entertained? With the series already won, Ben Stokes promised thrills in this third and final Test, and his team have delivered. Yesterday it felt as if the wheels were coming off the jalopy, six wickets down with 55 runs on the board and 12 overs bowled. But maybe it was all part of the plan.
At Trent Bridge, Jonny Bairstow’s 136 from 92 balls swung the second Test the hosts’ way. Before Headingley, his captain gazed into his crystal ball. “At some point this week, we have to do it with the ball or the bat. So I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw something similar to what Jonny did last week.”
And here we are, with the revitalised Bairstow on 130 from 126, heaving the pendulum improbably back towards the hosts again. Stokes had also called on Jamie Overton to “show the world what he’s got” – he probably meant breaking rather than building batting partnerships, but who really knows any more?
In his early days as captain, Stokes seems to have found a way to transfer his knack for comic-book heroics onto his teammates. England resume here with New Zealand’s first-innings total of 329 in sight. The tourists, who have contributed so much to this thrilling series, are grasping to regain control.
Then again, in this weird and wonderful new England era, control is overrated. Play starts at 11am (BST), but after that, there’s little point predicting anything.
