50th over: New Zealand (needing 438) 151-3 (Sinclair 39, Taylor 41) Monty is starting us off then. He bowled some nice tight stuff during his brief cameo at the end of that previous session and his first couple are more of the same. The third nips down leg side and Taylor glances it away for a couple. He then brings up the 150 with a sweet cover drive, straight through the field for four. A nice little start for New Zealand.
WICKET! Sinclair c Bell b Anderson 31 (151-4) Anderson opens his spell with a loosener, wide outside the off-stump, a poor, poor ball. But Sinclair steers it straight to Ian Bell at cover, who manages to hold on. No, really. What a start, Jimmy Anderson is a lucky boy.
51st over: New Zealand (needing 438) 154-4 (Taylor 42, Oram 1) Jacob Oram gets off the mark with one down to third man and then a rather-too-bouncy bouncer is given as a wide and that is another to the total. No one's really looking at the runs column though, are they? A dot to finish the over and England will be delighted with the early breakthrough in the session.
52nd over: New Zealand (needing 438) 156-4 (Taylor 43, Oram 2) Sidebottom is on, and Monty can kick back and relax again. His main contribution to the game so far seems to have been comedy fielding. A couple off the over. And a piece of trivia from Bumble, Jacob Oram is a Arsenal fan. You come for the cricket, you stay for the rather dull factoids.
53rd over: New Zealand (needing 438) 168-4 (Taylor 52, Oram 5) Anderson steaming in and bowling across the left-handed Oram, who drives through mid-off and makes Sidebottom chase and dive towards the boundary. He just about makes it and Oram has to settle for three. And then there is some more terrible fielding. Taylor cuts through cover and Broad just has to pick it up on the boundary, but he is more casual than a sweater and slacks combo on dress-down Friday and lets the ball under his hand and over the rope. Taylor then dispatches the next slightly finer for four more to bring up his 50.
54th over: New Zealand (needing 438) 171-4 (Taylor 53, Oram 6) Panesar is back on, around the wicket to Taylor. A couple off the over, that's about it really. Not much more to say.
55th over: New Zealand (needing 438) 172-4 (Taylor 54, Oram 7) And now Ryan Sidebottom is bowling with the wind as Vaughan fails to settle on any bowler from any end. Taylor dead bats a single and that is the only run. The final ball strikes Oram on the pad to strangled cried but it looked like it was drifting down leg to me. Closer on the replay actually, maybe they should have given it more of a go with the shouting. "You know, given England's more than sloppy performance in the field today combined with New Zealand depth and the pitch basically playing the best of the match am I alone in thinking New Zealand might still be in with a shout in this match?" Asks David Keech, before adding. "If England give them 20 wickets instead of ten (they have already had 8) what price a disaster?" That's the kind of PMA that we are famed for as a nation David.
56th over: New Zealand (needing 438) 173-4 (Taylor 55, Oram 6) A single brings Oram onto strike and he has a sweep at a wide on, missing the ball completely. He is not happy with all the close fielders here and would dearly love to get the ball away. He doesn't though.
WICKET! Taylor LBW b Sidebottom 55 (173-5) Sidebottom still on and Taylor still looking good, as he has done through both these Tests. And, unbelievably, as I write that Sidebottom gets one to move back in and it strikes the pads straight on. It has to be out. The finger takes an age to come up, but it does and it's a big, big wicket.
57th over: New Zealand (needing 438) 173-5 (Oram 6, McCullum 0) McCullum takes a step down the wicket to the first and Sidebottom puts in down leg. He's out there to have a hit is McCullum, taking up his position about four yards of out of his crease. The next strikes his pads but is going well over, and that is a wicket maiden.
58th over: New Zealand (needing 438) 176-5 (Oram 9, McCullum 0) Oram gets one away for a couple then has a sweep, missing the ball by some distance. A few dots and then a single off the last. Three off the over.
59th over: New Zealand (needing 438) 176-5 (Oram 9, McCullum 0) Sidebottom beats the edge on the first, then the third and then the fifth too. He has the number of Oram, if not the wicket, yet. Maiden, a good one.
60th over: New Zealand (needing 438) 177-5 (Oram 9, McCullum 1) Just one off the over, McCullum off the mark with a single. England have these two tied down, and they aren't a couple who would like that. Will they hit out?
61st over: New Zealand (needing 438) 188-5 (Oram 13, McCullum 8) Sidebottom gives McCullum some width off the first ball and he chips it away through cover for four easy runs. He then takes a comfortable three into a similar region and the pressure eases a little. Oram then times a drive through mid-on for four more before leaving the last, a little close for comfort that one but 11 off the over. Trevor Holden emails to ask about the formula one. "So you have to do them both? At the same time?" I will be swapping when this is over Trevor, or should that be if?
62nd over: New Zealand (needing 438) 189-5 (Oram 13, McCullum 9) McCullum takes a single. Oram then skips down the wicket and misses the ball completely but Ambrose drops the ball and misses the easiest of stumpings. Another missed chance. Another bad one really.
63rd over: New Zealand (needing 438) 190-5 (Oram 13, McCullum 10) Sidebottom moves one back in on McCullum and strikes the pad and possibly bat. It loops up to Cook at gully and he has a huge confident shout, more like a celebration in fact. But it's not given and McCullum survives. I think he might have been lucky there, it may well have got an edge. But since when did I have a say in umpiring decisions on the other side of the globe?
64th over: New Zealand (needing 438) 199-5 (Oram 13, McCullum 19) McCullum bows to the inevitable and has a swing at Panesar, sweeping him away and far, far over the rope for six. A lovely strike. He then takes three through mid-off off the next.
65th over: New Zealand (needing 438) 201-5 (Oram 14, McCullum 19) The 200 comes up off McCullum's pads, a single to the leg side, before Oram swings back and out of the way of a nippy little bouncer from Sidebottom. A single to mid-on completes proceedings. "The fear of my earlier e-mail being well and truly belayed by Taylor's wicket an aura of boring inevitability has now descended upon proceedings," says David Keech. "Did you draw the short straw or are you on some penalty for being a "naughty boy"? It can't be much fun in the middle of the night doing OBO with much of the excitement taken out and only a few mad e-mailers like myself for company?" There is nowhere I would rather be than sat in an empty office block in Farringdon watching England fail to take their chances to win a Test match, David. Apart from bed, of course.
66th over: New Zealand (needing 438) 202-5 (Oram 15, McCullum 19) Oram looks about as comfortable at the crease as the 'talented' Davina McCall did in her short-lived sitcom all those years ago. He drops one just short of Ian Bell at short leg, not quite a drop that one. Not quite.
67th over: New Zealand (needing 438) 206-5 (Oram 15, McCullum 19) Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. The over is drifting along for a maiden until substitute fielder Swann picks the ball up at mid-on and tosses it over the head of Ambrose and down to the boundary rope for four. England have been painful in the field today and Sidebottom is not happy. Much like Sunlix: "Ambrose has had a shocking day, by all accounts. Slow reactions it would seem. The tumbrils would be out were it not that he'd batted England into this winning position."
68th over: New Zealand (needing 438) 207-5 (Oram 15, McCullum 20) McCullum takes a single but Panesar is keeping it tight and it's the only run off the over.
69th over: New Zealand (needing 438) 212-5 (Oram 23, McCullum 21) McCullum is standing very, very far out of his crease and Sidebottom is not sure what to do with the whole situation, he's lost his edge a bit. Must be almost time for a change. McCullum takes a single to the leg side before Oram is given a wide one to cut away for four, a rare poor ball. The last of the over then jags in and beats the outside edge, great ball that one.
70th over: New Zealand (needing 438) 218-5 (Oram 23, McCullum 27) McCullum leans back and heaves Panesar over the top of mid-off and the rope for six, where did that come from? He then defends out the rest of the over. England could do with a wicket here, they've lost a bit of momentum.
And they've been offerred the light: At the end of that one the umpires come together and have a bit of a chat. It's become a bit dark out there, apparently, and they offer the New Zealand batsmen the chance to come off, which of course they do. That came from nowhere, what a shame. It won't be the end of the day, surely, I'll keep you updated.
And that is the end of that little distraction: Within minutes the light improves and the players are back on. Silly little passage that, but it could work in England's favour. The batsmen were both starting to look comfortable and that could just break the concentration a little.
71st over: New Zealand (needing 438) 220-5 (Oram 24, McCullum 28) Broad is on and finds his line from the off, defended away by Oram. Vaughan is off the field at the moment and Collingwood is in charge, will that make any difference? Not much I imagine. Just a couple of singles off the over.
72nd over: New Zealand (needing 438) 221-5 (Oram 24, McCullum 29) Talk of New Zealand still having a sniff at this from Bumble and Atherton, can't see it myself. It would take something out of the ordinary with just these two and Vettori left, in terms of class batsmen at least. One off the over from Panesar.
73rd over: New Zealand (needing 438) 227-5 (Oram 25, McCullum 34) McCullum brings up the 50 partnership with a glance off his hips down past fine leg for four. McCullum is trotting all over the crease: forward, back, left, right, forward a bit more, right, back ... etc. Must be a nightmare to bowl to. The last strikes his pad, but he is about halfway down the wicket so he has nothing to worry about.
74th over: New Zealand (needing 438) 231-5 (Oram 29, McCullum 34) Panesar throws one in too full and Oram drives it straight down the ground for four. One loose ball in the over and it is punished, England could do with a breakthrough soon.
75th over: New Zealand (needing 438) 231-5 (Oram 29, McCullum 34) Broad is warned for his second stride coming in on the crease by Koertzen and has to go very wide for his next few balls. He keeps it tight though and McCullum's one attempt to get away is saved by the sprawling Sidebottom at mid-off. A maiden. "Hi Josh," says Ben Shepherd. Hi Ben. "Did the light really improve much in the five minutes they were off? Do you think it'll be dark enough to stop them taking the new ball straight away?" It's difficult to tell off the TV to be honest Ben, but the general consensus is that it improved a bit but they shouldn't have gone off in the first place. In terms of the new ball, I would certainly see that as a worry.
76th over: New Zealand (needing 438) 231-5 (Oram 29, McCullum 34) More problems, or at least perceived problems, with the light as Panesar bowls his over. The batsmen are none too happy and really want to come off here. A maiden and the umpires are taking a reading ... and we are .... staying on. Phew.
77th over: New Zealand (needing 438) 236-5 (Oram 29, McCullum 39) McCullum goes over the top to Broad, the ball struck firmly through mid-off for four. A single off the next before Broad angles in a bouncer at Oram which strikes him on the shoulder. He takes it better than I would, like he barely noticed that he just got struck by a cricket ball travelling at 80mph.
78th over: New Zealand (needing 438) 237-5 (Oram 29, McCullum 40) Panesar continues and McCullum takes a single. It has some air to it but goes nowhere near a fielder of any sort. Pietersen is warming up as the worries continue over the light.
79th over: New Zealand (needing 438) 240-5 (Oram 30, McCullum 42) So, Pietersen is on. Can he get a surprise breakthrough? The first isn't too shabby. A single off the next and Oram takes his own a few balls later before McCullum gets one off the last. "A complete lack of emails this morning; either the world is not awake or people are not interested ... " writes Michael Lee. A little from column A and a little from column B I reckon Michael.
80th over: New Zealand (needing 438) 241-5 (Oram 30, McCullum 43) Will this be the last over of the day? A single for McCullum is all we have to show for it either way. And Vaughan is bringing on Sidebottom and taking the new ball. Surely this is it, right? Nope, we're getting another over.
WICKET! Oram c Pietersen b Sidebottom 30 81st over: New Zealand (needing 438) 242-6 (McCullum 43, Vettori 0) The first clips McCullum's trousers and there is a small, somewhat pointless, shout as Ambrose takes it. One off the legs for the next and the ball is swinging all over the place. Then sidebottom lures Oram into the drive and it catches the outside edge. Pietersen takes it at gully and the new ball has well and truly done the trick. England can breath slightly easier now. And that's the end of the 81st over. They offer the light and the players are coming off. A great final over for England and New Zealand will be none too happy that they got to bowl that in the fading light.
So we go into the final day with New Zealand needing 196 runs with four wickets in hand, one of these being that of Chris Martin. It should be easy for England, but, as they have shown today, they don't do easy these days. One thing we know is that it won't be a draw, but the only way (well, there might be others but we won't discuss them) to find out if England can finish this off is to join Lawrence Booth from just before 9.30pm tomorrow. Cheers for all your emails, sorry about the ones I couldn't use. Bye.
