Who needs the Aussies? England and New Zealand make such a great couple. On a two-paced drop-in pitch, England battled but New Zealand bowled well enough to induce a collapse, in the great English tradition. At 80 for one, NZ were cruising to victory, but when Ben Stokes took a great catch, it was their turn to collapse. They lost five wickets for 23 in seven overs from England’s spinners. It was brainless stuff, but Kane Williamson survived it all and set about rebuilding with Mitchell Santner.
They added 96 in 21 overs, and it took a flukey run-out to get England back into the game. Then Woakes and Curran showed steel under pressure, and poor old Williamson was left with a consolation century. England lead the five-match series 2-1. Shall we just declare it a tie now?
Time for a few emails. Mark McCaughrean picks up on my existential question from the 43rd over: “We’re all just figboxes of your imagination anyway, surely?”
And so does Garry Sharp. “Yes, it is still a blog dear heart. It’s appreciated. I followed the first two matches OBO even as I watched them on Sky in my Nairobi hotel room. Even followed the Adelaide test when I was there 😊 Now I’m back in London and jet lag alone keeps me reading, along with TMS. So do keep it up...” We will! If only for the wit and warmth of people like you.
Here’s William Hargreaves. “It’s like one hand catching – it’s even more impressive. On the edge of my seat here.”
“China up,” adds Jeremy Bunting. “I care about OBO. I’m reading as always. All us OBOers do. We’re a family. It’s just a 3rd ODI is not that exciting until it gets to a close run-chase. Oh it is.”
And the last word goes to David Horn. “Morning Tim ... hate to think of you blogging 50 overs without correspondence. Your efforts are appreciated. NZ though seem to be spoiling my attempts to enjoy a low scoring thriller ... and I’ve made a complete arse of my scrambled eggs, through distraction. Hey ho. Oh - you won’t remember, I’m sure, but we emailed a couple of years ago ... did you ever get to watch The Princess Bride? Perfect snow-day movie.”
I did! On a rainy afternoon in Sussex, on holiday with the family. Loved it. Thank you. Whatever happened to Westley?
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England win!!!
Woakes squeezes a wide yorker past Williamson, and England have won by four runs. What a finish. Williamson didn’t deserve to lose.
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Review!
For run out, against Williamson, who stole a second from a shove into the leg side. He’s fine. Five needed from two. And it’s a dot! Williamson turns down a single, which is brave, minister.
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Mid-50th over: New Zealand 228-8 (Williamson 110, Sodhi 2) A dot from Woakes! Wide of off, and slow, it defeats Williamson’s swing. But then he laps for – two, as Stokes sweeps up smartly behind Rashid. And then a six! A pull by Williamson, and NZ need seven off three. Even the WASP might have them as favourites now.
49th over: New Zealand 220-8 (Williamson 102, Sodhi 2) Curran bowls two dots! To Williamson! If that’s not worth a couple of screamers, I don’t know what is. What an appetite for the big moment Curran has: he is cricket’s Marcus Rashford. NZ need 15 off the last over.
Mid-49th over: New Zealand 219-8 (Williamson 101, Sodhi 2) Needing almost two runs per ball, NZ get them for the first half of Curran’s over. Now they need 16 off nine balls. So tight.
Hundred!
Williamson clears mid-off! That’s a much-needed four, and a magnificent hundred – for its tenacity and acumen, if not its strokeplay.
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48th over: New Zealand 213-8 (Williamson 96, Sodhi 1) Superb from Woakes, who concedes only three. The dilemma is Williamson’s now – to hit or not to hit. NZ need 22 from 12 balls.
A cheering email from Sam Hey. “Hey Tim, don’t worry, me and the rest of us Manchester students are still here. It’s getting tense here in the Westpac. A beer snake just got confiscated and the kiwis might turn on us...”
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Wicket!! Southee c Stokes b Woakes 7 (NZ 210-8)
Ooh that’s big. A dot from Woakes draws a swish into the sky from Southee. Stokes, at deep square, calls for it and holds it safely. England are narrow favourites again.
47th over: New Zealand 210-7 (Williamson 94, Southee 7) Can Tim Southee do the business? He can, as Curran serves up a half-volley which gets clipped, imperiously, to deep midwicket. Nine off the over, up with the going rate. Now NZ need 25 off three.
An email from Gavin Twedily. “Tim lad, you exist. I exist. We all exist. Do you think the word exist is the origin of the word existential? Buggered if I know. The cricket on the other hand; that’s going to the final over. All the best, Garfin.”
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46th over: New Zealand 201-7 (Williamson 92, Southee 1) Not just a wicket, but only two off the over – well done Woakes.
The emails, like the wickets, are coming in clusters. “Oh.. tim.” Oh Tapan. “The match is so absorbing that anyone barely has time to write to you!”
Wicket!!! Santner run out 41 (NZ 199-7)
A straight push, and Woakes deflects it on to the stumps. The bails light up, and so do England’s eyes, as a fine innings comes to an end.
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Review!
For run out against Santner ... Looks out.
45th over: New Zealand 199-6 (Williamson 91, Santner 41) Curran almost makes something happen, as a chop from Santner goes agonisingly close to Roy at backward point. And then Williamson, failing to pick the leg-cutter, chips to midwicket, who would snaffle it if he wasn’t so deep – and it goes for four. Nine off the over.
PJ Ullmann sees my question (43rd over) and answers: “No.”
44th over: New Zealand 190-6 (Williamson 84, Santner 39) Morgan, desperate for a wicket, gives Rashid his final over. The batters, knowing this, settle for a few singles. Rashid finishes with two for 34, which is very good, but maybe not good enough.
Holy crap – a tweet has come in. “Well I thought we were toast when I woke up to feed my 6 month old daughter 2 hours ago,” says Guy Hornsby, “but we appear to making a game of it now. Listening to TMS while she rocks around, very happy with our comeback. Start ‘em young. #JuniorOBO.” A fearless hashtag.
43rd over: New Zealand 186-6 (Williamson 82, Santner 37) Tom Curran returns, bearing slower balls, but Saunter clubs him through the covers, on the up, for four. If a live blog goes through a whole innings without an email coming in from a reader, can it be said to have been written at all?
42nd over: New Zealand 179-6 (Williamson 81, Santner 31) Now Morgan does turn back to Rashid. Williamson is watchful, Santner more feisty – he swats a short one back past the bowler, like a forehand return, for two. The batsmen are in charge at the moment.
41st over: New Zealand 175-6 (Williamson 80, Santner 28) Stokes opens with a wide, then gets clobbered for four by Saunter, lofting him over mid-on with a short-arm jab. Seven off the over, which is just what NZ need – 60 more required, off 54 balls.
40th over: New Zealand 168-6 (Williamson 79, Santner 23) Tidy again from Wood, when England could do with messy but explosive.
39th over: New Zealand 163-6 (Williamson 77, Santner 21) Captaincy, in cricket, is just one dilemma after another. Does Morgan go back to Rashid, for his last two overs, or to Stokes, with his golden arm? He opts for Stokes, who immediately dishes up a juicy one, drifting down leg, which gives Williamson a rare boundary.
38th over: New Zealand 159-6 (Williamson 72, Santner 21) Here is Wood, and he does well, conceding only three. But still no breakthrough. The WASP now grudgingly gives NZ a 21% chance; I make it more like 51.
37th over: New Zealand 156-6 (Williamson 70, Santner 20) Moeen’s final over goes for three as the batsmen elect to see him off. NZ need 79 off 78 balls – perfectly feasible, as long as these two stay there for another 20 minutes.
36th over: New Zealand 153-6 (Williamson 68, Santner 19) Better from Woakes, but these two have added fifty and England need a breakthrough. If Wood was in form, he’d have the ball now.
35th over: New Zealand 149-6 (Williamson 66, Santner 18) Another tight over from Moeen, and that’s drinks.
34th over: New Zealand 146-6 (Williamson 63, Santner 18) Woakes bowls a wide, which is, bizarrely, the first extra of the innings. And another one, so the wides are like London buses. In between, Santner spots a slower ball and plays a lovely straight drive for three. He holds the key.
33rd over: New Zealand 138-6 (Williamson 61, Santner 14) Moeen puts the plug back in, conceding only two. Morgan, who has only two overs left from each of Moeen and Rashid, gives up on Root and sends for Woakes.
32nd over: New Zealand 136-6 (Williamson 60, Santner 13) Morgan does bring on Root, and Williamson, seeing the chance to break the spell, pulls a long hop for four. The target is 99 now, off 18 overs, so five-and-a-half an over, and the seamers have largely been innocuous: it’s not game over yet.
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31st over: New Zealand 129-6 (Williamson 52, Santner 12) Moeen finds the edge of Santner’s blade with a classical off-break, but there’s no slip and it dribbles away for two. A rare case of Morgan missing a chance to attack.
30th over: New Zealand 124-6 (Williamson 52, Santner 9) Rashid overpitches and Saunter gets the first boundary for some time with a dreamy cover drive. Morgan likes what the spinners are doing so much, he’s told Root to loosen up.
29th over: New Zealand 117-6 (Williamson 50, Santner 4) The batsmen finally do the obvious thing to Moeen, and milk him for singles. One of them brings fifty for Williamson, off 69 balls, with just two fours and a six. He’s been quietly excellent, but not dominant – he suffered from Munro hogging the strike, and then from the middle order batting like lemmings.
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28th over: New Zealand 112-6 (Williamson 47, Santner 2) Three off the over from Rashid, so he and Moeen have five for 37 off their 12 overs. What a shame that they won’t bowl together in a Test match. The man partly responsible for that situation, Joe Root, is standing at slip: a penny for his thoughts.
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Not out!
The third ump, like Roy, was in doubt.
Review! Santner off Rashid
For a catch – was it clean? Even Jason Roy, diving forward, wasn’t sure he’d held it, and the soft signal is not out.
27th over: New Zealand 109-6 (Williamson 45, Santner 1) A whole over from Moeen goes by without a wicket.
26th over: New Zealand 107-6 (Williamson 44, Santner 0) The person who can keep his head while all around are losing theirs is Williamson, who takes a couple of twos off Rashid. A hundred is there for him if someone can just stick around at the other end.
25th over: New Zealand 103-6 (Williamson 40, Santner 0) And that’s a wicket maiden from Moeen, who has figures of 4-1-16-3. He’s been good, but not that good. New Zealand are not out of it yet: Santner pretty much won the first match in this series on his own.
Wicket!!! de Grandhomme c Woakes b Ali 3 (NZ 103-6)
If you can keep your head... you’re not de Grandhomme at this moment. He goes for the big heave and Woakes, at long-on, hardly has to move. All those twenties that England’s batsmen made are looking rather good now.
24th over: New Zealand 103-5 (Williamson 40, de Grandhomme 3) Rashid keeps up the pressure. There’s plenty of time: NZ just need someone else to bat like Williamson, who has been cool, calm and collected.
23rd over: New Zealand 101-5 (Williamson 39, de Grandhomme 2) Moeen’s hat-trick doesn’t happen as it’s Williamson facing, and calmly defending. Can he dig his team out of this hole? The WASP says no, giving NZ only a 16% chance now. That seems a little harsh.
22nd over: New Zealand 98-5 (Williamson 37, de Grandhomme 0) So NZ have lost three wickets for one run off eight balls. “He missed that by a yard,” says one of the commentators. Not quite true, but a foot, for sure.
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Wicket! Nicholls lbw b Rashid 0 (NZ 98-5)
It was a routine leg-break, Nicholls missed it, and it was hitting, so that’s a wasted review. And a tasty collapse.
Review!
Another one – Nicholls given out, for either lbw or a catch behind the wicket, and one of them is probably good.
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21st over: New Zealand 97-4 (Williamson 37, Nicholls 0) Well that was ebb-and-flow at its best. Stokes turned the tide with his salmon leap, and Moeen took full advantage. He will be on a hat-trick when he starts the next over. But Williamson is still there, and he should be able to see NZ through, shouldn’t he?
Wicket! Latham lbw b Ali 0 (NZ 97-4)
Yes, it’s hitting leg, so Tom Latham is gone for a golden duck. And Farbrace has his two extra wickets, just like that.
Review! For lbw
Latham’s first ball – full from Moeen, and it may well be out...
Wicket! Chapman c Morgan b Ali 8 (NZ 97-3)
Another one! Chapman again dances down the track, again fails to get to the pitch, and ends up giving gentle catching practice to Morgan at point. If you’re just waking up, so is the game.
20th over: New Zealand 93-2 (Williamson 37, Chapman 4) Mark Chapman, confident enough to give Rashid the charge from the start, almost perishes when the googly spins away from him, but he manages to get a late dab on it. “Two more wickets,” says England’s assistant coach Paul Farbrace, “and we’re right in this.”
19th over: New Zealand 89-2 (Williamson 36, Chapman 1) On comes Moeen Ali, and his first ball, like Curran’s, is a full toss. Williamson helps himself from the buffet and that’s six. A clear sign that he’s going to run the show now.
18th over: New Zealand 80-2 (Williamson 28, Chapman 0) So Rashid makes the breakthrough, though it was really all about Stokes. A decent knock from Munro, who rode his luck early on, then adjusted well.
Wicket!! Munro c Stokes b Rashid 49 (NZ 80-2)
Just when England needed something, Ben Stokes provides it with a dream of a catch. Munro plays his favourite off shove, and Stokes, at short extra, leaps to his left and swallows it. Game on?
17th over: New Zealand 80-1 (Williamson 28, Munro 49) Munro finally attacks Stokes, with a square push for two and an off shove for three. The pundits are puzzled by the pitch, which isn’t misbehaving as much as it did earlier. Or did the New Zealanders just bowl well? Either way, England have to make something happen in the next half-hour.
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16th over: New Zealand 73-1 (Williamson 27, Munro 43) The first over of spin comes from Adil Rashid, who bowls a bit flat and goes for five, but almost persuades Williamson to chip to extra cover. The ring are in close, but not that close.
15th over: New Zealand 68-1 (Williamson 25, Munro 40) Stokes continues to keep things quiet. The broadcasters, getting restless, bring on “an absolute New Zealand legend” for a chat. Who can this be – Richard Hadlee? Jemaine from Flight Of The Conchords? No, it’s Grant Elliott.
14th over: New Zealand 64-1 (Williamson 22, Munro 39) Curran, taking his cue from Stokes, concedes only three singles. Eoin Morgan might have preferred it if he had made something happen, as New Zealand are just beginning to get on top.
13th over: New Zealand 61-1 (Williamson 20, Munro 38) Stokes restores order. As he does.
12th over: New Zealand 58-1 (Williamson 18, Munro 37) Munro, facing Curran, decides it’s time to return to the 21st century. He plays a golfer’s chip into the leg side and almost gets caught on the boundary by Mark Wood, diving like a dervish. Then he repeats the manoeuvre, and so does Wood. “This is almost deja vu all over again,” says a Kiwi commentator, and I can’t tell if he’s joking.
11th over: New Zealand 48-1 (Williamson 17, Munro 28) Ben Stokes comes on and even he, on this surface, is merely tidy. In the crowd, the camera finds some kids dressed in sportswear of a violent shade of pink, who are all looking at their phones. They’re probably reading this.
10th over: New Zealand 47-1 (Williamson 17, Munro 27) And here’s the first bowling change, as Tom Curran replaces Wood. He starts with a full toss outside off, too juicy for Munro to miss out on, before recovering well. Curran seems to have a wonderful temperament.
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9th over: New Zealand 42-1 (Williamson 17, Munro 22) Munro gets Woakes away for a rare boundary, punching through the off side. But Woakes still has figures of 5-1-13-1, which are quite something these days.
8th over: New Zealand 37-1 (Williamson 17, Munro 17) Williamson, facing Wood, breaks the spell with an old-school football formation, 4-2-4. All three strokes go through backward point, where there’s an extra fielder for Williamson, but he plays late and gets his placement right. For two minutes, this duplicitous pitch is put in its place.
7th over: New Zealand 25-1 (Williamson 6, Munro 16) After reeling off five dots to Munro in the last over, Woakes goes one better, so that is a maiden. Odd term, that, isn’t it? Time to usher it into retirement, surely. If giving a view on this, please ignore what it says elsewhere on this page and either tweet @TimdeLisle or email tim.delisle.casual@guardian.co.uk. Thanks.
6th over: New Zealand 25-1 (Williamson 6, Munro 16) Munro calms down and plays a more controlled shot, a steer through the covers for four off Wood. Impossible to say who’s ahead. It would be no surprise to discover that these teams were separated at birth.
4th over: New Zealand 19-1 (Williamson 6, Munro 10) Munro manages to get three lives in two balls. He is almost lbw, but England decide against a review as the delivery from Wood probably pitched outside leg; almost run out, off the same ball; and almost caught top-edging a pull off the next one. “This,” says Nasser Hussain, “is just a chaotic innings from Munro.”
3rd over: New Zealand 15-1 (Williamson 3, Munro 9) The ball from Woakes was nothing special, but this pitch is two-paced, which may have made the difference. Kane Williamson comes in, settles for a few dots, then gets off the mark with a cover drive for three.
Wicket! Guptill c Curran b Woakes 3 (NZ 12-1)
A little chip, a simple catch at mid-on. And a sliver of relief here, as the Guardian spellcheck was doing its damnedest to call Guptill Nuptial.
2nd over: New Zealand 12-0 (Guptill 3, Munro 9) Mark Wood brings some pace to the party, and Colin Munro uses it to steer a four through the covers. He edges the next ball but gets it just past second slip.
1st over: New Zealand 4-0 (Guptill 3, Munro 1) Chris Woakes, now the senior seamer, takes the new ball and the batsmen get through the over. If you’re under 40, this is what the Seventies were like.
Morning everyone, or should that be anyone? Thanks to Tanya for taking the dead-of-night shift. Not just a stylish writer, but the founder of a pressure group, @TheNextTest.
Enjoy the second innings. I leave you in the expert hands of Tim de Lisle who will take you through the breakfast session. Thank you for your company.
5oth over England 234 all out. (Curran 2 not out)
Well that was an eventful last ten overs: 68 runs and 6 wickets. Difficult to know exactly how good a total that is on a pitch with such a whimsical change of mind. Some tight bowling by New Zealand, some courageous bowling by Sodhi, and some patient batting by England, especially, particularly, by Stokes and Morgan who kept things ticking over when scoring was tough. “Not the greatest one-day wicket you’ve ever seen,” says James Franklin back in the Sky studio. Rob Key slates the elaborately mowed fern on the pitch. Hey Rob, I LOVE THE FERN! If you’ve got a bad pitch, at least give the spectators some other eye candy to occupy their time.
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Wicket! Wood run out 1
Wood out off the last ball of the innings attempting a kamikaze second run.
Wicket! Rashid run out (Boult) 11
Run-out itus starting to infect England now. Rashid hit on the head by a bouncer and attempts a not-on single.
49th over: 227 for 8 (Rashid 7, Curran 0) A boundary! Rashid whips his wrists and divides the two fielders sprinting towards the ball. Seven off the over; one over left.
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Wicket! Moeen Ali run out (de Grandhomme) 23
Moeen prematurely scampered down the pitch from the non-strikers end. No run was ever going to come from that.
48th over: 220 for 7 (Moeen 22, Rashid 1) Moeen elegantly wafting at Boult but can’t bisect the boundary.
Wicket! Woakes c Williamson b Boult 16
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47th over: 215 for.6 (Moeen 18, Woakes 16) Southee does well to restrict England to just four singles. Woakes drives elegantly, but straight to Guptill. 18 balls to come.
46th over: 211 for.6 (Moeen 16, Woakes 14)
Moeen pulls Boult high and slightly inelegantly, but it is enough to carry the ball to the boundary.
“Reading every word” says Tone White, slowly, sipping the first coffee, even slower. Should I put the heating on or go back to bed?
Hard waiting for the collapse.
Sigh.”
Tone, could you set up a bed on the sofa? But then, you’ve already had the first coffee... sleep is never quite as satisfying after that.
45th over: 203 for.6 (Moeen 10, Woakes 12)
A wristy blow by Moeen off a shorter, slower ball from Southee for four and then Chris Woakes guides the ball most graciously down to the third man boundary.
44th over: 192 for.6 (Moeen 5, Woakes 6) A beautiful four by Chris Woakes, a sensitive little deflection for four through backward point. What style for a big man!
43rd over: 184 for.6 (Moeen 2, Woakes 0)
That’s three for 53 for Sodhi, including Stokes and Buttler at a crucial time in the innings. And just after Buttler had taken a huge stride down the pitch and thwacked Sodhi for 6.
Wicket! Buttler c Latham b Sodhi 29
Buttler heaving at Sodhi decieved by one that turned away hugely. Latham stumps him just to make sure.
42nd over: 177-5. (Buttler 23, Moeen 2) An angry looking pull from Buttler, hit ferociously hard, beats a diving Boult. With eight overs to go, England could do with another 50?
41st over: 171-5. (Buttler 18, Moeen 1) What a shame! Stokes had done the hard stuff, played with such control. Plaudits to Sodhi, two wickets now.
Wicket! Stokes c Munro b Sodhi 39
Stokes aims to hit Munro over the top but makes contact with only the bottom of the bat and Munro at long off takes the ball just inside the boundary rope.
40th over: 166-4. (Stokes 38, Buttler 15) Munro not particulary troubling Stokes and Butler, who are innovating their way through the capriciousness of the pitch with a winkle and a glide.
39th over: 159-4. ( Stokes 36, Buttler 10 ) Two consecutive fours by Buttler off Sodhi: a text-book (are they text-book now?) reverse-sweep; a less conventional whallop over mid on
38th over: 149-4. ( Stokes 35, Buttler 1 ) Southee is such a lean mean machine. Stokes dabs him through midwicket for four - this is a remarkably controlled innings - before being surprised by another ball that bangs up from the pitch with frog-like bounce.
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37th over: 144-4. ( Stokes 31, Buttler 1 ) Ohhh! Sodhi’s last ball bounces past Stokes’ shoulders, beats the keeper and slip! That was extraordinary.
36th over: 139-4. ( Stokes 29, Buttler 0 ) Southee nearly gets through Morgan’s defences when he tries to pull a ball that doesn’t get a high as he is expecting; a few balls later he gets his prize. A great little innings by Morgan, but he didn’t stay quite long enough to do the fun stuff!
Wicket! Morgan b Southee 48
A straight ball that arrived more quickly than he was expecting
35th over: 137-3. (Morgan 47, Stokes 28 )
34th over: 134-3. (Morgan 46, Stokes 27) A boundary for Stokes at last and then a great stop by Latham behind the stumps prevents a boundary from Morgan.
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33rd over: 128-3. (Morgan 45, Stokes 22 ) A little bit of this and a little bit of that off Munro brings four off the over
This is a war of attenuation, which may be why Sam Hey’s Irish friend has already left. Come back Sam’s friend! - it will get more exciting I promise. Maybe he’s gone to get the scotch eggs?
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32nd over: 112-3. (Morgan 41, Stokes 21) Williamson brings Boult back, who immediately hits Stokes in what my mum would call his “gentleman’s department” and then tests Morgan with the shorter ball. He pulls, late, but evades the fielders.
31st over: 120-3. (Morgan 39, Stokes 20) A wide from Munro evades Latham and hits the boundary. Eight from the over, you just get the feeling momentum is building, slowly, here.
30th over: 112-3. (Morgan 37, Stokes 19 ) End of de Grandhomme’s fantastic spell: ten overs, 1-24, always tight and testing.
Only ten boundaries for England so far.
29th over: 110-3 (Morgan 36, Stokes 18) One in the eye from the pitch again, as the ball bounces more steeply than either Morgan the keeper or probably Munro expect, and the ball riccochets into Latham.
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28th over: 102-3 (Morgan 30, Stokes 16) 100 up! Morgan drives de Grandhomme upishly and the ball fires into Ben Stokes who protects himself with his glove and probably prevents a Morgan boundary. Morgan passes 6000 ODI runs
27th over: 99-3 (Morgan 29, Stokes 14) Bowling change: Munro replaces Sodhi. One run, no run, one run etc
26th over: 96-3 (Morgan 28, Stokes 12) Lots of dibbing and dabbing by Stokes and Morgan to take five off de Grandhomme’s over. How many different words are there for attritional?
25th over: 91-3 (Morgan 26, Stokes 9) First SIX of the innings, a flick by Morgan off Sodhi, 85m over mid-wicket. That breaks the tension a little, and gives the crowd some succour on a sunny day in Wellington. This probably wasn’t what they were expecting this morning. Eleven from the over.
24th over: 80-3 (Morgan 17, Stokes 7) Stokes heaves at a ball from de Grandhomme and then drives nicely at a couple more but can’t pierce the circle. It feels like he’s going to blow in a minute.
Sam, I’m not sure if there are many other OBO readers awake, but my brother’s wife who is awesome, Irish, but not a cricket fan, gets pretty excited by the picnic.
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23rd over: 78-3 (Morgan 16, Stokes 6) Another neat and tidy over from Sodhi, the sort to please Mrs Tiggy-Winkle. Batting is hard here today, even for these two.
22nd over: 76-3 (Morgan 15, Stokes 5) The bottom of Ben Stokes’s bat has come off! The first ball from de Grandhomme hits the bottom of the splice and huge chunk, a couple of units of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk’s worth, fly into the air. Just one run off the over.
21st over: 75-3 (Morgan 15, Stokes 4) Just two off Sodhi’s over. Tight, nippy, bowling.
20th over: 73-3 (Morgan 14, Stokes 3) Ooochh, another surprise gift from the pitch, a ball from de Grandhomme fires through remarkably high, and so surprises Stokes that his head jolts back puppet-like. As the ball hits the pitch, part of the pitch comes away, not for the first time today.
19th over: 71-3 (Morgan 13, Stokes 2) England are finding it tricky to work Sodhi away, just a couple of singles off the over.
18th over: 69-3 (Morgan 12, Stokes 1) A maiden for de Grandhome as England consolidate for an over. It can’t last - surely - with Morgan and Stokes together.
Meanwhile, Sam Hey wants advice from OBO readers: “We’re here in Wellington with our bemused Irish mate who’s never watched a cricket game before.”
“What do I tell him to get him excited?”
17th over: England 69-3 (Morgan 12, Stokes 1) A stoic effort by Bairstow ended by Sodhi - who is one of the top three bowlers in the world in ODIs at the moment. He was completely befuddled by the googly. Enter Ben Stokes.
Wicket! Bairstow b Sodhi 19
Bairstow fooled by the googly
“Does anyone out there know where I can get some of the drugs the head groundsman is clearly on?” writes Tim Featherstone Griffin. I can’t help, but I do agree: that huge Fern cut into the grass does hint at some regular halucinogenics.
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16th over: England 62-2 (Bairstow 18, Morgan 7)Morgan looking kind of twitchy here, and itching to attack, but so far thwarted apart from a wristy drive at de Grandhomme down to the cover boundary. Bairstow’s 18 has come off 37 balls.
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15th over: England 58-2 (Bairstow 18, Morgan 3)
14th over: England 54-2 (Bairstow 17, Morgan 0) Root will be cross with himself there, he had looked in majestic touch. Bairstow set for the anchor role here.
Wicket! Root c Sodhi b de Grandhomme 20
Root stepped down the pitch but didn’t get the ball past Sodhi at mid-on
13th over: England 54-1 (Bairstow 15, Root 19) Consecutive fours from Root off Santner : a sort of , im not quite sure what to call it, he switches his hands and gets it down to third man, and then sweeps. He’s looking eager.
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12th over: England 42-1 (Bairstow 15, Root 11) Double bowling change with de Grandhomme replacing Boult. England scampering what runs they can here but being held back by some super fielding from Guptill at backward point and the uncertainty in the pitch, and possibly their minds.
More whisky info, this time from Chris Bourne. “Whisky and ginger is fine. I have taken to mixing whisky with Fevertree ginger beer, which has much more of a bite and is less sugary than the usual thing. My uncle Jim, when I was first courting up in Clydebank, rescued me from a whole b bunch of potential aunts with the immortal phrase: “You’ll be wanting some lemon in your Grouse?” Whisky is like an ODI in that respect. It doesn’t matter how you mix it as long as you get a result at the end.”
11th over: England 40-1 (Bairstow 15, Root 10) Santner replaces Southee. Root DROPPED on 9. Williamson springs to his right with his left hand at midwicket and can’t quite hold on with his finger tips.
10th over: England 36-1 (Bairstow 13, Root 8)
Life continues to be tricky for England against Boult. A little dab from Bairstow somehow nearly makes it to the long-off boundary. A fifth of the innings gone.
9th over: England 33-1 (Bairstow 11, Root 7) A glorious pull by Root through mid-wicket to get off the mark against Southee. It was short and he seemed to have enough time to turn out his pockets in search of a lucky penny before going through with the shot.
And advice about whisky and ginger from StJohn Bird (what a name!). “Whisky and ginger is fine - but you need to choose your whisky carefully. If you’re looking at a Whisky Mac, then just mix any blended whisky with green ginger wine - Crabbie’s is an excellent choice. DO NOT mix a single malt whisky into a whisky mac though. Such a waste. Oh, and if you’re ever tempted to try whisky and ginger ale..... well, it had better be Jack Daniels or Jim Beam, because they’re not really whisky so it’s impossible to ruin them... :)“
“Greetings from snowy Edinburgh. Tell Simon McMahon I miss living in Dundee.”
8th over: England 25-1 (Bairstow 10, Root o)
That was a wicket that felt inevitable given the pressure being applied by the opening bowlers and the capriciousness of the pitch, particularly at Boult’s end. Roy was surprised by the bounce and speed.
Wicket! Roy c Guptill b Boult 15
Roy pushes at a flier and gets a top edge to Guptill at slip
7th over: England 23-0 (Roy 14, Bairstow 9)
Another good over by Southee, probing, probing, with every ball. Bairstow and Roy scampering every possible run - scoring not easy here yet.
James Walsh has just got home. “Just walked home through the slush after a Mario Kart night at my friend’s house in Vauxhall. It’s so lovely to come home to the reassuring sound of TMS and the reassuring sight of the OBO.
“Late night confessions: for years I thought Jacob Oram was called Jay Caboram. Anyone else made a similar radio-based cricketer name boo-boo?”
6th over: England 19-0 (Roy 12, Bairstow 7) The porridge pitch is bouncing unevenly here. Roy tries to put Boult off by coming down the pitch. Bairstow cuts and the batsmen scamper a quick two off the penultimate ball of the over.
5th over: England 15-0 (Roy 11, Bairstow 4) Bairstow fences aggressively at Southee and the ball disappears through the covers for four and Bairstow is off the mark.
4th over: England 11-0 (Roy 11, Bairstow 0) A whipped pull, sharp as an unexpected punch, by Roy breaks the deadlock, two balls later another four, up and over off Boult.
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3rd over: England 3-0 (Roy 3, Bairstow 0) Roy happy to watch and wait while facing Southee, who is bowling immaculately, just a single off the over.
“Ha!” says Simon who is definitely still awake for “the same reason everyone’s still awake. Cricket, whisky and peanuts.” Whisky and peanuts - interesting. I like whisky and ginger - is that terrible?
2nd over: England 2-0 (Roy 2, Bairstow 0) Bairstow is surprised by Boult’s first ball which shoots off the pitch like a party popper and catches the edge of the bat - but there is no short leg to catch it. A maiden for Boult.
1st over: England 2-0 (Roy 2, Bairstow 0) Good first over for Southee who finds some early swing. Jason Roy squirts a couple to deep backward square leg but is tested.
Not a great crowd here yet, scatterings here and there amongst the yellow seating. Sky show a close up off the pitch - lumpy porridge is the first thing that comes to mind.
The players pootle out. England’s ODI totals against New Zealand at this ground again: 130, 123, 89.
“Yo Tanya!” writes a very sprightly Simon McMahon. “Minus 5 and snow here in Dundee, Scotland. Roll on spring indeed. The first days of spring. Cue Noah and the Whale. Or Eoin and the tail ... ?” I know I’m being nosy here Simon, but why are you still awake?
And here comes the toss... New Zealand have won and will BOWL. Both teams seem slightly suspicious of the wicket which looks strange and “smells agricultural.”
For England Mark Wood comes in for David Willey, and Ish Sodhi returns in place of Lockie Ferguson for New Zealand.
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Ross Taylor’s absence will be “A big loss, it will be frustrating for New Zealand” says James Franklin
Meanwhile in New Zealand ...(I hope this works)
Hot water bottle, check; bed socks, check; coffee, check. Roll on spring. The English cricket season starts in a month and ten days.
Official tweet from the NZ MetService: “Warm and windless make for ideal watching conditions for the Blackcaps V England game in #Wellington this afternoon.”
A really-quite-chilly-below-zero good morning from ice block Britain. Let’s travel quickly somewhere sunny: to Wellington and to the third one-day international between England and New Zealand and the latest instalment of the Ben Stokes comeback tour. In the last ODI at Tauranga, he took two wickets, conjured up two run-outs, made 63 not out and was named Man of the Match as England beat New Zealand by six wickets. It leaves the series level at 1-1 with three games remaining, and the tantalising question of what Stokes will do next hangs nicely in the air
England have played four previous ODIs at the Westpac, but are yet to win one - bowled out for 89, 130, and 123 respectively, and then making 309 for 6, before being beaten by nine wickets by Sri Lanka. But their outstanding fielding performance at Tauranga - the best in recent memory -and their overall dominance in the last game must leave them as favourites.
New Zealand get their talisman captain Kane Williamson back but lose Ross Taylor with a thigh strain. England are expected to remain unchanged.
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