England's Summer of Cricket 2022 as Joe Root Steps Down

First topic message reminder :

Must be assuming Southee can't be as ineffective again.

Some useful stuff from Broad and Overton since tea...the only runs seem to coming from nudges down to third man...

Get the feeling one might get out here and maybe bring more ; so the NZ pair will be very determined to see this burst off. If they survive there might well be time to cash in later against tired bowlers so an important half hour.

Good battle since tea. Not sure Overton's leg-side barrage of Williamson has been worth the effort, and Broad really unfortunate to still be wicketless. That one that shot low and nearly bowled Williamson a worrying sign for England.

Not sure how much more play will be achieved tonight - rain on the way and plenty of dark cloud means we'll probably see the umpires with the light meter at some point.

alfie wrote:Bit of a concern about Foakes , too : back in his hotel and to be "assessed overnight" ... One hopes he isn't too badly impaired as they will probably need his batting later , never mind his glove work.

Stiff back doesn't sound like an impact injury ; but it could be something that lingers - which would not be good news with another match just a week away.

Foakes missed a county match earlier this season with a bad back. More recently he hasn’t played in the Blast when he should have been available. Despite their commitment to openness and transparency, Surrey gave no reason. I wondered at the time if England had asked for him to be rested or if his back was still niggling him. Very unlikely to have been a tactical decision as Alec Stewart is a massive fan and regularly refers to him as “the world’s best keeper”.

Meanwhile, a rather traditional scorecard for a Test third innings. What’s going on?!

Amazing catch from Pope to get Conway. First ball after the break does the trick again. Frustrating series for Conway, plenty of starts but no big scores, unlike last year.

121 the lead, but England have an opening.

Blimey I've missed the restart again...and missed another first ball wicket ! They started early or my watch is slow...

Need a replay as I hear it was a super catch by Pope ?

Saw that one live though ! Potts gets (his bunny ?) Williamson and the game is alive...

But now in comes Don Bradman Daryl Mitchell...

Potts has got a huge hold over Williamson and NZ in general - 13 wickets @ 21 in a debut series. Fantastic.

Game in the balance. Crowd revved up. Didn't think I'd be saying this at the start of the series, but Mitchell is the key wicket. If England get him early they can win this tomorrow.

England right on top now. Mitchell has been superb in the series, but the law of averages has to catch up with him at some point. And though they do have a deeper batting lineup, a wicket here, England should be able to put them under some serious pressure. Nicholls has had a pretty poor series so far, New Zealand would be hoping that the law of averages would catch up with him today, and that for Mitchell and Blundell, it can wait.

Leach strikes now...great bowling change ! Nicholls gone so all that England need now.......................

Is to break up Mitchell and Blundell.

Gulp.

Nicholls in rotten form, no surprise to see him out cheaply. Leach having one of his best tests.

125/1 has become 161/5, the lead just 130. Trouble is, Don Mitchell and Viv Blundell are now out in the middle.

Think NZ may want some more rain to get them to tomorrow.

Nicholls' horror series continues as Leach gets on the board.

Only a Tim Southee double hundred can save New Zealand here.

Stokes would just love to have one of these two in the bag before this rain arrives...but so far Blundell and Mitchell are putting bat firmly on ball as if they've been batting all summer...

Must have been tempting then to try a hopeful review but that was clearly going down leg !

Think we'll be off any minute...yes , that's probably it for today.

Another good day. Sleep beckons...

Ultimate gamesmanship from Blundell to get them to what should be stumps.

137 the lead, five down. 250 should be a tough chase, so it's excellently placed going into day four. The key battle of Mitchell and Blundell v English bowling could decide the destiny of the test.

Potts had another superb day and can't be dropped from here, even though Woakes and Robinson returning could pose selection difficulties (of the good kind).

England are developing some serious pace bowling options, fitness permitting. I make it Anderson, Broad, Wood, Archer, Stone, S Curran, Woakes, Robinson, Mahmood, Potts and the Overtons now possibilities. Did I miss anyone?

Yep, it's a ridiculous number. Also got Fisher who did play in the Caribbean, Norwell who was on the fringes of selection for the Caribbean, and Stokes as the all-round option.

It's funny really, England have got so many good test seam bowlers they can't possibly get them all on the field, but in the batting they're a little light.

However in the limited-overs format, England have got so many good batsmen they can't possibly get them all on the field, but in the bowling they're a little light.

guildfordbat wrote:

alfie wrote:Bit of a concern about Foakes , too : back in his hotel and to be "assessed overnight" ... One hopes he isn't too badly impaired as they will probably need his batting later , never mind his glove work.

Stiff back doesn't sound like an impact injury ; but it could be something that lingers - which would not be good news with another match just a week away.

Foakes missed a county match earlier this season with a bad back. More recently he hasn’t played in the Blast when he should have been available. Despite their commitment to openness and transparency, Surrey gave no reason. I wondered at the time if England had asked for him to be rested or if his back was still niggling him. Very unlikely to have been a tactical decision as Alec Stewart is a massive fan and regularly refers to him as “the world’s best keeper”.

Meanwhile, a rather traditional scorecard for a Test third innings. What’s going on?!

Just catching up on the days play, and saw re: Foakes and was coming onto say this Guildford - very concerning to again be ailed with a bad back for a keeper…you have to wonder if a week off for the India test to ensure he’s fine for the rest of the summer might not be a bad idea? He’s had a properly rough old game here Foakes, with some drops in the first dig, a duck, and now this bad back…not one he’ll want to remember!

Game looks like it’s poised beautifully again. Should be a cracker tomorrrow

It’s going to sum up Bairstow’s Test career when, whilst being in the form of his life, he is going to get given the gloves again instead of being allowed to just keep batting.

JDizzle wrote:It’s going to sum up Bairstow’s Test career when, whilst being in the form of his life, he is going to get given the gloves again instead of being allowed to just keep batting.

Don't think he'd complain...he still likes keeping ! Would be a pity though to mess with a 5-6-7 that seems to be working ; although I suppose it would give Brook a chance to show what he can do. Unless they went full-on white ball manic and recalled Jos...

Bit early to make the call anyway ; Foakes may come up fine after a day's rest.

Game still goes up and down...England getting their once most unlikely lead - though perhaps not as many as it might have been with the last three wickets falling quickly ; NZ at one time cruising nearly 100 on and only one down...and then bang bang bang... half the side gone.

Poised still , eh ? The dynamic duo at the crease so they might still set a tough target for England. But if one were to get out early you'd think they would struggle to get a big enough lead on what looks a pretty good pitch - at least while the sun is out.

Have to agree with comments above re Potts : suppose we should beware of canonising a new bowler on the strength of a first series ; but he continues to impress with both consistency and energy. Looks a lot more robust than Robinson so might find the heavy load of Test Match bowling easier to handle ? Certainly a very welcome addition to the bowling ranks !

Game still poised, similar to the last two. Holder and Dowrich will probably add quite a few more. Then England to do something stupid like chase 250 in 40 overs!

alfie wrote:

JDizzle wrote:It’s going to sum up Bairstow’s Test career when, whilst being in the form of his life, he is going to get given the gloves again instead of being allowed to just keep batting.

Don't think he'd complain...he still likes keeping !  Would be a pity though to mess with a 5-6-7 that seems to be working ; although I suppose it would give Brook a chance to show what he can do.  Unless they went full-on white ball manic and recalled Jos...

Bit early to make the call anyway ; Foakes may come up fine after a day's rest.

He definitely wouldn’t complain! And he does have a good record keeping too. But it just feels like whenever YJB gets set in a role they tinker with it.

Foakes now has Covid too. He’s running Ollie Robinson close for the most unlucky England player with injuries/illness! This along with injuring himself slipping on a floor? Tough break for him.

Billings is drafted in and can keep wicket and bat under Covid protocols as far as I can understand it.

That is unlucky, though I'd liken it more than Jack Leach levels of luck. Robinson I think is more a victim of his own poor fitness and stupid social media postings

Oh that is terrible luck for Foakes ! For England too ; though at least they get to draft in a substitute .

Billings can bat of course ; but with Foakes doing such a good "finishing" role in the first two games , he might have a bit to live up to.

Bit of a worry to see more Covid cases in the squad. Might be more trouble before the India Test ? Would be kind of ironic after it being postponed from last year for just that reason !

Haha, so let me get this right. Foakes leaves the field with a bad back yesterday.. Overnight, he magically tests positive for Covid, which allows England to put in a replacement batsman, something they couldn't do if Foakes was ruled out by a back injury. A highly believable course of events.

This is why substitutes are currently nonsense. You can't have a halfway house where players can be substituted for some things (Covid/concussion) but not for other things (general injuries).

Anyway, on to today. Kiwis need the revered two and Bracewell to get them past a lead of 250, which should make them favourites. The odds would be against England completing three heroic chases in a row.

Yes, I did wonder that myself. Or they drafted in Trescothick for some extra nets with added coughing!

Duty281 wrote:Haha, so let me get this right. Foakes leaves the field with a bad back yesterday.. Overnight, he magically tests positive for Covid, which allows England to put in a replacement batsman, something they couldn't do if Foakes was ruled out by a back injury. A highly believable course of events.

This is why substitutes are currently nonsense. You can't have a halfway house where players can be substituted for some things  (Covid/concussion) but not for other things (general injuries).

Anyway, on to today. Kiwis need the revered two and Bracewell to get them past a lead of 250, which should make them favourites. The odds would be against England completing three heroic chases in a row.

A rather cynical take on this , Duty ! Do you seriously think they would fake a Covid positive ?

The issue of substitutes is a tricky one - I reckon one might debate the fairness of having one rule for concussion injuries and another for , say , broken legs -even before the Covid business arrived ; but while this highly transmissable virus is around I think it is essential some provision is kept to deal with sudden outbreaks.

Think NZ would want more than a 250 lead given the generally good record of chasing teams here recently.

Yes, I think they would. England's current policy covid-wise, I believe, is not to test unless players are showing symptoms...or suffering back injuries, I suppose. If Foakes actually has Covid, surely at least one more England player, who has been sharing the field with him for hours, also has it. But we won't know.

Anyway, it is what it is. Play will be extended until 15:59 in the afternoon, and stumps will be at 18:19 (the inevitable extra half-hour taking actual stumps to 18:49).

Quiet start so far.

I think they're saying that in this case Foakes was tested because he was going in for medical treatment so it's part of the tests they do for that, which at least makes it a little less suspicious.

Potts looking good again this morning...surprised he hasn't managed to catch an edge yet.

We all know how dangerous these two are once they're settled so England will be desperate to break the stand while Broad and Potts are fresh and the ball is doing just enough...

Mitchell in particular looks very determined to give away nothing. Wonder how long before we see a bowling change ?

Potts with another excellent start. That consistent line just outside off troubling Blundell, and unfortunate not to nab an edge.

OK start from New Zealand. It's delicately poised. They're getting through the initial burst, but have only added 16 runs. They'll need Bracewell to contribute with the bat and justify his place in the team over another specialist bowler, such as Patel (who probably wishes he didn't bother to board the plane).

Time for Leach.

Overton coming on as well. This is where the Kiwis can score...yep leg-stump half-volley first up.

First small win for NZ. : forced the bowling change ...if they've got rid of both Potts and Broad without damage they can count that as a very good first 45 minutes work.

Don't think either of them have too much difficulty with Leach.

Think this is out...no , too high. Didn't realise how far forward he was.

Leach has turned a couple and had him guessing with that one going straight on. Might be a bit more confident today after the five in the first innings.

NZ have done well to survive that first hour and these two must look like an impenetrable wall to England by now ...fifty stand ; again.

The inevitable 50 stand between these two, though Blundell the main contributor this time. Stands of 195, 236 and 120 on the occasions these two have combined for beyond 50 in this series.

Leach getting some good turn and bounce and finding the odd sign that the pitch is misbehaving. Which is more a concern than a delight for England at this stage.

New ball in ten overs. Lead up to 183.

NZ arguably edging into the "lead" in this match as these two continue to prosper...

Leach giving some problems , but no breakthrough yet. And the runs are starting to flow at the other end.

193 ahead now. Eight overs to the new ball. Here's Joe Root.

England losing their way now. Root's over goes for ten, the lead pops past 200. Basically waiting for the new ball and hoping for a bit of Leach magic until then.

Or hoping for a Kiwi collapse. This was around the time New Zealand fell apart in the first test, allowing England to chase 279, rather than the 320+ it should have been.

Root bowling a lot of filth. Mitchell on course to be the fastest Kiwi to 1,000 test runs (currently on 926).

This "waiting for the new ball" period is always a bad time for England. Rarely do they get a wicket ; and runs tend to be gathered rather too quickly.

Though as I type , Root nearly gets the break : a near- impossible "chance" to Pope ; and a miscue then falling just short of mid-on.

Lead of 216. Extraordinary consistent success for the sixth wicket pair !

New ball in two so just before lunch. Won't see a finish to this match today now , I think we can assume.

Here we go then. Overrate has been good, so the new ball gets taken before lunch. England are verging on a desperate need for this to provide something for them.

Wonderful session for NZ . Looked hard work initially as Broad and Potts were really probing away early on ; but although Leach has bowled well there really haven't been any major problems for the two super bats since.

England will need some action soon after lunch or they're looking at something north of 300 to win this one.

223 ahead now. Lunch.

86/0 in that session and NZ definitely back in command due to the deadly duo.

Classic test batting from both of them. Got through the tough early inquisition from Potts and Broad without scoring many, then took on the weaker bowlers of Overton and Root to pile up the lead. They'll be aiming to do the same in the afternoon, with the added difficulty of it being the new ball sent down.

Broad starting well again with the new ball. Don't think NZ will be going too hard at SB and Potts - just get through their spell as in the morning and then cash in against the other bowlers. Makes this a very important forty minutes.

England really need a wicket.

Have liked Mitchell's approach since the break - he's batting outside the crease to try and negate any swing. Not that there's a lot so far. And they continue to run well between the wickets and rotate the strike.

Chances of a draw increasing, especially with some rain forecast to be around tomorrow morning.

Duty281 wrote:Have liked Mitchell's approach since the break - he's batting outside the crease to try and negate any swing. Not that there's a lot so far. And they continue to run well between the wickets and rotate the strike.

Chances of a draw increasing, especially with some rain forecast to be around tomorrow morning.

Don't think this England team "do" draws , though

Wonder if there is a target at which they might think "Nah , too much. Let's block it out " ?

Also agree the way these bats have faced off against the new ball is quite admirable : hope the likes of Crawley and Pope are taking notes ?

Leach back already...

Maybe something over 500! But trying to break a world record would probably appeal to them.

Not a good sign that Leach is back already, but they've got through 7 overs of the new ball with few alarms. Ah...and then Leach gets the outside edge which goes agonisingly between slip and keeper.

And Broad finds a soft edge now, just sums it all up. Massive frustration and the fourth century partnership between Mitchell and Blundell, who have made Smith and Labuschagne seem like amateurs in comparison. Apparently just the fifth time in test history there's been 4+ hundred partnerships between a batting pair in a series...and this is just a three test series.

Some spin for Leach ...edge between keeper and slip , Fifity for Blundell ....

Hundred stand - again ! Edge off Broad not carrying to slip...nothing going right for England.
Fifty for Mitchell...day belongs to these two and they're carrying NZ's batting as they have all series.

If NZ had a proper spinner you'd really fancy their chances from here but I'm not sure Bracewell quite fits the bill. Can Boult & co do the job ? Maybe they can because I can't see many of the England bats having the patience to play the way these two have on a pitch that is giving the bowlers the odd bit of help. 242 lead so it's ticking up ...

Potts thought he had one then but I always thought it was going down...not surprised the review saved him.

Close but no cigar...

Having another try ! This one is out unless he's hit it...

Yes ! Well bowled Potts...

Second one overturned on review. Did like the first one from Leach, shown to be high; didn't like that one from Potts, shown to be going down leg.

Relief to agony for England. And Blundell got a rotten one in the first innings, when DRS was unavailable, so fair play to him.

And now Mitchell does go! It's all happening. Deserved for Potts.

538 runs in a three-Test series. Daryl Mitchell will likely never bat this well again.

End of a wonderful series for Mitchell with the bat ...56 which may yet prove to be a match winner.

Now then... 243 in front , ball still new-ish , Potts quite fresh. Game on...