Daryl Mitchell was once again involved in scoring a century with Tom Blundell before being dismissed for 56.
Stumps – 113 to England. need of
They say it’s never over until it’s over, but you have to say it’s absolutely tough for New Zealand to bounce back from this attack in the last hour or so. Root and Pope have ended this chase to a great extent with their centuries. He has added 132 runs in just 163 balls to bring the equation down. England now need 113 on the final day and have 8 wickets to complete the task. New Zealand needs a miracle.
Who . 50 for
Another day, another 50 for Joe Root. This is his 54th position in Test cricket and many will not forget it. He played an audacious reverse ramp from Wagner that went all the way for a six. Easily, the highlight of the day.
century stand
Hey man these two are really turning the heat around here. The runs are flowing really fast. This could spell trouble for New Zealand in their quest to compete on Day 5.
Pope. 50 for
He is doing very well today scoring runs at a very fast pace. He has now scored a half-century and it looks like England is leading here. At the other end too, Joe Root looks in very good touch. These two have already added more than 75.
Weird
New Zealand lost two reviews in two balls. You don’t see this often, do you? At first, the effect was clearly out there and in the next, guess what? The effect was out again. It was a desperate move that went wrong. The root survives.
Crawley Falls
New Zealand have now got rid of both the openers. Crowley was entering a nice little area where the borders were flying but they have sent him back now. He sees a well-thrown delivery outside and wants to break it through cover, but tries to hit Williamson in the same fashion. Joe Root got out in the middle.
Crowley takes on the Boulette
You don’t see that often, especially in Test matches, but Jack Crawley has demolished Boult in one over. After breaking the ties with a pull shot for a boundary, Crowley hit three more boundaries to make 16 runs in the over. England are already 41/1 after just 10 overs. New Zealand need some quiet overs here.
false start
It came out of nowhere. England lost their opening wicket and it was a run out that cost them dearly. Crowley bowls one to the left of mid-off but Williamson stops the ball and passes it to the bowler. Crowley was watching the ball after taking a step while Lees was halfway to the ground and could not return in time.
Jack Leach took 10 wickets in his first Test. His Test average is also lower than Nathan Lyon.
02:33 pm June 06, 2022
10 for leeches
He will never forget this game in his life. Jack Leach took five wickets in the first innings. And now he picks up 5 more in the second. It has been a stellar performance from him as he cleans the tail before doing further damage to Blundell. The wicket-keeper batsman is stuck on 88 as Leach has taken 10 wickets in the Test match. New Zealand were all out for 326 runs. England need 296 runs to win this test match. That too will be tea. England’s chase will continue in the final season.
Southee cleans up
With the fall of another wicket, Blundell may have to open now. Southee was expected to take some smack, but Leach clean bowled him for 2 for 12. Now the lead is 274.
leech strike
Bracewell hit Leach for a six and tried to repeat the feat in the same over but the bowler got his revenge. Bracewell misses a shot and is caught by Crowley at deep midwicket. NZ 7’s are down but fasten your seatbelts. Tim Southee is here.
heavy moments
Potts did the trick. England are absolutely happy with that wicket as Mitchell walks back. He will miss his fourth century of the series as he is stuck in the leg-before-wicket. The batsman challenges the call but it is plumb. The stand of 113 runs has been broken. The lead is 243 so NZ will be hoping they can somehow take it past 300.
fifties for doubles
After lunch, Blundell reaches the first landmark and Michelle follows him. The partnership also goes beyond 100. Not a good sign for England
Lunch – New Zealand 254/5
Wow, is this happening again? You bet it is. Mitchell and Blundell are at it again as they near another century in this series. New Zealand is turning it once again. What a great game of cricket this is. The pair added 93 runs for the sixth wicket and batted throughout the season without losing any wickets. Now there is a lead of 223. England need strike after the break.
10:46 am • June 06, 2022
Michelle survived
Jack Leach thought he had his man but Mitchell reviewed and reversed the on-field call. He hit over the knee roll and the ball could have gone over the stumps. Excellent review. New Zealand will get relief.
cautious start
Which is to say, this has been an interesting hour of the game. Neither side is paying much. Michelle and Blundell are willing to play the waiting game. Blundell hit some boundaries in time but Mitchell held on to the other end. The lead is climbing slowly and it stands at 172 during the drinks break. England will have to look out. They know what these two can do.
Make
We are without a doubt close to the climax!! For three days, this Test match has gone both ways and England are the favorites to make it 3-0 right now. He added some crucial runs to give Jonny Bairstow and Stuart Broad a 31-run first innings lead yesterday morning. New Zealand then turned the game around again with a useful partnership for the second wicket, with Tom Latham going for a boundary-spread in a run of 76. Kane Williamson at the other end was also getting down his groove to help keep his team under control.
However, a dramatic turn was awaited in the rain-hit final season. England reversed the post-tea session in the same way they did on Day 2. The session started with one wicket and a few more later, New Zealand completely lost their advantage. They currently have a lead of 137 runs and that will not be enough. But can you write them already? Not when the two remaining batsmen at the crease are Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell. They’ve both been sensational throughout the series and they have to pull a rabbit out of a hat all over again. We are all set for an exciting day of Test cricket.
