- Over-by-over updates from day three at Headingley
- Lyth, the pride of Whitby, delights Yorkshire greats
- Cook admits nerves before breaking Gooch’s record
- Email: daniel.harris.@theguardian.com or tweet: @DanielHarris
Thus endeth yet another fascinating, coruscating session, with yet another to follow. See yiz in 40.
4th over: New Zealand 7-0 (Latham 3, Guptill 4) Broad’s properly got his fierce phizog on, racing in, arms pumping, but he’s not quite straight enough at the moment; in Anderson’s last over, too many balls were leavable and left outside off, and here, too many are too close to the pads. This allows Guptill to flick a single off his hip, and then, coming around, he finds a better line, just outside off, his final two deliveries well left.
3rd over: New Zealand 6-0 (Latham 3, Guptill 3) Anderson whistles one past Latham’s outside-edge, as we’re told that the little discussion at the end of his previous over was a friendly warning about following through onto the pitch. As Bumble points out, he may well have taken the chance to irate himself for the purposes of competition - he does suffer from chronic white-line fever. And he spirits another one past Latham’s edge that swings in and moves away off the seam - a second consecutive maiden - and there’s time for one more over before lunch.
“I am sure it has already been said before,” emails Adam Levine, “but even if it has it is certainly worth re-stating that it is an absolute travesty that this is only a two test series. Utterly enthralling test matches making way for utterly forgettable and interchangeable one-day dross.”
2nd over: New Zealand 6-0 (Latham 3, Guptill 3) Broad begins well, a full one clattering Guptill’s thigh-pad - there’s an appeal, Cook especially vociferous, but the ball was going down. Otherwise, a quiet over - Guptill looks confident enough, getting forward whenever possible, and I wonder if it might be prudent to give Wood an over before lunch, just to see.
1st over: New Zealand 6-0 (Latham 3, Guptill 3) Three slips and two gullies, and Anderson’s first ball is left, passing very close to the off bail. Then, Latham cuts and they run two, a subsequent shove for one into the covers bringing Guptill on strike; he’s quickly off the mark with a push for three, and that’s a good start for New Zealand. As the fielders change ends, Anderson and the umpire appear to share tetch - for what, we don’t know.
Latham, not Guptill, will take Anderson’s first ball. Canny or cowardly, you decide.
Skies look a bit clearer, but England, presumably, still fancy theirselves to nab one here. New Zealand, presumably, fancy theirselves to snatch mo-mentum.
England are out doing their best to get warm; I love cold, suffering sportsmen. Wood and Anderson embrace, Ballance slaps a ball from palm to palm.
@DanielHarris Im sat in chilly Hdingly. Fav NZ team ever? Not sure about that but surely more scary than these chaps? http://t.co/BQ4rZMdCWo
So, New Zealand will have about fifteen minutes to not get out/thrash the new ball to all corners, prior to lunch.
Of course! Of course the scores are level! Of course they are! Very good delivery this, yorker length, and it easily evades the airy drive offered it. But welcome back Stuart Broad!
108th over: England 350-9 (Broad 46, Anderson 10) Broad levels the scores with a bunt over to square-leg, the only run off the over; Anderson’s beaten off its final delivery by one that nips away from his straight bat.
107th over: England 349-9 (Broad 45, Anderson 10) Broad has an exceptional eye, and he cracks another from off to leg - Latham has to race around the boundary at square-leg to save two. Otherwise, a quiet over; pathetic.
106th over: England 346-9 (Broad 42, Anderson 10) Anderson whips out the reverse-sweep seeking one outside off, and hilariously, is fuming at himself when he misses it. So he goes again two balls later, missing again, and that’s a maiden.
105th over: England 346-9 (Broad 42, Anderson 10) Henry into the attack, and after a wide, Broad fairly batters six over square-leg taken from outside off. Then, after a dot, he paddles uppishly over the infield on the off-side, and, perhaps with the help of the wind, the ball carries away from the pursuit catchers; they run two. And oh ho ho, there’s another four, slices over the slips; even New Zealand’s bunch of placid lunatics must be nearing a rolling boil. Anyway, while we’re marvelling at the brilliance of this and previous Test, it’s as well to praise the groundstaff, who, rather than the dry miseries we might have expected, have prepared tracks with summat in them for everyone.
104th over: England 333-9 (Broad 30, Anderson 10) Craig continues, and after a single each, Anderson first misses a slog-sweep by a hectare, then gets a big stride in and times a drive beautifully through cover for four, then gets down on one knee to mow through midwicket for four. The lead, if there ends up being one, will now be negligible. I could watch this cricket every day until I die.
103rd over: England 324-9 (Broad 29, Anderson 2) Boult still going, and starts this over, his seventh of the morning, with a high bouncer wide. Broad then hooks a single to long leg, Anderson flicks one back, and a sliced, feathered uppercut gets Broad one more just over the keeper’s upstretched glow; looks like he’s found a bit of confidence here.
102nd over: England 318-9 (Broad 26, Anderson 0) England are only 32 behind now; presumably, Broad will go for them.
Wood tries a quicker one, dragging it down a little too, and Wood, who doesn’t notice, tries a cut, feathering an edge behind. Very well batted though.
102nd over: England 318-8 (Broad 26, Wood 19) Yep, here’s Mark Craig, and he finds some turn right away, beating Wood and flicking the pad.
101st over: England 318-8 (Broad 26, Wood 19) Wood drives again, straight at Boult as he follows-through, nailing his midriff as he covers up. They run one, and then Broad again moves to leg, digging the bat in to force back past the bowler for four, also eliciting our first “counterattack”. Ah, and there’re four more, pinged square on the off-side and bringing up the fifty partnership from just 35 balls! New Zealand are being hoisted by their own petard here, and what a Test this already is - I’m salivating at what’s to come. But, in the meantime, drinks.
100th over: England 308-8 (Broad 17, Wood 18) This’ll be Southee’s last over, I shouldn’t wonder. After a leg-bye and two dots, Wood throws hands into another drive, this time through cover, adds fo mo, and no one’s even said “counterattack” 49,601 times. I’m sure it’s en route - but it almost isn’t, when Wood chops onto the final ball of the over and it only just avoids the stumps as it spins back.
“Superb bowling & a 90sesque collapse in one here,” tweets Guy Hornsby. “We’re staggering like a <minor expletive> uncle at a wedding. Oh for 3 tests next time.”
99th over: England 289-8 (Broad 17, Wood 14) Nice from Wood again, glancing to square-leg for the best kind of four - one that forces a headlong, fruitless dive from the chasing man as it rushes over the rope. He really did time that very nicely indeed, and there’s another, this time to fine-leg for one, then Broad pulls venomously, earning a one-bounce four just shy of the rope. And next, he shimmies over to leg to flick through midwicket for three more, before Wood adds another two to long leg. New Zealand’s lead is disappearing, and if England can get some time at them in these conditions before better weather tomorrow, they may even regret making such a brilliant start this morning.
98th over: England 289-8 (Broad 10, Wood 7) Wood looks assured, and committed to playing shots - he finds mid-off with a firm drive, but it was full of conviction. Someone’s dressed up as a lamb - “mint sauce springs to mind,” says Beefy. And what’s this! A fielding error from Brendon McCullum, mistiming his slide to Wood’s on-drive and whizzing past the ball. How dare he! They run three.
97th over: England 286-8 (Broad 10, Wood 4) My days, this some thrilling, intense brilliance from your New Zealand. They’ve Watling on the square-leg fence waiting for Broad’s swivel-pull, and there one is - and Watling hares around, then dives headlong, taking ball into hands, but spilling it as he hits the ground. Incredible effort, and nousful planning ; they run one, and Wood drives the next delivery superbly through point for four. Then, after a bye, one slips out of Boult’s hand and flashes by Wood’s phizog for five no-balls, and England look a little more confident; I wonder how long McCullum will persist with his two frontliners.
96th over: England 275-8 (Broad 9, Wood 0) Maybe this is the time for Stuart Broad to bat himself back into nick - given the pitch and the bowlers, there’s not likely to be much short stuff. And he times four beautifully through wide mid-on, then runs three more down to third man - which is more like it, I guess. With so many close catchers behind the bat, the gaps are there. Another fine over from Southee, it’s third ball cracking Wood in the thigh - but off the bat.
“Just wondering about how you’re measuring the likeability of the NZ cricket team,” wonders Danielle Tolson. “Is it the lack of sledging and that kind of behaviour, the qualities that Brad Haddin thought made them too ‘nice’ in the World Cup?”
95th over: England 268-8 (Broad 2, Wood 0) Chatter in commentary is that England might have attacked anything wide, given how good the bowling is and the likelihood that eventually they’ll get one they can’t keep out. Is that an attacking approach that’s actually defensive, as in not backing yourself to bat through it?
“Daniel, Daniel, Daniel,” emails
my wife Robert Wilson. “Top work on Bell’s dismissal! That was the hex of the decade. And you were so throrough, so pitiless. That’s a true talent. Listen, there’s this awful guy I work with...if I give you his name, would you mind saying something kind and helpful about him?”
94th over: England 267-8 (Broad 1, Wood 0) Ah. Six overs, 14 runs, three wickets this morning, eight of the 14 via byes and four via edge.
And, in the end, England are England are England. Another taxing bastard of a delivery, moving across Moeen, who fences and guides another catch to slip, where it’s again taken with minimum fuss and maximum competence. Superb bowling.
94th over: England 267-6 (Ali 1, Broad 1) Broad, who examined his helmet on his way to the wicket, glances into the on-side, just wide of short-leg. They could run two, but, unsurprisingly, he accepts one.
Oh this is lovely bowling! Ah England are in grief now! Southee leaps wide on the crease, slants it in, and when it straightens, Buttler, drawn into pushing forward, edges to first slip. Great skill, delivery and nous.
93rd over: England 266-6 (Buttler 10, Ali 1) This attack is a good test for Moeen, who’s looked a little suss against pace. It’s not the two Mitches - Mitchelayim as they’re doubtless known in Israel - but still. He plays out a maiden confidently.
92nd over: England 266-6 (Buttler 10, Ali 1) Moeen off the mark, glancing into the on-side - and that’ll please Southee, who’ll fancy getting at the right-handed Buttler. Immediately, he’s wicket-to-wicket, but Buttler’s right behind it, playing confidently and then leaving confidently too. But then he flashes, edging low into the gap between slip and gully for four.
91st over: England 261-6 (Buttler 6, Ali 0) Gosh, Boult is into this and so’s the pitch, a bumper at 82mph whizzing by Buttler’s noz as he plays high at it. They get four byes, and then an inswinger’s just about edged into the inside-thigh - that must’ve stung. In our playground, grabbing and squeezing someone’s flesh there was known as a donkey bite.
90th over: England 257-6 (Buttler 6, Ali 0) So, England are on the verge of a situation, here. It looks lovely for bowling this morning, and Bumble reckons it’s got quicker, so provided the weather holds, we’re set for more wondrous cricket. England have lost five wickets for 42; I say lost, but had them taken is just as much so. Ali, who leaves the ball very well, mainly leaves the ball.
Ach. This is a good ball from Southee - his second of the morning - full and moving away. Bell presses forwards, follows it, and outside-edges to second slip where Craig snaffles well, low down; Guptill went across him from three, but he was sufficiently focused and committed to pay no mind.
89th over: England 257-5 (Buttler 6, Bell 12) In comes Boult, and his second ball diddles Buttler all ends up, slanting across and bouncing beautifully to carry through to Ronchi at coupon-height. This is an excellent over, but England move along when one flicks off the pads and races away for four byes.
Here we go!
Michael Holding is vex at the delayed start. One can only conclude that it is vexing.
Scrap that, everything you thought you thought is a lie. New Zealand are huddling.
I mean, obviously there’s Steve Davis and Tony Meo, and Alex Higgins and Jimmy White, but otherwise.
Is this New Zealand team the most likeable in cricket - or even sporting - history? Anymore for anymore?
Nasser’s looking at GazBaz and his retreating in the crease - minds me a little of Joe Root in the last home Ashes. But yesterday, he didn’t watch the ball onto the bat, not necessarily evidence of an uncluttered mind. His batting last summer was nothing short of spectacular, but he’s yet to score runs against a quality attack. He - and Bell, for that matter - are probably lucky that Pietersen’s been binned, because they’d be under pressure for their places otherwise.
It’s cold in the middle. Good.
Latest from @bbcweather. Few showers this morning, but improving this afternoon. Tomorrow should be mostly dry, but more showers on Tuesday
Missed overs to be made up, along with the additional half-hour, at the end of the day.
On Friday, TMS played a long interview conducted by Simon Hughes with Paul Farbrace. After it, in the discussion about how different players need coaching and coaxing in different ways, Hughes observed that Ian Bells needs reassuring as to how good he is literally every day. And then added that if one cast eyes out to the middle, where play was soon to start following a rain day, Bell would inevitably be found loitering, waiting for Botham, Gower and ilk to pass and tell him how he shouldn’t worry about last week’s failure, and he’d be fine this week.
On the face of it, this is normal: it is what it is, you are who you are, and other tautologies. And yet, even now, it’s not entirely easy to compute, because Ian Bell is thoroughly, epochally wonderful. Yes, he’s beautiful to watch and all that, but that’s so of almost every serious batsman; what’s special about Bell is that he’s also shown the ability to grind, and been the difference across a serious series in a way that no Englishman has managed since David Gower in 1985. Quite simply, the 2012 Ashes would’ve been lost without him.
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