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| England v New Zealand: first Test, day four – live! | England v New Zealand: first Test, day four – live! |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 11.37am BST11:37 | |
| 34th over: England 94-3 (Root 8, Cook 43) A bye as Boult finds extravagant movement back down the slope, the ball passing between Root’s attempted drive and his pads, then continuing to move so that Latham has to dive to his left and can’t grab it one handed. One more follows, this an actual run, to Cook, to cover. Root then inside edges on to his pad going for a big booming straight drive. He’s riding his luck a touch. Shorter next and Root keeps the strike with a clip for fine leg. | |
| 11.33am BST11:33 | |
| 33rd over: England 91-3 (Root 7, Cook 42) An early bowling change, with Matt Henry into the attack. He begins with a very loose loosener, a rank full toss, but he’s quickly bowling full and on off to Cook. He too is finding swing and Cook does well to leave an absolute beauty on length, the ball just whizzing narrowly past the stumps. The bowler loses his line just a touch and Cook clips it square on the leg side for a couple of runs. | |
| 11.29am BST11:29 | |
| 32nd over: England 89-3 (Root 7, Cook 40) Root gets his first boundary with a quite perfect straight drive. The ball was overpitched and moved back in a touch, but Root gives it the full face and sends it speeding to the fence at long off. Root then survives a referral to the third umpire; at normal speed it certainly looks as though the fielder got his finger under the ball, but the super slow-mo replays suggest otherwise. Root just got caught on his tiptoes there and flicked it aerially to the fielder. Two balls later he survives a big LBW appeal, as Boult strikes him on the pad with a good indipping yorker. There’s no review though as it looks to be heading down leg. | |
| 11.27am BST11:27 | |
| Not out | |
| Ooh that’s close. It’s just brushed the ground on its way into the fingers. | |
| 11.25am BST11:25 | |
| Wicket? | |
| Root turns the ball off his pads to square leg and New Zealand go up in celebration. We’re going to have a TV replay to see if it’s a clean catch. | |
| 11.22am BST11:22 | |
| 31st over: England 85-3 (Root 3, Cook 40) A bad mistake from Brendon McCullum at extra cover brings Root three runs. The New Zealand captain bent down to pick the ball up but allowed it to run through his legs and Ronchi, the substitute fielder, did well to reel it in. Of more concern though is that McCullum looks to have picked up a twinge in his leg while trying to field that. He’s OK for now. The next ball is full on Cook’s pads and easily flicked down to long leg for four more. That brings the deficit down below 50; England are merrily motoring now. | |
| 11.17am BST11:17 | |
| 30th over: England 78-3 (Root 0, Cook 36) Cook too is looking to leave as much as he can. Obviously self-preservation is the first priority for England now, but they can’t get bogged down. The longer they stay behind the New Zealand total the greater the pressure the batsmen will feel. Cook edges one on off to gully, but he plays it with nice soft hands to keep it on the ground. Ooh and then a nasty inswinger and Cook does well to get his bat down in time. The first runs of the morning from the final ball, as Cook pushes along the floor, wide of gully and down to backward point for four. | |
| 11.13am BST11:13 | |
| 29th over: England 74-3 (Root 0, Cook 32) McCullum has a 7-2 off side field for Root. The Yorkshireman doesn’t look remotely interested in anything away from the stumps... and as soon as I write that he has a drive and gets an inside edge not too far away from his sticks. A third maiden on the bounce. | |
| The picture from Lords that everyone has been waiting for..... @selvecricket in a tie!! pic.twitter.com/H5vmxtiD24 | |
| 11.10am BST11:10 | |
| 28th over: England 74-3 (Root 0, Cook 32) So Joe Root is at the crease with the score in double figures yet again. In England’s last four Tests he’s entered with the score on 34, 52, 38, 18, 25 and 74. If the job of the England captain is to lead by example then is it worth just giving Root the official title now? He can’t exactly get under any more pressure and, as his average of 99 since being dropped for the fifth Ashes Test proves, he’s probably as capable as anyone in the team of handling it. Cook plays out a maiden to Boult, whose line is a touch wide of off to trouble him. | |
| 11.05am BST11:05 | |
| 27th over: England 74-3 (Root 0, Cook 32) Tim Southee will get day four underway from the Nursery End. There’s a touch of away swing for him still, but nothing like as extravagant as we saw on the first three days. There’s enough to do for Bell though as he goes without a run being added. The partnership is broken one short of the half century and in comes England’s saviour, the great Joe Root. He’s beaten by another beauty first ball, playing and getting the line all wrong. That was unplayable and the ball missed the edge by just an inch or so. McCullum brings in a backward point, making it six catching fielders behind square on the off side! | |
| 11.03am BST11:03 | 11.03am BST11:03 |
| Wicket! Bell c Latham b Southee 29 | Wicket! Bell c Latham b Southee 29 |
| Bell gets a peach from Southee, on a length and swinging away. He drives slightly leaden footedly, it takes the outside edge and Latham, still keeping in place of the crocked-ish Watling, snaffles it. | Bell gets a peach from Southee, on a length and swinging away. He drives slightly leaden footedly, it takes the outside edge and Latham, still keeping in place of the crocked-ish Watling, snaffles it. |
| Updated at 11.24am BST | |
| 10.57am BST10:57 | 10.57am BST10:57 |
| Well deserved, Lord Selve. | Well deserved, Lord Selve. |
| Lovely to see @selvecricket ringing the 5 min bell at Lord's today. Nice reward for all those years "uphill, into the wind" | Lovely to see @selvecricket ringing the 5 min bell at Lord's today. Nice reward for all those years "uphill, into the wind" |
| 10.56am BST10:56 | 10.56am BST10:56 |
| “Hello Casual,” writes Graham O’Riley, needlessly and whose name I’ve deliberately misspelled to get back at him in the most petty way I can think of. “Jurassic Park is the Worst. Movie. Ever. Bar none. Complete rubbish. Just saying. Glad to have shared that with you.” | “Hello Casual,” writes Graham O’Riley, needlessly and whose name I’ve deliberately misspelled to get back at him in the most petty way I can think of. “Jurassic Park is the Worst. Movie. Ever. Bar none. Complete rubbish. Just saying. Glad to have shared that with you.” |
| You actually wrote that, Graham. You, who live in the same world in which Batman and Robin exists. | You actually wrote that, Graham. You, who live in the same world in which Batman and Robin exists. |
| 10.54am BST10:54 | 10.54am BST10:54 |
| Weather watch | Weather watch |
| London is lovely. I mean, not in general – have you ordered a pint here lately?! – but in terms of the weather it’s gloriously sunny over St. John’s Wood right now. Sadly rain is forecast later, although that might be to England’s advantage. Just no good for those of us who want to see a full match. | London is lovely. I mean, not in general – have you ordered a pint here lately?! – but in terms of the weather it’s gloriously sunny over St. John’s Wood right now. Sadly rain is forecast later, although that might be to England’s advantage. Just no good for those of us who want to see a full match. |
| On another note, the new Terminator film looks disappointingly rubbish. | On another note, the new Terminator film looks disappointingly rubbish. |
| 10.41am BST10:41 | 10.41am BST10:41 |
| On Sky they are talking Mark Wood, so let’s nick that idea and do the same. The Durham man was excellent yesterday, I thought. Yes, his line was off a few times and he made Jos Buttler work hard behind the stumps, but with the slope and the swing on offer that’s understandable, especially for a debutant. His pace was excellent – sometimes north of 90mph and rarely below – and, crucially, no batsman ever looked comfortable against him. Well played, sir. | On Sky they are talking Mark Wood, so let’s nick that idea and do the same. The Durham man was excellent yesterday, I thought. Yes, his line was off a few times and he made Jos Buttler work hard behind the stumps, but with the slope and the swing on offer that’s understandable, especially for a debutant. His pace was excellent – sometimes north of 90mph and rarely below – and, crucially, no batsman ever looked comfortable against him. Well played, sir. |
| 10.28am BST10:28 | 10.28am BST10:28 |
| Preamble | Preamble |
| Morning folks. Look, I know it’s a remote possibility, about as likely as the new Jurassic Park movie being as good as the first, but – and whisper this softly – England can still win this. Shut up, yes they can! | Morning folks. Look, I know it’s a remote possibility, about as likely as the new Jurassic Park movie being as good as the first, but – and whisper this softly – England can still win this. Shut up, yes they can! |
| Their task today: Bat. Bat as though your lives depended on it, but play your natural game. The runs will come, your wickets will be preserved and New Zealand’s lead will disappear. Then bat some more, out of hell and into a healthy lead by, I dunno, lunchtime tomorrow. Then go at them. | Their task today: Bat. Bat as though your lives depended on it, but play your natural game. The runs will come, your wickets will be preserved and New Zealand’s lead will disappear. Then bat some more, out of hell and into a healthy lead by, I dunno, lunchtime tomorrow. Then go at them. |
| If England bat like they’ve never batted | If England bat like they’ve never batted |
| before | before |
| since 2012 then bowl magnificently, like they did to Australia at Durham in 2013, for example, then they can use the scoreboard pressure to run through New Zealand in two sessions and claim a magnificent win. Dare to dream, England, and people might start to like you again. | since 2012 then bowl magnificently, like they did to Australia at Durham in 2013, for example, then they can use the scoreboard pressure to run through New Zealand in two sessions and claim a magnificent win. Dare to dream, England, and people might start to like you again. |
| England are, mind you, 60 runs behind still. They have eight wickets in hand but could probably still lose this by an innings without anyone being especially surprised. But dare to dream. | England are, mind you, 60 runs behind still. They have eight wickets in hand but could probably still lose this by an innings without anyone being especially surprised. But dare to dream. |
| 10.15am BST10:15 | 10.15am BST10:15 |
| Morning. Dan will be here soon enough. While you wait, here’s Vic Marks’ match report from yesterday’s action. Enjoy. | Morning. Dan will be here soon enough. While you wait, here’s Vic Marks’ match report from yesterday’s action. Enjoy. |
| On the evidence so far sending players off to the IPL is a rather handy way to prepare for a Test series. Unfortunately England do not have that luxury. But New Zealand, who after three days hold most of the cards in this Test, do. | On the evidence so far sending players off to the IPL is a rather handy way to prepare for a Test series. Unfortunately England do not have that luxury. But New Zealand, who after three days hold most of the cards in this Test, do. |
| The tourists are in the ascendancy mostly due to the expertise of those Sunrisers of Hyderabad Kane Williamson and Trent Boult, with a bit of help from the Rajasthan Royal Tim Southee. Williamson completed a polished century on Saturday, albeit one where he decelerated as if modifying his game to Test cricket along the way; meanwhile Boult, who was outstanding with the ball in England’s first innings, started the rot in their second alongside Southee. | The tourists are in the ascendancy mostly due to the expertise of those Sunrisers of Hyderabad Kane Williamson and Trent Boult, with a bit of help from the Rajasthan Royal Tim Southee. Williamson completed a polished century on Saturday, albeit one where he decelerated as if modifying his game to Test cricket along the way; meanwhile Boult, who was outstanding with the ball in England’s first innings, started the rot in their second alongside Southee. |
| So, at the end of another chastening day, England were 74 for two at the close, still 60 in arrears, and hoping that their senior citizens, Alastair Cook and Ian Bell, can counter the threat of Boult and Southee again in the morning. That was beyond England’s two young Yorkshiremen on Saturday night. Boult remained unconcerned that Adam Lyth had cracked three boundaries in his first seven balls. He knew batting was not really that straightforward. Next came a perfectly pitched away-swinger and Lyth edged to Southee at second slip. | So, at the end of another chastening day, England were 74 for two at the close, still 60 in arrears, and hoping that their senior citizens, Alastair Cook and Ian Bell, can counter the threat of Boult and Southee again in the morning. That was beyond England’s two young Yorkshiremen on Saturday night. Boult remained unconcerned that Adam Lyth had cracked three boundaries in his first seven balls. He knew batting was not really that straightforward. Next came a perfectly pitched away-swinger and Lyth edged to Southee at second slip. |
| Gary Ballance was no more reassuring. He bats remarkably deep in the crease at the start of his innings, a system that has worked well for him in the past. But, if he is out of kilter, he looks as vulnerable as Bambi on ice. Here a fine delivery from Southee brushed his off-stump. At the time Ballance’s front foot was still way behind the popping crease. If a little further forward and hit on the pad he might have avoided being lbw. Before this match Ballance averaged 62 in Test cricket, so it is hard to argue with his method. But he has never suggested permanence in this match. | Gary Ballance was no more reassuring. He bats remarkably deep in the crease at the start of his innings, a system that has worked well for him in the past. But, if he is out of kilter, he looks as vulnerable as Bambi on ice. Here a fine delivery from Southee brushed his off-stump. At the time Ballance’s front foot was still way behind the popping crease. If a little further forward and hit on the pad he might have avoided being lbw. Before this match Ballance averaged 62 in Test cricket, so it is hard to argue with his method. But he has never suggested permanence in this match. |
| Continued here. | Continued here. |