LIVE – Updated at 13:25
England and New Zealand set up yet another grandstand finish to a Test match after a see-saw day three left New Zealand 137 runs in front with five wickets in hand overnight.
The series has been compelling throughout as momentum has swung wildly between two attacking teams, and this Headingley Test has followed the pattern of the games at Lord’s and Trent Bridge with the two sides taking it in turns to take charge. New Zealand seemed in control on Saturday as Kane Williamson neared a measured half-century, before Matthew Potts, Joe Root and Jack Leach picked up a wicket each in the evening session to put the hosts in control.
If England can chase down New Zealand’s total in the fourth innings, they will complete a 3-0 series whitewash, capping the perfect start for the new regime of captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.
Follow all the latest coverage of today’s match with our live blog below:
England vs New Zealand – Third Test, day four at Headingley
- Latest score: New Zealand 329 & 254-5 from 82 overs; England 360
- DRINKS: Mitchell and Blundell steady New Zealand to 203-5
- New Zealand resume third innings on 168-5
- Ben Foakes out after testing positive for Covid-19
- Foakes replaced in England line-up by Sam Billings
England’s Jamie Overton happy to entertain on rollercoaster Test debut
13:25 , Luke Baker
Jamie Overton has already ridden the highs and the lows of Test cricket in the first three days of his England career and admitted he was enjoying leaving fans “on the edge of their seats”.
Despite being handed a debut at Headingley due to his 90mph pace bowling, Overton almost had his name up in lights for a century in his first ever Test innings.
Instead he was dismissed for 97, a knock that helped drag the game away from New Zealand during a 241-run stand with Jonny Bairstow, who hit an outstanding 162.
Overton did not have long to agonise over the missing three runs, with England hurried back into the field with a 31-run lead.
The tourists looked rock solid at 125-1, but when Overton had Tom Latham caught behind off the first ball of the evening session the tone shifted. They stumbled to 168-5 by the time rain brought an early end, with England surely satisfied to be just 137 behind.
England’s Jamie Overton happy to entertain on rollercoaster Test debut
Covid-19: England draft in Sam Billings during third New Zealand Test as Ben Foakes tests positive
13:16 , Luke Baker
A reminder of the big story from the start of the day at Headingley.
England wicketkeeper Ben Foakes has tested positive for Covid-19, with Kent’s Sam Billings taking his place for the remainder of the Headingley Test.
Foakes did not take the field on the third afternoon against New Zealand after complaining of back pain, but later returned a positive test after a check up at the team hotel in Leeds.
Jonny Bairstow deputised with the gloves during the tourists’ second innings but Billings, who made his Test debut in the final match of the Ashes, has been drafted to take over for the rest of the match.
A statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board read: “Ben Foakes was unable to keep wicket on day three of the Third LV= Insurance Test at Headingley suffering from back stiffness. On a further medical assessment yesterday evening, he subsequently tested positive after administering an LFT Covid-19 test.
“Details of his return to the England set-up will be announced in due course. However, it is hoped he will be fit for the LV= Insurance Test against India starting next Friday at Edgbaston.”
England’s Ben Foakes replaced by Sam Billings after positive Covid-19 test
LUNCH! New Zealand 254-5 (Mitchell 44*, Blundell 45*) Lead by 223
13:06 , Luke Baker
Completely and utterly New Zealand’s session that one. 86 runs, no wickets and a frustrating morning at Headingley for England.
The lead is now up to 223 runs and the Black Caps are in a strong position. You don’t really want to be chasing much more than 250 in a fourth innings and certainly not up at 300. The first half an hour after lunch will be key. Can the new ball inspire a breakthrough?
New Zealand 254-5 (Mitchell 44*, Blundell 45*) Lead by 223
13:03 , Luke Baker
Matty Potts will get one over with the new cherry before lunch.
A squirted single to leg from Mitchell before the next delivery stays a little low to Blundell but he reacts well.
Blundell whips one through the on-side, a shade short and straight on the attempted yorker from Potts, and that’s FOUR! A comfortable leave to finish and that’s LUNCH!
New Zealand 249-5 (Mitchell 43*, Blundell 41*) Lead by 218
12:54 , Luke Baker
England do indeed take the new ball and it will be Stuart Broad to bowl the first over. Can they get a breakthrough just before lunch?
Three slips in place, the crowd – who have understandably been slightly soporific this morning – liven up and cheer him in. Good line and length with the first ball, left by Blundell and carries through to Billings. Same with the second delivery. Promising amount of bounce though.
Play and miss at the third ball! Great delivery by Broad and a good miss by Blundell in truth. The fourth delivery rattles into the pads and earns a big appeal from England but the umpire is unmoved. It looked to strike him outside the line.
This has been the most dramatic over for a while. Penultimate delivery well defended by Blundell as he gets forward and the last ball is also kept out.
Time for one more over before lunch.
New Zealand 249-5 (Mitchell 43*, Blundell 41*) Lead by 218
12:53 , Luke Baker
Final over before the new ball and England might get two overs in with the fresh cherry before lunch. One for Broad and the other for Leach? Or pace from both ends?
Anyway, Leach has six balls left with this old cherry, Mitchell gets forward to them all but it’s a maiden for the spinner.
New Zealand 249-5 (Mitchell 43*, Blundell 41*) Lead by 218
12:51 , Luke Baker
Root’s final over you’d think – presuming England take the new ball at the first opportunity.
Sharp spin in towards the right-handed Blundell and it stays low but he gets his bat down well. Root stops mid-over to remove some debris that has flown on to the outfield. It doesn’t disrupt his rhythm though, although Blundell swishes the final delivery through midwicket, Overton chases across and dives to prevent the boundary. Good fielding – just two.
New Zealand 247-5 (Mitchell 43*, Blundell 39*) Lead by 216
12:47 , Luke Baker
Leach ties up Mitchell and that’s a maiden. England still can’t break this partnership though.
Just two overs until the new ball now.
New Zealand 247-5 (Mitchell 43*, Blundell 39*) Lead by 216
12:46 , Luke Baker
Better from Root as the first ball spits past Mitchell’s outside edge into Billings’ gloves.
CLOSE! Mitchell’s flick into the leg-side goes aerial and flies over the head of Pope at short leg for a single. He had no chance of a catch really.
Gasps of excitement from the next ball also as it loops into the air off Blundell’s bat but falls short of Stuart Broad at mid-on by about a yard. Better from England.
New Zealand 246-5 (Mitchell 42*, Blundell 39*) Lead by 215
12:42 , Luke Baker
Leach keeping things tighter than his former skipper as the first four balls fail to leave the infield. Penultimate delivery flicked off the pads for a single through midwicket by Mitchell.
New Zealand 245-5 (Mitchell 41*, Blundell 39*) Lead by 214
12:39 , Luke Baker
Root on for a second over and Mitchell goes aerial from a ball that’s too short – there’s no deep midwicket and that’s away for FOUR!
Next ball is too short again and, off the back foot, Mitchell punches it through the covers for another FOUR! A single from the penultimate ball means it’s nine off the over.
England treading water until this new ball (now five overs away) and New Zealand building on their lead.
New Zealand 236-5 (Mitchell 32*, Blundell 39*) Lead by 205
12:37 , Luke Baker
Good work in the infield from Stokes to prevent a single but Blundell gets off strike from the following ball with a clip to leg.
The final ball of the over is then pushed into the off-side for another single. No dramas for the Black Caps off Leach in that over.
New Zealand 234-5 (Mitchell 31*, Blundell 38*) Lead by 203
12:34 , Luke Baker
Joe Root on to bowl in place of Overton.
Lovely reverse sweep for FOUR from Mitchell off the first ball, he tries the same again from the next delivery, gets in wrong but it cannons off the gloves, then the toe of the bat and goes between keeper and first slip for FOUR more!
Next delivery clipped off the toes for two before Mitchell decides that’s enough fun for the over and defends the final three deliveries. Still 10 off it though.
New Zealand 224-5 (Mitchell 21*, Blundell 38*) Lead by 193
12:30 , Luke Baker
Nine overs until the new ball and you’d think England will have to take it. Leach is looking reasonably dangerous but Overton and the seamers getting no joy at all.
“Oh that’s so close,” groans Sam Billings from behind the stumps as Mitchell attempts to sweep off his front pad and it deflects off his glove down the leg side. Close to hitting the pad and if it did, that was probably plumb lbw.
Singles off each of the first three balls and that’s it for the over
New Zealand 221-5 (Mitchell 19*, Blundell 37*) Lead by 190
12:27 , Luke Baker
Short-pitched bowling is clearly Overton’s plan but Blundell rides the bounce for an opening-ball single. A bit fuller to Mitchell, the ball hits the pads and rebounds to Overton who makes the catch. A sort of strangled appeal – lbw, caught & bowled, whatever’s doing really! Nothing in it though.
Too short with that bouncer and it’s called a wide and then another single keeps New Zealand ticking. Then the final delivery is down leg, Blundell just about gets some bat on it and it races away for FOUR to the fine-leg boundary. Seven from the over.
VIDEO: Leach lbw gets overturned
12:23 , Luke Baker
England thought they’d made the much-needed breakthrough when Leach trapped Mitchell lbw but the decision was overturned on review
England thought they’d made a breakthrough 😬
Watch #ENGvNZ live on Sky Sports Cricket 📺 pic.twitter.com/Qa2KBcegnL
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 26, 2022
New Zealand 214-5 (Mitchell 18*, Blundell 32*) Lead by 183
12:22 , Luke Baker
Leach definitely looking the more likely to get a breakthrough here. Blundell goes back to a ball that skids on but gets his bat down just in time, as England’s close fielders yelp in excitement.
Largely defensive shots from Blundell but he nicely backs up and punches the final delivery into the off-side for a single.
New Zealand 213-5 (Mitchell 18*, Blundell 31*) Lead by 182
12:19 , Luke Baker
Overton steaming in and the first two balls both pushed away for singles before Blundell pulls a short ball hard for FOUR! It splits two fielders and a sprawling Jonny Bairstow can’t stop it on the rope. Bairstow then leaves the field looking at his hand – hopefully nothing too serious from that dive and it’s just a grass burn he needs seeing to.
That’s also the FIFTY PARTNERSHIP UP for Mitchell and Blundell. Another single from the short ball before Mitchell ducks under a bouncer to end the over. A productive one for the Black Caps.
NOT OUT! New Zealand 206-5 (Mitchell 17*, Blundell 25*) Lead by 175
12:15 , Luke Baker
Thanks Jamie. Hopefully I can inspire an England breakthrough…
Leach bowling to Mitchell and the second ball is an absolute beauty that turns hard and rips past the outside edge.
Defensive strokes from the first five balls but the final delivery turns past his forward prod, raps into the pad and up goes the finger! Given OUT!
New Zealand review, no contact with the bat, ball pitches outside off and hits in line but Mitchell’s big forward stride saves him as the ball was going over the top of the stumps. DECISION OVERTURNED! So close for England
New Zealand 206-5 (Mitchell 17*, Blundell 25*) Lead by 175
12:09 , Jamie Braidwood
Bairstow scoops one up at the boundary to prevent the four, as Mitchell then adds a successive single off Overton. Blundell ducks under a bouncer, but another one from Overton is given as a wide.
And with that I pass you on to Luke Baker.
New Zealand 203-5 (Mitchell 16*, Blundell 24*) Lead by 172
12:01 , Jamie Braidwood
Ooof. Leach with a lovely spinner than deceives Mitchell, but also leaves Billings grasping at thin air. It runs on for four as New Zealand trickle past the 200-mark.
😬 🙈
Scorecard/clips: https://t.co/AIVHwaRwQv
🏴 #ENGvNZ 🇳🇿 pic.twitter.com/s76Ss0Ytw3
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 26, 2022
New Zealand 198-5 (Mitchell 15*, Blundell 24*) Lead by 167
11:57 , Jamie Braidwood
New Zealand are warming up nicely now, with Mitchell and then Blundell trading boundaries. Stuart Broad called this partnership England’s “thorn in the side” and Mitchell and Blundell are threatening to become a proper nuisance once again as we head into the second hour of the day.
New Zealand 189-5 (Mitchell 11*, Blundell 19*) Lead by 158
11:52 , Jamie Braidwood
Blundell, loosening up now, plays a corker straight off the middle of the bat to drive Overton for four. The crowd then gets excited as Overton storms in with some quicker deliveries but Blundell blocks them away.
New Zealand 185-5 (Mitchell 11*, Blundell 15*) Lead by 154
11:47 , Jamie Braidwood
Blundell pings a short one off Leach’s first ball and strong running from Mitchell gets him home safely for the single. Leach targets the pads for the remainder of the over but Blundell and Mitchell stay patient and bat them away. Jamie Overton will be up next for England.
New Zealand 184-5 (Mitchell 11*, Blundell 14*) Lead by 153
11:44 , Jamie Braidwood
Broad with a bouncer that Blundell ducks out the way off, before he bats one for a single. Jack Leach gets his hands on the ball for the first time today. Can he dislodge this New Zealand partnership before it gathers pace?
New Zealand 183-5 (Mitchell 11*, Blundell 13*) Lead by 152
11:38 , Jamie Braidwood
Potts continues with ball in hand and some alert fielding from England means Blundell is unable to add to his tally. New Zealand have stretched their lead slightly but it’s been a sleepy start on this Sunday morning.
New Zealand 183-5 (Mitchell 11*, Blundell 13*) Lead by 152
11:33 , Jamie Braidwood
Close! Mitchell is almost caught after coming back for his second. Billings strikes the stumps but the batter just made it back in time. He adds a single on the next strike.
New Zealand 180-5 (Mitchell 8*, Blundell 13*) Lead by 149
11:28 , Jamie Braidwood
Potts with another fine delivery that sneaks through to Billings and inches away from Mitchell’s edge. As Broad takes over the ball, Mitchell gets off the mark with a clipped hit for four.
New Zealand 176-5 (Mitchell 4*, Blundell 13*) Lead by 145
11:21 , Jamie Braidwood
Now, here comes the new ball. Ben Stokes pumps his fist and lets out a huge grin as it’s chucked to Broad midway through the 56th over. The first couple of deliveries go without score as New Zealand remain on 176-5.
New Zealand 176-5 (Mitchell 4*, Blundell 13*) Lead by 145
11:17 , Jamie Braidwood
Well bowled from Potts, with successive deliveries teasing the edge of Blundell and generating a buzz of morning excitement among the Headingly crowd. That’s two straight maiden overs from the England bowlers.
New Zealand 176-5 (Mitchell 4*, Blundell 13*) Lead by 145
11:13 , Jamie Braidwood
Broad to Mitchell now, attacking the stumps, but for no score. Solid start from the New Zealand pair.
New Zealand 176-5 (Mitchell 4*, Blundell 13*) Lead by 145
11:09 , Jamie Braidwood
Potts to Blundell, and the New Zealander with a nice leave to start this over. Blundell then bats away a fuller delivery from Potts for four as it bobbles to the boundary.
New Zealand 172-5 (Mitchell 4*, Blundell 9*) Lead by 141
11:06 , Jamie Braidwood
Broad takes over as Potts finishes off the interrupted over from last night. Mitchell blocks away the first before Bairstow, now back in the field, leaps to stop a drive. Broad then with a beauty that Mitchell just pulls away from. The final two balls go without score and Broad receives a round of applause from the Headingly crowd.
New Zealand 172-5 (Mitchell 4*, Blundell 9*) Lead by 141
11:00 , Jamie Braidwood
Right, let’s go! Day four is underway as Potts delivers the first ball – and Blundell tucks it away for four!
Stuart Broad: ‘We’re in for some entertainment’
10:53 , Jamie Braidwood
“Our job is to take five wickets as quick as we can but whatever score New Zealand get we are going for,” Stuart Broad tells Sky Sports ahead of play. “I think we’re in for some entertainment.
“We know this partnership [of Tom Blundell and Daryl Mitchell] has been a thorn in our side all series. But the law of averages says it has to fail at some stage. We have to see what this morning brings. We know the ball is a little bit older.”
Azeem Rafiq attends third day of Headingley Test as guest of Yorkshire
10:43 , Jamie Braidwood
Azeem Rafiq attended day three of the Headingley Test between England and New Zealand as Yorkshire’s guest, returning to the ground for the first time since he went public with claims of institutional racism at the club.
Rafiq enjoyed Saturday’s action from a balcony at the Pavilion End, having accepted a White Rose invitation to take in a game that was almost relocated at the height of the racism scandal set in motion by his whistleblowing.
Azeem Rafiq attends third day of Headingley Test as guest of Yorkshire
England’s Jamie Overton happy to entertain on rollercoaster Test debut
10:30 , Jamie Braidwood
Jamie Overton has already ridden the highs and the lows of Test cricket in the first three days of his England career and admitted he was enjoying leaving fans “on the edge of their seats”.
Despite being handed a debut at Headingley due to his 90mph pace bowling, Overton almost had his name up in lights for a century in his first ever Test innings.
Instead he was dismissed for 97, a knock that helped drag the game away from New Zealand during a 241-run stand with Jonny Bairstow, who hit an outstanding 162.
Overton did not have long to agonise over the missing three runs, as he then had Tom Latham caught behind off the first ball of the evening session. It shifted the tone and New Zealand then stumbled to 168 for five.
“It’s been good fun. Obviously I was very disappointed getting out on 97, but I feel like I’ve contributed to the team,” Overton said. “It’s always a challenge when you first go into something, but I feel I’ve done okay. I’d like to take a few more wickets, but I’m more than happy to get 97. I didn’t think I’d get anywhere near that, especially coming in at 55 for six.”
England’s Jamie Overton happy to entertain on rollercoaster Test debut
Full story: Foakes replaced by Billings
10:18 , Jamie Braidwood
England wicketkeeper Ben Foakes has tested positive for Covid-19, with Kent’s Sam Billings taking his place for the remainder of the Headingley Test.
Foakes did not take the field on the third afternoon against New Zealand after complaining of back pain, but later returned a positive test after a check up at the team hotel in Leeds.
Jonny Bairstow deputised with the gloves during the tourists’ second innings but Billings, who made his Test debut in the final match of the Ashes, has been drafted to take over for the rest of the match.
A statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board read: “Ben Foakes was unable to keep wicket on day three of the Third LV= Insurance Test at Headingley suffering from back stiffness. On a further medical assessment yesterday evening, he subsequently tested positive after administering an LFT Covid-19 test.
“Details of his return to the England set-up will be announced in due course. However, it is hoped he will be fit for the LV= Insurance Test against India starting next Friday at Edgbaston.”
More:
England’s Ben Foakes replaced by Sam Billings after positive Covid-19 test
Day three report: England have Headingley buzzing after late wickets
10:10 , Jamie Braidwood
England’s entertainers whipped up the Headingley crowd as four wickets on the third evening left them hunting a series whitewash of New Zealand.
The Kiwis had grafted hard to establish a firm footing in the third LV= Insurance Test, reaching tea on 125 for one in their second innings and briefly dulling the party atmosphere that has settled around Ben Stokes’ side in recent weeks.
England were 94 behind at that point and were staring at the kind of equation that could easily challenge their optimistic outlook. But their bowlers hunted as a pack to reduce the Kiwis to 168 for five at stumps, just 137 ahead, raising the roof at this famously raucous venue as they went.
At one stage three different players were summoning the crowd to find their voice – Stuart Broad standing at the top of his mark and conducting the Western Terrace, Stokes impishly inviting fans to dial up the pressure on a nervy Devon Conway and Jonny Bairstow fanning the flames from behind the stumps.
They will return on day four brimming with the confidence of a side who have already produced two superb chases at Lord’s and Trent Bridge and will be eager to chalk up another. It was the work of a team flying with enthusiasm and the boisterous response from the stands suggested their mission statement of reconnecting with a long-suffering fanbase was doing its work.
England have Headingley buzzing again as late burst rocks New Zealand
England team news: Foakes replaced by Billings
10:03 , Jamie Braidwood
Some breaking news this morning as England wicketkeeper Ben Foakes has been replaced by Sam Billings after testing positive for Covid-19.
Foakes did not play yesterday after suffering from back stiffness and tested positive yesterday evening. It rules him out for the rest of the Test match.
Billings will keep wicket after being drafted in as a Covid replacement.
Get well soon, Foakesy 🙏
Welcome to the group, Bilbo 👋
🏴 #ENGvNZ 🇳🇿
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 26, 2022
Good morning
10:00 , Jamie Braidwood
England and New Zealand set up yet another grandstand finish to a Test match after a see-saw day three left New Zealand 137 runs in front with five wickets in hand overnight.
The series has been compelling throughout as momentum has swung wildly between two attacking teams, and this Headingley Test has followed the pattern of the games at Lord’s and Trent Bridge with the two sides taking it in turns to take charge. New Zealand seemed in control on Saturday as Kane Williamson neared a measured half-century, before Matthew Potts, Joe Root and Jack Leach picked up a wicket each in the evening session to put the hosts in control.
If England can chase down New Zealand’s total in the fourth innings, they will complete a 3-0 series whitewash, capping the perfect start for the new regime of captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.
Follow all the latest coverage of today’s match with our live blog.
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