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01:11 PM
And if you don’t have Sky … try this
Here’s the latest episode of the Vaughany & Tuffers CC, fresh off the, er, press. In this week’s edition of the Telegraph podast, the three amigos chat with Marcus Trescothick, among other delights. You can listen here or download on iTunes, Spotify and all other good (and bad) podcast providers.
01:09 PM
LUNCH: NZ 254/5, lead by 223
The two perennial thorns in England’s so far side this summer have done it again, seeing off everything England threw at them to extend New Zealand’s lead and their chances of victory. Jack Leach and Matthew Potts have both bowled very well, a little lucklessly as has been the case throughout their Test careers to date. Play resumes at 1.40pm after Jimmy Anderson’s first Sky masterclass, which, I urge you to watch on their YouTube channel in the coming days if you don’t have Sky.
01:05 PM
OVER 82: NZ 254/5 (Mitchell 44 Blundell 45)
England will squeeze one more over in and Potts has the honour. Mitchell Harrow drives for a single. Some swing there that caught the inside edge. Big inswing too for his yorker to Blundell but the well set batsman whisks it off his toes for four through midwicket. Time for lunch.
NZ lead by 223 and these two have put on 93 in yet another wonderful partnership.
01:01 PM
OVER 81: NZ 249/5 (Mitchell 43 Blundell 41)
Blundell crouches lower for the new ball as if he wants his eyes perfectly aligned to a specific spot on the sightscreen. Broad starts with an attractive line down the corridor and Blundell leaves the first two. The next ball is tighter and whistles past the edge. Blundell, though, held his hands to an off-stump line and does not follow it. Broad goes wider and thinks he pins Blundell in front of off stump. Stokes bellows his appeal, waving both arms imploringly … but the batsman almost hit the cover off it. Maiden.
12:55 PM
OVER 80: NZ 249/5 (Mitchell 43 Blundell 41)
Leach, who couldn’t buy a maiden at Trent Bridge, rattles off another, a ninth from 23 overs. Not much turn now. I Wonder if he will share the new ball again? Broad has first dibs.
12:53 PM
OVER 79: NZ 249/5 (Mitchell 43 Blundell 41)
Root has to pick up a biscuit wrapper that distracts the batsman as it blows across his vision. Do we still call people litter louts? I think it became litter bugs for a while. Louts is better, I think.
After five dot balls, Blundell comes down the track to whip two through midwicket.
NZ lead by 219 and the partnership is now 88.
Daryl Mitchell is the first visiting batter in Test history to tour England, play 3 matches or fewer, and score 500 runs.
The only other batter to manage it was Graham Gooch in the 1990 home summer v India, when he scored 752 runs in three Tests.#ENGvNZ
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) June 26, 2022
12:50 PM
OVER 78: NZ 247/5 (Mitchell 43 Blundell 39)
Maiden for Leach to Mitchell, which shows that the batsman has regained his composure. The speed with which England are reeling off these overs of spin must make the head, er, reel.
12:48 PM
OVER 77: NZ 247/5 (Mitchell 43 Blundell 39)
A bit of imminent interval fever strikes as Mitchell follows Root’s slider and fishes at it. No edge but no’ but just. Out comes the reverse sweep to a ball that bounces more than he thought and it hits him on the biceps. Next he fiddles one round the corner, but, surprised again by the bounce, pops it over short leg. They run a single and he will give his head a shake. Ah, no, it’s contagious. Blundell dances down the track, Root holds it back a touch and the batsman spoons a drive just short of mid-on.
12:44 PM
OVER 76: NZ 246/5 (Mitchell 42 Blundell 39)
At this rate they should manage to make the new ball before lunch. Leach is using both flight and lack of it to keep these two quiet, skidding the last ball on to Blundell who gets his bat down quickly. On Friday I thought Mitchell would be a shoo-in for Lawrence Booth as one of Wisden Five Cricketers of the Year for 2023. I think Blundell might well join him.
12:42 PM
OVER 75: NZ 245/5 (Mitchell 41 Blundell 39)
Mitchell’s followthrough when he plays the lofted drive is a thing of wonder, it goes all around the dial from seven o’clock to 11 and he holds the pose with a vertical bat until he has seen where ut has landed. He shows it off here after clobbering Root over midwicket for four. No fielder down there. He uses his feet to the next one to harpoon another boundary, this time though the offside.
12:38 PM
OVER 74: NZ 236/5 (Mitchell 32 Blundell 39)
England are rattling through the overs of spin to get the rate up and, more pertinently, to allow them to take the new ball after their Sunday dinner. Blundell picks the slider and bunts it for a single, Mitchell pinches the strike with a cover drive off Leach for one more.
12:36 PM
OVER 73: NZ 234/5 (Mitchell 31 Blundell 38)
Root is over the wicket to the right-handers and Mitchell reverse sweeps the first two for four. The first of them was pretty straightforward, the second far from it as Root oushed it wider and it hit Mitchell’s glove then tricked on to his bat which kept coming round and knocked it between Crawley, who had run from slip to leg slip and Athletic Club de Bilbo.
12:33 PM
OVER 72: NZ 224/5 (Mitchell 22 Blundell 38)
Mitchell sweeps for a single, Blundell scythes a cut for another and Mitchell adds a third using a dabby glide off Leach. Time for a spell of Joe Root after the Overton experiment brought no reward.
12:31 PM
OVER 71: NZ 221/5 (Mitchell 19 Blundell 37)
This seems like a waste of Overton who looks better when he pitches it up. Blundell punches a single on his toes into the offside, Mitchell watches a wide bouncer soar over his head and then also gets up on his toes to poke a single through point. Overton goes again, targeting Blundell’s body but he ahs enough time to pirouette and pull for four, very fin off the bottom edge.
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
12:24 PM
OVER 70: NZ 214/5 (Mitchell 18 Blundell 32)
Leach has been bowling well at Mitchell and continues to do so against Blundell, varying his pace with a dart and following it next ball with one that hangs in the air. There was no drift for him at Trent Bridge but he is harnessing the breeze expertly here, like Ashley Mallett and the Freemantle Doctor. He just loves Leeds. Who doesn’t? ALAW etc.
12:19 PM
OVER 69: NZ 213/5 (Mitchell 18 Blundell 31)
Now Mitchell has made 500, driving a single off Overton through cover. The Surrey paceman bangs the next ball in to Blundell who swivels and hammers it for four on the pull. The grass is dry and abrasive and grazes Bairstow’s hand as he tried to claw it back from the rope, Off he goes to have it dressed. The partnership climbs to 52, the lead to 182.
12:17 PM
OVER 68: NZ 206/5 (Mitchell 17 Blundell 25)
Close but no Havana for Jack Leach who is bowling very well, varying his pace, luring Mitchell forward and, above all, turning it. That one skidded on and almost gulled Mitchell who ahs made 499 runs this series. Amazing what the captain’s confidence can do for a player’s.
12:14 PM
NOT OUT
It was going over. Hit him on the knee roll in front of middle but he got a big stride in.
12:13 PM
NZ review
Mitchell lbw b Leach Long way down but other than that looked good.
12:13 PM
OVER 67: NZ 206/5 (Mitchell 17 Blundell 25)
The short stuff isn’t working for Jamie O so far. Blundell pulls for a single, Mitchell tucks one off his hip. When he bowls full, though, he gets one to nip back a mile. Two bouncers follow, one of them deemed a wide so Overton comes round the wicket, ratchets it up to 89mph and Blundell defends it off his ribs.
Is ‘Jamie O’ any relation to Harry O, when the Fugitive became a cop.
12:04 PM
OVER 66: NZ 203/5 (Mitchell 15 Blundell 24)
Leach with a bona fide peach that arcs in, pitches on off as Mitchell scissors his bat down, grips, rips, whistles past the edge and keeps fizzing, beating Billings and scuttling away for four byes.
Astonishing amount of turn. Something to ponder over drinks. NZ lead by 172
12:02 PM
OVER 65: NZ 199/5 (Mitchell 15 Blundell 19)
Not quite there for Overton. The short one is not working so far, sits up and begs and Blundell, though the line means he can’t free his arms fully, pivots and pulls it for four. Blundell again goes up en pointe to prod a single through cover and extend the lead to 168.
11:59 AM
OVER 64: NZ 193/5 (Mitchell 15 Blundell 19)
If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Daryl Mitchell is that he loves his broom and looks betetr sweeping in orthodox fashion that the reverse. Here he tucks into Leach with the former and laps it behind square for four. The crowd is a bit flat, only two pints in. Jonny Bairstow conducts the Western Terrace in a rendition of Can’t Take My Eyes off You with it’s YJB lyrics and dubious assertion.
11:56 AM
OVER 63: NZ 189/5 (Mitchell 11 Blundell 19)
Jamie Overton is on in a double change and starts with some genuine floaty filth sprayed on to Blundell’s pads. In a flick of a wrist it flies for four. Overton ups his pace and corrects his line to fourth stump and nips one back into Blundell who has to adjust quickly to keep it out. Nothing consistent about this over, though, some short stuff and three fuller ones that test him more.
11:52 AM
OVER 62: NZ 185/5 (Mitchell 11 Blundell 15)
As I have, no doubt tediously, pointed out in this series, Foakes has called Jack Leach “Leachy”, “Leachy Boy”, “Leacher” and, I think, “Jackie Boy”. Billings opts for a plain “Leach” as in “Like it Leach” when he gets one to loop in, pitch, bounce and turn. Mitchell covers bounce and movement to drop it into the offside.
Blundell began the over with a single tapped through point.
11:44 AM
OVER 61: NZ 184/5 (Mitchell 11 Blundell 14)
Stokes has two slips in for Broad, short square leg, short midwicket, short cover and short mid-off. I can imagine what Broad might have told a previous captain to do if he gave him a field with such little run protection.
Blundell opens the face to steer a single to point and hares down the other end.
Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell have been batting together for 23% of this entire Test series
— Ben Jones (@benjonescricket) June 26, 2022
Time for Jack Leach.
11:39 AM
OVER 60: NZ 183/5 (Mitchell 11 Blundell 13)
Kumar Sangakkara is advocating that Jos Buttler open in the next Test. “Forget being down at No7, being at the top of the order in his line-up would be very exciting.” Hmmmm. They tried the Sehwag experiment with Jason Roy. Not sure it’s viable. But then again, he would probably not be too uch of a drop-off from Crawley who needs remedial treatment on the placement of his front foot when driving. Potts puts the brakes on again with a maiden. His figures are 14-5-28-2.
11:36 AM
OVER 59: NZ 183/5 (Mitchell 11 Blundell 13)
At last some relief from nagging accuracy when Broad veers too straight and Mitchell uses the angle to flick it off his toes for four. Nice stroke and a pleasing sound off the bat. Lovely bit of squirrelwillow. Broad responds with the nip-backer that whizzes past the inside edge and past Mitchell’s box but then strays too straight again and Mitchell clips successive balls for two and one.
11:32 AM
OVER 58: NZ 176/5 (Mitchell 4 Blundell 13)
This is an outstanding spell from Potts. Ollie Robinson caused India so many problems last summer but Potts is both quicker and more durable. He keeps plugging away down the corridor with bite and movement off the same. As Nasser pointed out on Friday, he has this ability to bring his arm over from one o’clock which angles it on, deceiving the batsman on line, then nipping it away.
11:26 AM
OVER 57: NZ 176/5 (Mitchell 4 Blundell 13)
After four dot balls from Broad, one of which behaves exactly as he wants it to and zips away from Mitchell’s edge, they ask the question once again about the ball and this one fails the test of the rings. For the 12th time in the series, we’re going to have a new, old ball.
Here’s Nick Hoult on the great 2022 cricket ball mystery.
No discernible difference with the replacement ball. Perhaps more bounce and carry as Broad concludes his fifth maiden.
11:20 AM
OVER 56: NZ 176/5 (Mitchell 4 Blundell 13)
Brilliant from Potts, 82mph down the channel, angling it in and nibbling it away from Blundell’s edge two balls in a row. He definitely played at both. After two deliveries straining for the nick, Potts fires in the inswinging yorker. Blundell jabs down his bat in time to jam it out of the blockhole.
11:16 AM
OVER 55: NZ 176/5 (Mitchell 4 Blundell 13)
Stokes positions himself at shortish mid-off about a yard in front of the popping crease one pitch along for Mitchell. The batsman leaves two and blocks four. Good, tight start by England. The breeze is up and fluttering the batsmen’s collars which are popped like Barry C Homeowner adopts with his polo shirts. A second successive maiden for Stuart C Broad.
11:11 AM
OVER 54: NZ 176/5 (Mitchell 4 Blundell 13)
Potts keeps asking the question outside off. The discipline to persist with this line is impressive. Even when he gets his length wrong and serves up a half volley that Blundell drives through mid-off for four, he does not deviate thereafter. They’ve got a plan and he is executing it diligently.
11:08 AM
OVER 53: NZ 172/5 (Mitchell 4 Blundell 9)
Broad starts the day from the KLE with a maiden. Mitchell gets his nose above the ball to block but when he leaves a tight one Billings takes it and then throws it up to tickle the crowd. Good start by Broad to the right-hander, angling it in and tailing it away. Maiden.
11:06 AM
OVER 52: NZ 172/5 (Mitchell 4 Blundell 9)
One ball left of Potts’ rain-shortened over from last night and it’s loosey goosey on Blundell’s pads and he tucks it off his hip for four.
10:25 AM
Good morning
After another cracking day in a terrific series New Zealand start the day 137 runs ahead and with the new old firm, Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell, with their feet under the table. Yes, their partnership may only be seven so far but to date in this series they have made 236, 45 and 120 batting together. England will think they can chase down anything given Lord’s and Trent Bridge but they would make life a lot easier if they could roll these two over cheaply this morning.
England have a new/old face behind the stumps at the start of day four. Ben Foakes has tested positive for Covid and he will be replaced, as per ICC regulations, by Sam Billings on a like-for-like basis. Billings, who was oddly absent from the white-ball Netherlands series, made his Test debut in Hobart five months ago, making 29 & 1 and holding five catches in the 146-run defeat. You can read the full story here.
I though Stokes handled his bowlers very well yesterday and, being one himself, has a far more intuitive and sympathetic understanding of them than Joe Root and Alastair Cook. They had Broad and Anderson and, Cook for a year, also had Graeme Swann, all of them world-class, all of them England Test hall of fame greats. Once they had gone I though Cook was poor in his use of Moeen Ali, Root poor in his handling of Jofra Archer and Jack Leach, and others many. One of the most impressive things about Stokes’ captaincy do far has been his relationship with Matthew Potts and Jack Leach, both of them blossoming in his belief in them. I thought Leach bowled so poorly at Trent Bridge he ought to be dropped. But it goes to show I’m just a hack. Stokes kept faith and has been rewarded. Leach has looked a different man with the Headingley crowd at his back, not on it.
Stuart Broad is currently being interviewed on Sky Sports by Kumar Sangakkara and NAsser Hussain and says the big difference is that the bowlers now have ‘mental freedom’, Stokes has liberated all of them, even ones with almost 550 and 700 wickets respectively. Free your minds …
Right, on with the match. They start at 11am.
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