Stuart Broad on England’s day:
Jonathan Liew on Kyle Jamieson:
Ali Martin’s day three report from Lord’s:
That’s me done, I’m bushed after tapping up that engrossing afternoon and evening session. I’ll be back in the morning to OBO the final knockings.
Let me leave you with this - the fantastic Andy Bull on the indefatigable Stuart Broad:
Goodnight!
Finely poised...
At the end of day 3, England are 216-5, needing 61 more to win.
— Will Macpherson (@willis_macp) June 4, 2022
Joe Root unbeaten on 77; he is 23 shy of 10,000 Test runs, and his first fourth innings century in Test cricket. What a game this has been.
Ali Martin is busy tapping away over my shoulder, his thoughts on another action-packed day will be along shortly.
STUMPS: England 216 for 5 (Root 77* and Foakes 9*)
Root and Foakes make it through! That was a pulsating afternoon of cricket, well played Joe Root and tip of the cap to Ben Foakes too for sticking it out. We’ll be coming back tomorrow to see who is going to nick this Test match on the morning of the fourth day.
64th over: England 211-5 (Root 73, Foakes 8) Root clips one off his pads for a couple to bring up the fifty partnership for this pair. Foakes has made just eight of them but it has been a vital innings. He needed to hang around to support Root and he has. One over to go...
William Drake emails in from the US of A.
“James, afternoon from Massachusetts where I am sitting watching my 12 yr old son’s baseball game, moving at only a slightly quicker pace then the 3rd day. At least my son’s team isn’t teetering on the edge.
My question is can England keep chipping away at this total into tomorrow or will they fall apart today?”
I’m not sure England are still teetering William but both teams can still win this Test match.
Updated
63rd over: England 208-5 (Root 70, Foakes 8) A couple of leg byes off the pads of Ben Foakes. Reckon Matt Parkinson is padded up as nightwatchman? We’ve got a couple of overs left in the day.
62nd over: England 203-5 (Root 68, Foakes 8) The relentless Tim Southee bounds in for another over. The New Zealand seam bowlers have been fantastic, but so far so has Joe Root in repelling them. Just a couple of singles, the clock ticks away under the spindly gaze of Old Father Time. Ten minutes to go...
Updated
61st over: England 202-5 (Root 67, Foakes 7) Jamieson into his 18th over of the innings. He’s looked the most dangerous of the Kiwi bowlers. On cue he bowls an effort ball that just sneaks wide of off stump, coming back down the slope. Foakes shoulders arms but would have been mightily relieved to not hear a death-rattle. A couple of leg-byes inch England closer.
Updated
60th over: England 200-5 (Root 67, Foakes 7) Root nearly chops on! A full blooded cut off Southee somehow misses the timbers and races away for four runs. Heads in hands for New Zealand, silent fist-pumps for England, who bring up 200.
59th over: England 196-5 (Root 63, Foakes 7) A mis-field by Cap’n Williamson at mid-off leads to a bonus three runs for Root. England need 81 more and they’ve got five in the hutch.
58th over: England 193-5 (Root 60, Foakes 7) Tim Southee is just starting to look a little heavy-legged now. All of the Kiwi seamers have had to step up and fill in for the surplus left by the injured de Grandhomme. Root cashes in on a brace of loose deliveries, the first a rapier whip off his toes that bisects the fielders on the boundary foam and the second a swashbuckling cut that whistles away over point.
57th over: England 184-5 (Root 51, Foakes 7) Shadows begin to stretch across the perfect turf here in North West London. Foakes looks to whip Boult through mid-wicket but gets a leading edge, luckily for him and England it lands safe and they pinch a couple.
56th over: England 181-5 (Root 50, Foakes 5) Intelligent batting from Ben Foakes who is picking up singles and giving Root as much of the strike as he can. Southee gets one to hold its line and pass Root’s edge. Root brings up his FIFTY with a clip to square leg. The Lord’s crowd give him a very warm burble of applause. He is class.
Updated
55th over: England 178-5 (Root 48, Foakes 4) The board at Lord’s flashes up with the match situation. England need 99 runs to win, New Zealand need five wickets. This is an absorbing Test match now.
Here’s the defining moment of the match so far:
How crucial could this be in the match? 😩@norcrosscricket capturing the moment Ben Stokes was out for 54.
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) June 4, 2022
📻 Listen to @bbctms live on @BBCSounds #BBCCricket #ENGvNZ #ShaneWarneDay pic.twitter.com/ipAh1f3qI1
54th over: England 175-5 (Root 46, Foakes 3) Root leans back and scythes Southee over gully for four.
Michael Atherton and Mark Taylor share a mischievous giggle on commentary at the thought of Matt Parkinson having to come to the crease at some point tonight or tomorrow morning with about ten runs needed for an England win. Penny for ‘em Parky?
53rd over: England 168-5 (Root 39, Foakes 3) Root manages to scamper a single off the final ball of Boult’s over to steal the strike. Southee is coming on to replace Jamieson at the Nursery End.
@Jimbo_Cricket Hi from Norway James. Could you please delete the last comment about England chasing this down? And return to the previous stand point of 'can the Kiwi's prise open the door'. We don't want any hope here. That's when it hurts the most.
— Brendan Large (@brendanlarge) June 4, 2022
Oh yeh. Saaahry about that Brendan.
52nd over: England 165-5 (Root 37, Foakes 3) A solitary single off Jamieson. The tension goes up a few notches. We can go on until 7pm here at Lord’s, maybe even beyond that if one side thinks they can enforce victory this evening. Saddle up.
51st over: England 164-5 (Root 36, Foakes 3) Nervous chatter rolls around Lord’s after Stokes’ dismissal. New Zealand can sense blood in the water now. Foakes very nearly nicks off to Boult too. Yikes. That was so close. The Surrey man then gets off the mark with a nervy prod into the off side. He needs to battle through here and stay with Root.
WICKET! Stokes ct Blundell b Jamieson 54 (England 159-5)
Stokes glides a four away behind point off Jamieson to bring up his first FIFTY as England captain... but then HE GOES! He couldn’t get his hands out of the way of a short ball and gloves a catch through to Blundell. In fact, the replay shows he was trying to run the ball up and over the keeper, he’d gone into full one day mode. A big wicket in the context of the match. England have lost five wickets and Ben Foakes arrives at the crease to join Joe Root. The game swings again.
50th over: England 159-5 (Root 34, Foakes 0)
Updated
49th over: England 153-4 (Root 33, Stokes 49) Wow. Ben Stokes launches Patel into the stands for a huge six. He sinks down onto one knee again to play his marmalising slog-sweep. THEN HE DOES IT AGAIN! Six more! Destructive batting. Patel sends down another length ball and Stokes lines up for a third... but he misses and the ball runs away for four byes. 17 runs come from Patel’s first over back.
Updated
48th over: England 136-4 (Root 33, Stokes 36) A single to Stokes and Patel is going to come on to bowl some spin from the Pavilion End.
Matt Fordham emails in to say he is following the action from a riverside pub in Exeter, with no TV. Welcome Matt, we’re here to accompany your pint.
“Can’t help but feel Stuart Broad was right pre-match when he said England need to play a brand of cricket to attract fans. After that electrifying over this morning both my sons were glued to the iPad for the next 20 minutes. Great match this one - even if we’re relying on Broad and Anderson (and Potts) with Root and Stokes in the batting just like the last 10 years.”
A valid point Matt. It would have been nice if one of the more junior batters had got some runs in the chase, Foakes might yet have a decisive role with the blade. As it is, if England do chase this down, with one win in SEVENTEEN Test’s I don’t think they will care how they get over the line.
47th over: England 135-4 (Root 33, Stokes 35) Root has a nibble at a short ball from Boult and very nearly feathers an edge through to the keeper. The sun peeping out now, 28 overs left in the day. Can the Kiwis prise open the door and get into the England tail tonight?
Updated
46th over: England 133-4 (Root 33, Stokes 34) My oh my. Stokes advances to Jamieson and finally he gets one away from one of his sojourns down the wicket, carving through the covers for four. The next ball is full and Stokes fails to connect with an absolute YAHOO down the ground. He blows out his cheeks and so do the crowd. Jamieson then flings the final ball down the leg side for five wides. Welcome runs for England. Every over an event.
45th over: England 124-4 (Root 33, Stokes 30) Stokes lets out a deep sigh as he goes back to poke a Boult delivery into the on-side and very nearly treads on his stumps. DON’T DO THAT BEN! This has been such a topsy-turvy innings.
44th over: England 123-4 (Root 33, Stokes 29) Root rocks back and pulls a short ball from Jamieson away for four. He then picks up a two through mid-wicket to bring up a fifty partnership between this pair. Chip chip chipping away.
43rd over: England 117-4 (Root 27, Stokes 29) A lovely moment as Stokes is sent back by Root after a pull into the on-side. As he stretches for his ground the throw from the fielder deflects off his bat and runs away across the Lord’s outfield. Where have we seen that before?! Off the bowling of Boult too. The two men share a knowing chuckle and Stokes raises both his hands in apology aping events here three long years ago. The crowd are in on the joke too, nice that.
It's 2019 all over again...#ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/BeET80mNur
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) June 4, 2022
Updated
42nd over: England 116-4 (Root 26, Stokes 29) Jamieson looks very threatening, he’s at the batters and at the stumps. The statuesque seamer is getting the ball to move too, Stokes leaving the final ball of the over which went within a whisper of the off stump. Ooohs and ahhhs.
41st over: England 114-4 (Root 26, Stokes 27) A single each to Root and Stokes off Boult. It has been less frenetic since tea but New Zealand are not letting England get away, they are a very impressive bowling unit.
40th over: England 112-4 (Root 25, Stokes 26) Stokes overtakes Root with another shimmy down the crease to Jamieson, who has replaced Southee at the Nursery End. They take a couple. There are still 35 overs left in the day, plenty of time for a result inside three days - if it does go that way it wouldn’t be good news for England.
39th over: England 110-4 (Root 25, Stokes 24) Stokes slaps Boult to the point boundary once more as the left-hander serves up a short and wide one. Boult then exacts his revenge with a brute of a ball that gets big on Stokes and thunks into his ribs with a deadening thud. Stokes swears like a docker and the stump mic picks it up loud and clear, Nasser Hussain is moved to apologise to the viewers at home for the fruity language. That was flush in the ribs and Stokes is grimacing but fine to continue.
Updated
38th over: England 105-4 (Root 25, Stokes 19) Root plays out a maiden off Southee. “Noooo Joe!” he chastises himself as he plays a back foot punch that goes straight to the fielder. Unclear if he’s annoyed he didn’t it for four or that he played at it in the first place.
37th over: England 105-4 (Root 25, Stokes 19) Stokes carves Boult away for four to release a some of the tension.
🗣️ "Can you bowl the bowl of the century? It seems like a lot of seven-year-old's can!"@felixwhite is hugely impressed by all your efforts to recreate Shane Warne's 'Ball of the Century'.
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) June 4, 2022
Keep sending them in using #ShaneWarneDay!#BBCCricket #ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/oAusu14wJ3
Some of these are lovely, and very impressive.
36th over: England 100-4 (Root 24, Stokes 15) Root tucks Southee off his legs for a single and to bring up the 100 for England. The floodlights are on as a vast grey clouds hovers over Lord’s. No sign of the wet stuff as of yet. Cripes! Stokes has another charge, almost a carbon copy of his non-dismissal to de Grandhomme - he inside edges the ball past his leg stump. Lots of risk and no reward for that shot so far but the England captain seems insistent on playing it.
35th over: England 99-4 (Root 23, Stokes 15) Trent Boult starts with the ball from the Pavilion End after the tea break and he starts off with a maiden to Stokes.
Gasli Pi is having a sort of chuckle: “Is it just me who finds it hilarious that the new era ™ has had Bairstow getting bowled to start it off, a collapse and Broad and Anderson leading the bowling marvellously? Seems awfully familiar to the old era.”
Quite telling that this was one of the least eventful things to happen in the last session. Shades of the 2019 World Cup Final with that stroke, does anyone play it better in the game?
Six from Stokesy! 🙌
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 4, 2022
Scorecard/Clips: https://t.co/w7vTpJwrLP
🏴 #ENGvNZ 🇳🇿 | @benstokes38 pic.twitter.com/DWDkoN4VFC
Time for Tea.
34th over: England 99-4 (Root 23, Stokes 15) Southee is getting the ball to tail back in quite significantly under leaden skies. Root and Stokes survive until the tea-break though, scampering a single off the final ball.
Time for a breather and a beverage. Some England fans may need a stiff drink after the last 40 minutes or so, Captain Stokes veering back and forth between the sublime and the ridiculous. He’s still there, just, and so is Root. Phew.
England need 178 runs and New Zealand the six wickets.
33rd over: England 98-4 (Root 23, Stokes 14) With tea about to be taken soon Ajaz Patel comes on for a twirl. What does Ben Stokes do? Have a look? Nah - he gets down on to one knee and slog-sweeps Patel’s stock ball for a humongous six. Brutal from Stokes. McCullum did tell us to buckle up didn’t he? A single brings Root on strike and things calm down a bit. When Stokes is on strike you can feel the anticipation/nerves that something wild is going to happen.
32nd over: England 88-4 (Root 21, Stokes 7) Root squirts an edge away wide of the slips for four. Not the most convincing but England will take them. Fluffy clowds roll over Lord’s and the temperature drops a little.
It really hasn't been Colin de Grandhomme's day... so far.
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) June 4, 2022
📺 Watch Today at the Test on @BBCiPlayer and @BBCTwo at 19:00 BST#BBCCricket #ENGvNZ #ShaneWarneDay
Updated
31st over: England 83-4 (Root 17, Stokes 6) Big Colin’s spell goes from bad to worse as he pulls up lame in his delivery stride. He could have rolled his ankle or pulled a muscle. Either way he doesn’t look happy and he’s going to go off to have it looked at. Daryl Mitchell finishes off the over and there are no runs from it. Never nice to see, let’s hope the be-mulleted one is ok and it is just a precaution.
30th over: England 83-4 (Root 17, Stokes 6) Tim Southee joins the dots to Root. New Zealand have bowled very well to him so far in this innings, so far he’s been up to the challenge.
Andrew Benton emails in:
Hello James - all we need is a captain’s and an ex-captain’s innings, a couple of hundreds, and we’re laughing all the way to the doubters’ England-were-always-going-to-lose-this Jubilee party! Hoorah!
But how *are* England so bad at batting? They seem to be overconfident, not playing to protect their wickets, the solution to which would seem to be as simple as McCullum telling them to protect their wickets and not be overconfident and enforcing that they do. But that doesn’t happen, so what really is wrong?”
Updated
28th over: England 83-4 (Root 17, Stokes 6) de Grandhomme, cursing his size 12’s like never before you’d imagine, continues and things calm down a jot. Sort of. Root picks off a single and Stokes has five balls against his fellow all-rounder... all quiet until the very last where he trots down again as if trying an almighty heave, the ball scooching down the leg side to the keeper. Stokes has had his weetabix and then some.
27th over: England 82-4 (Root 16, Stokes 6) If you thought that HUGE let off was going to deter Stokes from playing in a scything fashion then think again. He steps down to Southee and gets an outside edge off a wild swing that flies over the slips to the boundary. The press box is aghast/a’chunter. Will Root tell his skipper to settle down a bit? Doesn’t look like it.
WICKET! Stokes is bowled by de Grandhomme ... Hold ON! NO BALL!
Oh my! Stokes is down the wicket to try and put de Grandhomme off his line but he has a great big cross-batted howitzer at a length ball and drags it straight onto his stumps. He gets nearly all the way from the pitch before the third umpire flags that CdeG has overstepped. Cue cheers and jeers from the sun-soaked crowd. Stokes resumes and a stolen single at the end of the over would have seen him run out by a few inches. What an over. Sheeesh.
26th over: England 78-4 (Root 16, Stokes 2)
Updated
25th over: England 74-4 (Root 15, Stokes 0) Southee continues and is yammering away on a full line, going for the stumps and pads.
Alastair* sends the first email of my shift, and he’s not a happy chappy:
“Think England have put out the white ball team instead of the test team. Where is the defensive play!?”
*Don’t think it is that one.
24th over: England 74-4 (Root 15, Stokes 0) Southee is showing all his nouse, keeping Root honest with a maiden. It feels like this Test match could be decided in the next half an hour or so. Colin “Big House” de Grandhomme is coming on for a thick-shouldered trundle. Stokes yet to score.
23rd over: England 74-4 (Root 15, Stokes 0) Boult is probing and up around the 86mph mark. What IPL rustiness? The tussle with Bairstow was electrifying whilst it lasted but from an England point of view always felt a bit doomed. I think I saw Root have a quiet word with Bairstow too, just before he played the big sonic-booming drive that saw his stumps splayed.
Updated
22nd over: England 71-4 (Root 12, Stokes 0) Root picks up a single off the towering Jamieson. Blond on Blond. Strawberry blond Stokes is then watchful for the rest of the over which could be the final one of Jamieson’s excellent spell.
21st over: England 70-4 (Root 11, Stokes 0) Thanks Tanya, excellent stuff as ever. HellOBO, Jim here in a sweltering media centre at Lord’s - so where’s your moolah? Stokes and Root at the crease, just Foakes to come and then a tail longer than the Lord’s long room. Boult, Jamieson and Southee with their collective dander up. It should be fun/nerve shredding.
20th over: England 69-4 (Root 10, Stokes 0) We think that would have been the last ball of Jamieson’s spell. It’s not a dismissal that looks any prettier on replay. Still, it was a bonny cameo from Bairstow while it lasted. New captain joins old captain and they take drinks. I’ll hand you over to a sprightly Jim Wallace, to sail this ship home.
WICKET! Bairstow b Jamieson 16 (England 69-4)
The ball after attempting a booming drive and missing at Jamieson, Bairstow has another go, and gets an inside edge and oh dear.
Updated
19th over: England 63-3 (Root 5, Bairstow 16) Two gorgeous cover drives from YJB for four, a couple more backward of point, and a wristy square cut for four to finishing things off. A most fruitful over off Boult.
18th over: England 49-3 (Root 5, Bairstow 2) Root survives a testing Jamieson over, including an inside edge onto his pad.
Root cause analysis, counters Charlie Tinsley: - why is he batting at 4 and keeping Brook out?
17th over: England 49-3 (Root 5, Bairstow 2) It’s Yorkshire at both ends, but I fear for the Bairstow leave against Jamieson. Please prove me wrong Jonny.
Tom German has a rival to the Overton Window: “Surely ‘Parkinson’s Law’: work expands to fill the time allotted for its completion. Perhaps something to do with the amount of work needed before you finally get to bowl for England barring an extraneous circumstance like a man headbutting the floor.”
Updated
WICKET! Pope b Boult 10 (England 46-3)
Off stump tumble-turns away, as Boult unleashes a finger-kissing beauty from around the wicket. Pope gets an outside edge and fumbles around to see his wrecked stumps.
Updated
16th over: England 46-2 (Pope 10, Root 5) Root drives a wide ball from Jamieson, just short of the rope. If he stays in, the runs will flow. Then Pope follows suit, with a similar shot, and three more runs for the wallet. This could be a pretty partnership in the sun.
“Watching Alex Lees get clean bowled after a confident leave, I’ve now entered a debate with friends about opening batters who have been out leaving a straight one,” types Mark.
“My friend Tods is adamant Gooch did so in the 1990s
How many genuine opening batsmen have been out this way?”
15th over: England 40-2 (Pope 7, Root 2) Pope pockets a couple through gully, but is bisected by a beauty from Boult.
Hello again Tim Sanders. “In a parallel universe, Tim Southee has judiciously tonked his way to 60*, and the New Zealand lead is approaching 350 as Ben Stokes bowls short to a packed leg-side field. That was good from Matt Parkinson - not a ‘ball of the century’, but nevertheless it was given plenty of air, spun hard, drifted in and turned away.
14th over: England 38-2 (Pope 5, Root 2) England gratefully take a couple off a reckless throw from Ajaz Patel. Jamieson is in the zone, threatening with each huge step to the crease. Ooof, don’t do that, Root can’t resist his last ball and darts at it, but misses.
13th over: England 35-2 (Pope 2, Root 2) Root is off the mark with a couple through backward point.
Saurya Chakraborty writes in from India. .
“Some OBOers might be familiar with the concept of Overton Window. It refers to a period of time during which certain ideas become politically or socially acceptable. So for instance, social mores which were perhaps unacceptable in the 1940s and 50s become widespread and common in the 80s and 90s (LGBT rights could be a good example, or in this context limited overs cricket).
“My question to all the OBOers is - what is the Overton window for the Overtons? And can you think of other such social constructs with a cricket theme. I was looking up Cricinfo to see if there was a cricketer called Bedchel just to make an elaborate story about Bedchel’s test if possible.”
12th over: England 32-2 (Pope 1, Root 0) Super bowling from Jamieson who tempted Crawley, tested Crawley, and finds some extra bounce that Crawley pushes at and is caught by a diving Southee at gully. The CricViz NZ win moves up to 67 per cent.
WICKET! Crawley c Southee b Jamieson 9 (England 32-2)
A perfect end to a perfect over as Crawley pushes forward and gets an edge behind.
Updated
11th over: England 32-1 (Pope 1, Crawley 9) It’s Boult, left wristband on, from the pavilion end. Pope is watchful, blocking and leaving. A maiden.
“I’m sure I’ve made this point before in an exaggerated and curmudgeonly Boycottesque tone,” types Kim Thonger, “but to really assess the true state of the game when England are batting one needs to add 6 wickets to their total so in my book they’re currently about 40 for 7 with a longish tail and my cash is still on the Kiwis.”
10th over: England 32-1 (Pope 1, Crawley 9) The pitch is starting to show some uneven bounce as Pope lets one go that passes through at shin height.
Afternoon session
The sun is out in north London and Jamieson has the ball in his hand.
A great point from Gary Naylor. Also, to be ahead of the game in case Overton and Parkinson ever play in the same England side, has any international team ever hosted two unrelated twins in the same side?
Callum Parkinson's tweet has reminded me that he's is Matt's twin (as Jamie Overton is Craig's) @tjaldred.
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) June 4, 2022
There's the Waughs too of course (though I'm not sure they were as warm towards each other). Any more playing around the world now?
Uproar at home as I misunderstand and eat four sausages rather than two. And a thank you to David Keech for these how-to-do instructions on getting the TMS overseas link:
“1. Go to BBC home page (bbc.co.uk).
2. From the navigation options (3 horizontal bars next to search) chose sport.
3. Choose cricket and then the test match page. There is a link to TMS overseas at the bottom of the page. Occasionally they have been sloppy and not put the link up at the start of the morning but it’s pretty reliable.
Apologies, a few readers have asked me for the TMS overseas link. This, I hope, should work.
Updated
Lunch - England 31-1 need 246 to win
9th over: England 31-1 (Pope 0, Crawley 9) Southee on the money, Crawley leaves one that drifts perilously close to off stump, and is tempted by a few he might have left. But he survives - and that is lunch. England’s (crazy) morning, but the pre-prandial wicket of Lees will give New Zealand renewed hope.
I’m just going to stretch my legs, and grab some lunch, back shortly.
Updated
8th over: England 31-1 (Pope 0, Crawley 9) Oh dear, that leave is going to haunt poor Lees’ early hours. He’d played so gorgeously too.
“Ah, Test cricket....” write Tom VD Gucht, “we’ve gone from England dominating, to throwing it away, to bouncing back, to losing hope, to being back in with a shout during the 7 sessions of play so far... What other drama is still ahead in this match? England collapsing in a heap, before a late middle order fightback before finally succumbing with only 5 runs needed? Or just the inevitable collapse and desolate procession of wickets. Best sport there is.”
WICKET! Lees b Jamieson 20 (England 31-1)
Nooooo! The same over as straight driving Jamieson down the ground, holding a perfect pose, Lees decides to leave one that rockets into the top of off stump.
Updated
7th over: England 26-0 (Lees 16, Crawley 8) Crawley sends Southee through the covers, slightly aerial, but on scented notepaper all the same.
6th over: England 21-0 (Lees 16, Crawley 3) Time for the big man, no not that one - Kyle Jamieson. England are watchful.
“It is imperative,” thunders Michael Galvin into his keyboard, “that one of our middle order performs big time.” But which one, Michael, which one? If England do this it will be the third highest successful run-chase at Lord’s. Looks all too easy at the moment, though cricviz favours New Zealand - just. 50:49.
Updated
5th over: England 18-0 (Lees 14, Crawley 3) Crawley and Lees have temporarily swapped roles, as Lees dreamily sends Southee for four more through extra cover.
Yas K has belief. “There’s something poetically beautiful about Nottingham Forest fanatic, Stuart Broad uprooting the willow!. Stokesy putting his mark on this side already. This should, theoretically, be a doddle. Ben will finish it either way!”
4th over: England 12-0 (Lees 8, Crawley 3) A maiden from Boult, though Crawley livens things up by nearly chopping on.
Updated
3rd over: England 12-0 (Lees 8, Crawley 3) On the England balcony, Brendon McCullum looks relaxed. He’ll learn. Lees waits for Southee, bat aloft, a good half a ruler length outside off stump.
“Ah, a classic “oh yes, oh no” moment for England,” writes Nick Williamson. “Hooray, we’ve managed to get them all out; oh dear, now we need to bat.
“Gratefully following your excellent coverage from beautiful Sevilla (sorry to brag, and it’s only a temporary arrangement, but I often wish I were in some of the lovely locations other OBOers inhabit).”
2nd over: England 11-0 (Lees 8, Crawley 3) Crawley off the mark with a shovel off his hip and picks up three, then Lees ticks off a second boundary - chased by four galloping New Zealanders. He’s ticking along at unaccustomed speed.
“It’s disappointing to see New Zealand throw it away like this, but not surprising,” types a stern Edmund King. “For all the talk of how much the players were looking forward to this series, the spectacle of them drifting into the UK in twos and threes from their IPL franchises, underdone and clearly out of nick, speaks volumes. They’re missing Taylor more than we might have thought and there’s now a real, glaring fragility about the top order. That home loss to Bangladesh in the Southern Hemisphere summer speaks more about the likely future of this NZ test team than the transient thrills of the last test championship, I fear.”
1st over: England 4-0 (Lees 4, Crawley 0) Southee, a light application of sun cream smeared across his nose, has the new ball, and Lees 0ff-drives his second ball fast and down the hill to the Tavern boundary. He smears less elegantly at his fifth, sending it awkwardly to the covers.
Brotherly love.
Get in ❤️
— Callum Parkinson (@cal_parky) June 4, 2022
England need 277 to win
Your bets, ladies and gents? Can red-ball re-set England eat this for breakfast. Will the now sunny conditions kill New Zealand’s seaming specialists? Will Zak Crawley read Tim Maitland’s email and consider: “Do you think anyone has pointed out to ZaK Crawley that, if what England needed was an opener to play a few flashy shots then nick a wide one after scoring a quick 20-40 runs, that James Vince would still have a test career?”
What a morning to be at Lord’s: 12.3 overs including a three-wicket Broad bit of magic, 49 runs and six wickets.
And they’re already out in the middle - forty minutes left in this session because of the delayed start.
WICKET! Southee c Root b Parkinson 21 (New Zealand 285 all out - a lead of 276)
A first Test wicket! Thrown up in the air, nice flight, Southee’s eyes glint, he charges into a drive, gets an outside edge and Root collects. A thrilled Parkinson is mobbed by his teammates.
Updated
91st over: New Zealand 285-9 (Southee 21, Boult 4) Potts greets Boult with a couple of bouncer,s and is very perky indeed with 3-51 in his pocket. Boult raises an eyebrow and pings his last back down the ground for four.
“Hello Tanya.” Good morning Tim Sanders!
“Regarding the song ‘Jiggery Pokery’, there is a degree of ‘lyrical licence’ in the Duckworth Lewis Method’s celebration of that ball: From Gatting’s point of view, the ball drifted to the left, rather than ‘veered off to the right’; it spun off unblemished Day 2 pitch, whereas the song has it jumping ‘out of the rough’; and the bewildered Gatting was out for a forlorn 4 - not a ‘buggering duck’. It’s still a great song nevertheless.
“I worked shifts in a care home at the time, so I was off work, sat on my sofa. My memory is of how unfair it seemed, even then; as if I’d had a premonition of how the next twelve years was going to go.”
They’re taking drinks mid over, with New Zealand 272 ahead, but having lost five for 30 this morning.
WICKET! Patel lbw b Potts 4 (New Zealand 281-9)
From the sofa, we weren’t sure whether it was lbw or caught, but Patel reviews ... and the ball would have knocked out middle and leg as he went for a slog.
Updated
90th over: New Zealand 280-8 (Southee 20, Patel 4) I like this, Stokes is giving Parky a go - a great opportunity for a spirit-lifting couple of wickets with Southee going for the heave-ho and Patel poking about unconvincingly. A couple of loose balls but the last is tasty and beats the outside edge.
89th over: New Zealand 276-8 (Southee 19, Patel 1) Breathing space.
Hello David Melhuish! “Winging to you directly from Macao, China.Normally we would be living it up at a couple of the grounds over the summer. But not to be this year.Sadly, stuck in this restrictive place (30 sq km) due to COVID (still!!)So we ALL looking forward with relish (and HP) to the unfolding action.Quick question : what’s your take on Ben’s stewardship so far? Has he been tested?”
Too soon to say, I reckon. But he attacked in the field, gave Parky a go yesterday and can’t do much about the batting.
And a correction, it was Pope with that quick-thinking run-out, not Bairstow.
88th over: New Zealand 274-8 (Southee 18, Patel 0) Stokes and Broad have a thoughtful chat, but Southee isn’t hanging around, and charges his first two balls, clanging them for four over mid-on. The third is flicked to midwicket where it bounces awkwardly into Bairstow’s left hand and he holds it gingerly before running off for treatment - Harry Brook comes on.
87th over: New Zealand 265-8 (Southee 9, Patel 0) Anderson on the money, new ball magic. Commiserations to Blundell, who batted superbly.
“I was backpacking and staying with Aussie friends in Bondi Junction,” writes Barry from Singapore. “While I respectfully listened to them hype him up I couldn’t really see what the chubby surfer-dude was going to do that would be special- that BALL, and GATT and I knew that Warne had announced himself. RIP.”
WICKET! Blundell lbw Anderson 96 (New Zealand 265-8)
A review more in hope than expectation - he’s forward ... the ball brushes the front pad knee and yes, that’s out. Four short of a Lord’s century, he walks back to an ovation, his bat half-raised in celebration/disappointment and he knocks the hoardings as he passes.
Updated
86th over: New Zealand 263-7 (Southee 9, Blundell 94) Broad paws the clod, steaming . Southee isn’t taking any of it, slices him through the covers for four, before pulling the next down to the fine leg boundary for another.
85th over: New Zealand 255-7 (Southee 1, Blundell 94) And breathe. Potts throws himself at the rope to save four leg byes, but otherwise largely uneventful as everyone tries to get their head around the previous over.
Back, briefly, to Old Trafford 1993, where Martin Crookall was in residence.
“Belated response to your query (only just tuned in). Where was I when Shane Warne bowled THAT ball? In OldTrafford, watching. Sat in the Pavillion as befitted a (then-) Lancashire member. Which meant that I saw it from the rough equivalent of a very deep Square Leg and had no more idea of what had just happened than Mike Gatting, until he and I watched the Telly replay on the big screen. Unbelievable! Up till that moment, I had no idea a cricket ball could do things like that.”
Updated
84th over: New Zealand 251-7 (Southee 0, Blundell 94) Dot, Dot, wicket, wicket, wicket.... dot. Crazy days.
WICKET! Jamieson b Broad 0 (New Zealand 251-7)
Broad magic! Off stump a go-go! Broad, who had been revving up the crowd goes sprinting across the ground! A team hat-trick.
Updated
WICKET! De Grandhomme. run out 0 (New Zealand 251-6)
A brilliant throw from Pope at fourth slip after de Grandhomme has a brain fade and starts pottering down the pitch after an unsuccessful lbw appeal from Broad.
Updated
WICKET! Mitchell c Foakes b Broad 108 (New Zealand 251-5)
Mitchell trapped on the crease, pushes at Broad and is collected by Foakes. He pulls off his helmet and raises his bat to a standing ovation around Lord’s.
Updated
83rd over: New Zealand 251-4 (Mitchell 108, Blundell 94) Mitchell directs Anderson through the slips for a few, before Anderson beats Blundell with a beauty.
More Warne memories, this time from Ravi Motha:
Must have been in Hastings watching it on my parents tv.. I do remember the sense of anticipation .. and having watching it many times since.. gattings confusion is my favourite thing.. but dickie bird comes close second..
— Ravi Motha (@ravimotha) June 4, 2022
82nd over: New Zealand 248-4 (Mitchell 105, Blundell 94) Broad takes a turn with the shiny new pill. A hint of a shadow falls on the pitch, as the lights go off and the sun thinks about coming out. A cover drive is squeezed square by Mitchell and beats Stokes to the boundary.
Gary, forget Shane Warne, we need to know what the cranberry swatches were for.
Ball of the Century @tjaldred?
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) June 4, 2022
I was at the Business Design Centre for a S/S 1994 Fabrics show - getting ahead of the trends - but nipped across Upper Street to a pub with a telly.
5 mins after the miracle, the telly was showing horse racing and I went back to cranberry swatches
New ball is taken
81st over: New Zealand 242-4 (Mitchell 100, Blundell 93) Four slips await Anderson with the new ball. Mitchell shoulders arms at the first, and either ignores or defends solidly at the rest.
A hundred for Daryll Mitchell!
80th over: New Zealand 242-4 (Mitchell 100, Blundell 93) The first over of the day and the last (presumably) with the old ball falls to Stuart Broad, running in from the Nursery End. There’s a wind, whipping his trousers, and most of the fielders are in their ice-white jumpers with a blue trim round the bottom. His first ball is on the money. Blundell cover drives for three to reach the mid-90s, and put Mitchell on strike. And he’s done it! He drives, nicely, for three and leaps in the air to celebrate his second Test century, before pulling off his helmet, punching the air and having a huge hug with Blundell. And he might not even have played if Henry Nicholls had passed a fitness Test. Very nicely done.
Thank you Ian Lurks! The beauty of the awkward, clunky, capricious Walkman
@tjaldred Ball Of The Century, I was at Tunbridge Wells watching Kent play someone (Gloucs?) and listening to TMS on my dad's Walkman. Not sure when I actually first saw it, but remember the excitement on TMS vividly.
— Ian Lurks Oncemore (@IOncemore) June 4, 2022
Updated
Right, here we go..
Sebastian Coe is immaculately dressed to ring the Lord’s bell.
An email breezes in: Hello Ed Thorpe!
“In honour of the anniversary of THAT BALL, could we introduce everyone to the (as far as i know) only musical ode to it, “Jiggery Pokery”, by the Duckworth Lewis Method?”
Ed, I knew not of this song!
Here are the first three verses:
‘Twas the first test of The Ashes series 1993
Australia had only managed 289 and we
Felt all was going to plan, that first innings at Old Trafford
Then Merv Hughes and his handlebar moustache dismissed poor Athers
I took the crease to great applause and focused on me dinner
I knew that I had little cause to fear their young leg spinner
He loosened up his shoulders and with no run up at all
He rolled his right arm over and he let go of the ball
It was...
Jiggery pokery, trickery chokery, how did he open me up?
Robbery! Muggery! Aussie skull duggery, out for a buggering duck
What a delivery, I might as well have been holding a contrabassoon
Jiggery pokery, who was this nobody making me look a buffoon?
Like a blithering old baffoon...
Play will start at 11.30am
And the new session times will run: 11.30 - 1330, lunch 1330 - 1410, tea 1610, final session 1630 - 1830.
Updated
Good morning John Starbuck! “Good morning to you and the dog. While we’re waiting, here’s an idle question: are the two new-ball pairings of Broad & Anderson and Boult & Southee the most lasting in Test history? Lilian Thommo and perhaps some of the Windies speedsters might challenge them for success, but in terms of sheer longevity...?”
Oooh, that’s a question. Anderson is nearly 40, I can’t think anyone will beat him. Walsh and Ambrose might have been close? Wasim and Waqar flashed brilliantly, but relatively briefly.
Thanks to Guy Hornsby for pointing out that my email address is wrong. Will change it now but apologies if it looks like I was ignoring your missive. My address: tanya.aldred.freelance@theguardian.com
And now to Guy’s point:
So here's my email in Twitter form instead.
— Guy Hornsby (@GuyHornsby) June 4, 2022
Morning @tjaldred, here we are then. A dismal day for the 'Blank Canvas XI' which seems awfully familiar, but we have to keep going because this game can still be pulled back, even if we're in miracle territory.
The floodlights are on, but so are the covers. We’ll have a delayed start.
So, as we wait for the rain to stop, what were you doing 25 years ago today, when Shane Warne bowled his ball of the century?
On 4 June 1993, Shane Warne did this... ✨
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) June 4, 2022
In memory of the great man, we want you to try and recreate *that* 'Ball of the Century'.
📱 Record your attempt
📲 Post it us using #ShaneWarneDay
*Floppy hats and sun cream are advised...#BBCCricket | @TailendersPod
I actually can’t really remember. I was at university, without a television, and I think I just read about it the next day.
There’s been a wonderful segment on Sky celebrating Michael Holding and David Lloyd - if you have Sky, it is worth catching later on. And while we wait for the weather, some top-notch reading from Jonathan:
Simon reports from Lord’s, where it is gently raining.
Is anyone at Lord’s? Has the first champagne cork of the day gone flying over your left shoulder?
Give this boy an ice-cream (and a Sky sports subscription).
@TailendersPod 7 year old Reggie's attempt at recreating the ball of the century #ShaneWarneDay pic.twitter.com/pOT6ozzKnT
— Simon Wilkinson (@simonbwilks) June 4, 2022
The dream team of Michael Atherton and Mel Jones are in the middle. Athers says he often got out early the next day after making runs and the New Zealand batsmen will have to be careful. With the new ball there will suddenly be more bounce, more movement, so the kind of deliveries Mitchell was stroking to the boundary yesterday evening, he will temporarily have to ignore.
And Athers on Parky : “You’ve got to have some sympathy for him. It’s his first Test match, he was in Manchester a day ago. He was a bit inaccurate, he’s quite a slow leg spinner but let’s give him time, it’s too soon to pass judgement.”
At Lord’s, Nasser is in a blazer, Ian Ward done up in a coat, and it all looks a bit grey and miserable. The experts think it is too cold for the new ball to swing but that it will nip about a bit.
Weather watch from the ground: damp and overcast.
The New Zealand lead is a very hand 227. Despite Matthew Potts having a new bunny in Kane Williamson, England weren’t able to remove the stubborn pairing of Daryll Mitchell and Tom Blundell, who will each start the day with visions of three figures in their eyes . Read all about it here in Ali’s great report:
And a lovely piece on Parky by Andy:
Preamble
Good morning! It’s Saturday of the June Lord’s Test, platinum Jubilee style, pink trousers and a magnum of something wonderfully bubbly essential. Unfortunately, England find themselves in a bit of a sticky situation, and their one hope of salvation is the new ball.
