That’s all for today’s OBO, but we have two more live blogs on the go: Australia v India and, well, Australia v India. Thanks for your company throughout this high-octane match. See you in a few days for the third and final Test.
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No messing from England - or from our own Ali Martin, whose report is already live.
A smiling Ben Stokes speaks
It’s amazing to be standing here having won the series, especially after we were 40 for 4 on day one. Harry Brook and Ollie Pope were just amazing on day one to go out and play like that. That wicket, in cricket terms, what we call a snakepit, especially on day one. It was doing plenty for the bowlers so to have the bravery and skill to play like that was phenomenal. We’ve been unbelievable with the ball, but the way they played on day one set this game up for us.
We don’t really give people instructions on how to play in a given situation. We back everyone’s ability – they’re playing international cricket because they’re very, very good at what they do. Brooky thought he needed to put the pressure back on the New Zealand bowlers and try to knock them off their length. He made it so hard for New Zealand to run up and consistently put the ball in the areas they wanted to.
[On Jacob Bethell] He’s another young lad who has come into the team and put together an unbelievable performance so early in their career. We had a bit of a conundrum before the series with the unfortunate injury to Coxy, but we back Beth’s ability to go out there and do something match-defining. We think giving guys the opportunity to go out there and express themselves in tough conditions is the best way to see what they’re about. I think Jacob Bethell has shown us – and the world – what he’s about.
The bowling performance in the first two games has been exceptional. Everyone has run in, spell after spell. Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson taking those last five wickets very quickly on day two was absolutely awesome, and I thought Bash today was… he did a job for the team, bowling into that ridiculous wind, and I thought he did an amazing job. New Zealand came after him but he kept having a smile on his face and just wanted on to keep on bowling and bowling and bowling. It says a lot about his character.
[On his three-for] Yeah, ‘rabbit pie’ people might call that! Gosh, that opening spell from Chris Woakes, five overs into that wind, was simply incredible. I only bowled a short spell but it was very, very hard work. The big fellas had put in some serious graft and we’ve got one game left, so I didn’t want to risk anybody when I didn’t feel like we needed to.
Tom Latham’s verdict
We’re hurting. It’s disappointing to lose in that fashion, especially after putting them under pressure at the start of the game. Harry played a fantastic innings but when you only score 120-odd in the first innings you’re always on the back foot. It hurts. It’s not our best.
Credit where credit’s due – that was a fantastic innings [from Brook]. When you look at the scorecard it was one guy who took it away from us. The surface was offering plenty but he put us under pressure and played some unbelievable shots.
The guys tried really hard. We’re not doubting the effort. It’s not ideal – we came here today with hopes of putting some up some good partnerships, but losing early wickets put us on the back foot a little bit.
England have been able to keep the foot on the throat and we haven’t been able to absorb that pressure. and put it back on them. They’re playing some great cricket so credit to them.
The third Test will be a great occasion, being Tim [Southee’s] last Test. The crowds in the last two games have been fantastic. We know we haven’t been at our best and we hope to turn that round for Hamilton.
The player of the match is a windswept Harry Brook
[Do you still think it’s your best hundred?] Yeah definitely. Just the circumstances of the game and the position we were in. To get us to that score… I was happy with it.
[How do you decide when to attack?] It depends on the surface. In the first innings the bowlers were getting quite a bit out of the surface and it was tough just to sit in there and block it. Like I said the other day, the best form of defence was attack. Thankfully it worked out.
It’s extremely windy today and the boys were exceptional, especially the hard toil bowling into the wind. It’s an exceptional win and to do it in three days is even more sweet.
[On the series win] It’s always amazing when you win a series. It’s another record for us guys to tick off.
[What are your targets for the last Test?] Just watch the ball, play it on its merits [starts smiling] and see where we are.
We shouldn’t underestimate how impressive this victory has been. New Zealand were favourites before the series, having just achieved the impossible in India, and there were times in the first innings of both Tests that England looked in serious trouble. So to win both games at a canter, while scoring an almost unprecedented rate of 5.18 runs per over, is well worth celebrating. As is the thrilling confirmation that Brydon Carse and Jacob Bethell are made for Test cricket.
England have won a Test series in New Zealand for the first time since 2007-08. After an increasingly miserable tour of Pakistan, they are having fun again and they’ve won this game at a canter. I’m not sure which came first but frankly who cares.
Stokes enjoyed himself at the end – first by keeping Bashir on until he got rid of the centurion Tom Blundell, then by cleaning up in a spell of 2.2-0-5-3.
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England win by 323 runs!
WICKET! New Zealand 259 all out (Southee c Woakes b Stokes 8) Southee hooks Stokes and is well caught by Woakes, stationed maybe 10 yards in from deep midwicket. That’s it!
54th over: New Zealand 258-9 (Southee 8, O’Rourke 0) Southee belts Bashir for four. He needs five sixes to join Stokes, McCullum and Gilchrist in the hundred club.
53rd over: New Zealand 254-9 (Southee 4, O’Rourke 0) There was a strong argument that New Zealand lost the first Test as much as England won it. But England’s performance in Wellington has been one of their best under Ben Stokes: skilful, intelligent, brave and ruthless. They are about to be rewarded with a rare series win overseas.
“Can this team win the Ashes?” asks David Bertram.
Can they? The urn’s already halfway home mate! They can, definitely. Whether they will is a different matter but it doesn’t stretch credulity as it did in 2017-18 and 2021-22.
I still worry about, in no particular order, the spinner, the No3, the fitness of the fast bowlers and the impact of the extra bounce on England’s batters, but at this stage I’d give England maybe a 25-30 per cent chance of winning the series. Australia are a very old team and the series migjht be decided by whether they can stall Father Time.
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WICKET! New Zealand 254-9 (Smith c Pope b Stokes 42)
Stokes burgles a second wicket when Nathan Smith gloves a vigorous pull down the leg side. Ollie Pope, who has had a really good series with bat and gloves, takes a good tumbling catch to his left.
52nd over: New Zealand 251-8 (Smith 42, Southee 1) In fact Bashir has changed ends to bowl with the breeze. The impressive Smith steers him for a couple to bring upt he 250.
51st over: New Zealand 247-8 (Smith 39, Southee 0) Southee’s first ball is a nasty lifter that he does pretty well to glove away from short leg. Shouldn’t be long now.
WICKET! New Zealand 247-8 (Henry c Bethell b Stokes 4)
Now Stokes is willing to take Bashir out of the attack, the point having been made. He brings himself on and needs only four balls to take a wicket. Henry pulls high towards deep midwicket, where Bethell dives to take a very awkward two-handed catch with precisely 0.00 fuss.
The first person to contgratulate Stokes is… Bashir. It’s getting a bit schmaltzy now lads.
(It’s not, I could watch them all night.)
50th over: New Zealand 246-7 (Smith 38, Henry 4) Carse hits Smith on the glove with a beautiful short ball. Smith briefly loses his bearings so Pope throws at the stumps. He misses and gives away an all-run four. I’m pretty sure Smith was in his crease but there was a split-second in when the run out looked on so you can understand why Pope risked it.
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49th over: New Zealand 241-7 (Smith 33, Henry 4) That was such a lovely moment – for Duckett, for Pope, for Stokes and most of all for Bashir.
At the end of the over he embraces Stokes and pats him on the chest. Their relationship is such a lovely thing, a cross between The Karate Kid and Good Will Hunting, but with loads of cricket.
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WICKET! New Zealand 237-7 (Blundell c Duckett b Bashir 115)
Another Bashir over, another lusty swipe for six from Blundell. I can understand Ben Stokes’ tactics - he trusts that Bashir will have the final word – but I’d argue it’s doing more harm than good.
In a surprising development, Ben Stokes knows more about cricket than me. Bashir has got his man, albeit in circumstances that not even Stokes could have foreseen!
Blundell got in position to lap, at which point both Pope and the slip Duckett started to move to the leg side. Pope got a slight touch on the ball, then Duckett parried it up in the air, changed direction and jack-knifed to take a catch of unique brilliance!
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48th over: New Zealand 231-6 (Blundell 109, Smith 33) Blundell pulls Carse round the corner for another boundary. For the first time in the series Carse looks a bit laboured; even with the extra two days off (probably), England might be tempted to rest him for the last Test.
I’ve just realised the pattern of this game is strikingly similar to the famous Nathan Astle Test of 2001-02, even down to blistering first-day centuries from Nasser Hussain and Harry Brook. (I jest: Nasser’s innings, though anything but blistering, was arguably his greatest knock overseas. Rob Bagchi wrote about it beautifully a few years ago.)
Tom Blundell makes his fifth Test century!
47th over: New Zealand 226-6 (Blundell 104, Smith 33) Blundell bottom-edges a quicker one from Bashir for two to reach a coruscating 96-ball hundred. It’s his first in almost two years and may save his Test career. There have been one or two moments of fortune, most notably when he dragged Bashir onto the stumps only for the bails to stay put, but he has played some gorgeous strokes.
Smith continues the assault on Bashir by chipping a full toss over Crawley at long on for six. If he can’t reach it…
46th over: New Zealand 215-6 (Blundell 99, Smith 27) Blundell pulls Carse round the corner for four, then works a single off the hip to move to 99. Few would begrudge him a century.
Incidentally this partnership, worth 74, is New Zealand’s highest of the series. Weird, eh? Here’s the list.
45th over: New Zealand 208-6 (Blundell 93, Smith 25) After taking precisely one delivery to get his eye back in, Blundell swaggers down the track to pump a flat six that goes straight through the sightscreen. I don’t think I’ve seen that before.
The players return to the field for what should, all things being equal, be the last session of the match. Shoaib Bashir (14-2-73-1) is going to continue.
Teatime listening
It contains a bit of adult language, but if you’re flagging, and I know I am, it’ll wake you up.
Teatime reading
Life is crap right now; we all know that. Okay, most of us know that. Travis Head refuses to accept it has to be that way, or that he has to bat a certain way because he’s wearing white.
I’d argue that, since his epiphany in 2021, Head has inspired as much awe as any batsman in the world. And like so many of the greats, he saves his best for the best.
“No idea who the Thomas Bancroft is with the teeth issues,” writes John Rae. “I am John Rae and I do have toothache.”
But which John Rae? And why do I feel like I’ve just watched Angelo Badalamenti spit out of one of the finest espressos in the world?
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Tea
44th over: New Zealand 199-6 (Blundell 86, Smith 25) Blundell plays another outstanding shot, getting on top of a widish bumper from Carse and pulling it perfectly between the two men at midwicket. He deserves to make what would be his fifth Test century, and he will resume after tea needing another 14 runs.
In isolation that wasn’t a great session for England, who conceded 140 in 29.5 overs, but they took two important wickets to move closer to their ultimate goal. No, not world peace, a series win in New Zealand.
43rd over: New Zealand 194-6 (Blundell 81, Smith 25) Only a couple of minutes until tea so there’s no reason to change Bashir at this stage. And he bowls his best over for a while, a maiden to Smith.
42nd over: New Zealand 194-6 (Blundell 81, Smith 25) Ben Stokes invites Brydon Carse to end this nonsense via the medium of the short-ball ploy. There are men out all over the place for the mishit hook.
Smith does top-edge his first attempt but the ball clears midwicket, and a single off the next delivery brings up a breezily defiant fifty partnership from 39 balls.
41st over: New Zealand 188-6 (Blundell 80, Smith 21) I doubt Bashir would be bowling if the game was in the balance. But England have such a cushion that Ben Stokes can afford to give him some more on-the-job education.
The problem is that, after a good start, Bashir’s figures and confidence are being dented by Blundell. He pulls a long hop for four, then reverse sweeps another past slip. Bashir’s first eight overs cost 24; the last five have disappeared for 49.
40th over: New Zealand 178-6 (Blundell 70, Smith 21) Smith clips Atkinson into the leg side for successive boundaries. He’s got a lovely attitude with bat and ball and has been one of the positives for New Zealand in this series. Smith numbers aren’t great but he’s got something about him.
“I fear England followers may be too pleased with the state of this series,” writes Kim Thonger. “We all know schadenfreude, and deploy it mainly when the French, Germans, Australians, I could go on, lose at football, cricket, darts, I could go on… But there’s a little known ‘English’ word!
“Epicaricacy.
“Epicaricacy and schadenfreude both describe taking pleasure in others’ misfortunes, but they differ slightly in usage and connotation. Epicaricacy is an English term that is less commonly used and often considered more neutral or less intense. It might be applied to minor misfortunes, like someone slipping on a banana peel. Schadenfreude, a German term, is more widely recognised and can imply a deeper, sometimes more malicious delight, especially in significant or deserved misfortune. Both terms encapsulate a similar emotional experience but vary in their cultural and linguistic nuances.
“Anyhoo. Could we all please agree that whenever the England cricket team are ‘on top’, they should deploy epicaricacy rather than schadenfreude? We are kind polite people in this sceptered isle, are we not?”
We are?
39th over: New Zealand 170-6 (Blundell 70, Smith 13) Blundell bottom-edges Bashir back onto the stumps – but the bails stay on! That’s bonkers. It’s blowing a gale in Wellington, the ball thumped the outside of off stump, yet the bails stayed in their groove. Disgusting.
Blundell celebrates his reprieve by launching Bashir back over his head and out of the ground. That’s his third six. New Zealand have scored 60 off the last seven overs.
38th over: New Zealand 164-6 (Blundell 64, Smith 13) Another beautiful stroke from Blundell, this time a back-foot force to the extra cover boundary off Atkinson. New Zealand are going down in a blaze of boundaries. Smith moves to 13 from six balls with a wristy flick through midwicket.
“Just travelled to a wedding of friends Spice and Shadie (classic Aussie nicknames) in Sydney and was chatting to Aussies and about the series with India and obviously England against the Kiwis,” writes John Butler.
“One nice thing about these series, and the fact New Zealand just rolled India over in India, is that Test series are quite competitive and the procession of teams winning their home series no longer seems inevitable. Just hope it continues to the Ashes next winter.”
It’s been a classic year of Test cricket, and the point you make about reduced home advantage is spot on. Mind you, some of the series have still been one-sided. New Zealand beat India 3-0 and may well lose this series 3-0 to a side who lost 4-1 in India at the start of the year. I guess within those scorelines (actual and possible) there were some close games. And most importantly, the big series of the year looks like it will be perfectly poised at 1-1 with three to play.
37th over: New Zealand 155-6 (Blundell 59, Smith 9) Blundell has a bit of fortune when a bottom-edged cut flies past off stump. He gets a single, which allows Smith to launch Bashir down the ground for six. It was the second ball of his innings, and apparently this is normal behavour now.
36th over: New Zealand 145-6 (Blundell 58, Smith 0) Blundell misses one flick off Atkinson – the slips went up for LBW but the bowler knew it was missing leg – then nails a similar shot between midwicket and mid-on for four. Thta’s a lovely shot again. This innings will look good on YouTube.
“I am the guy with wisdom tooth pain from last night,” writes Tom Bancroft. “Can you apologise to the John Rae with toothache from earlier. I thought it was my brother in law in NZ having a joke. Turns out it was a different John Rae – who is my brother in dental pain.”
I’ll level with you, I’m reasonably confused right now.
35th over: New Zealand 141-6 (Blundell 54, Smith 0) When England last won a Test series in New Zealand, Shoaib Bashir and Jacob Bethell were four years old.
WICKET! New Zealand 141-6 (Phillips b Bashir 16)
Bashir tosses up a tempting wider delivery to Phillips, who blasts it over wide mid-off for a stunning flat six. A long hop is hoicked for four more – but Bashir has the last word with a ball that skids on to bowl Phillips! Whether it was deliberate or natural variation, that’s a lovely moment for Bashir.
Phillips looked suspciously at the pitch, and the ball may have kept a touch low, but he’s on his way for 16. England are four wickets away from a series victory.
34th over: New Zealand 129-5 (Blundell 54, Phillips 4) Blundell reaches a 56-ball fifty with a delightful stroke, timing Atkinson through backward point for four. Well played indeed. This is only his second half-century in the last 27 Test innings, and the first at home since the Wellington epic of February 2023.
When Atkinson errs again later in the over, Blundell plays a very similar stroke for for more. Whatever the match situation, it takes serious courage to play with such freedom when you know it could be your last Test innings.
33rd over: New Zealand 121-5 (Blundell 46, Phillips 4) Blundell clatters Bashir back over his head for four, then drives mightily over mid-on for six. Shot! He’s starting to look like the man who scored 650 runs in five Tests against England in 2022 and 2023, and this could develop into a career-saving innings.
32nd over: New Zealand 110-5 (Blundell 35, Phillips 4) Glenn Phillips gets off the mark with a back cut for four. The Mitchell wicket was Atkinson’s fifth of the game; his rhythm has been much better in this game.
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WICKET! New Zealand 106-5 (Mitchell c Pope b Atkinson 32)
Gus Atkinson strikes with a jaffa! He replaced Woakes after the drinks break and immediately took care of Mitchell with a perfectly pitched delivery that straightened to take the edge as Mitchell pushed defensively. Ollie Pope did the rest.
Mitchell sniffed and screwed his face up as if to say, ‘Not much I could do with that’. It was a beauty.
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Thanks Tanya, morning everyone. Meanwhile…
31st over: New Zealand 106-4 (Mitchell 32, Blundell 35) Pope sticks the bails back on after the wind lifts them off – a deftly done job for someone wearing glorified oven gloves. A couple of singles, and as they take DRINKS at Wellington, I hand this Test over to Rob Smyth who will take you through to stumps/result. Thanks for all your messages – on crumbles, on elegant batters, on dentists – have a lovely night. Bye!
30th over: New Zealand 104-4 (Mitchell 31, Blundell 34) Woakes walks back to his mark, scowling into the wind. Blundell picks up a couple through midwicket, the partnership grows to 46.
29th over: New Zealand 97-4 (Mitchell 31, Blundell 31) Bashir turns on his heel: One, one, one, one, dot, dot.
28th over: New Zealand 97-4 (Mitchell 29, Blundell 29) Woakes still finding bounce on this day three pitch. Blundell pays it little attention. Another maiden floats by.
"Andrew Crossley, who has probably long gone to bed, writes wrote “ I’ll bite on your Root-as-most-watchable comment. I think I may agree with you. Tendulkar was magisterial, but not as easy on the eye. Kallis was brutally effective, but nobody’s idea of elegant. To my regret, I just didn’t see enough of Sanga to judge, but if he batted as elegantly as he commentates, he’d be a shoe-in. Ponting is a serious challenger, though: as much as I was desperate for him to fail, he was great to watch. And his swivel-pull was one of the great cricket shots.”
27th over: New Zealand 97-4 (Mitchell 29, Blundell 29) A sudden change of pace as Blundell eyes up a dolly from Bashir and slams it back over his head for four. Then we return to stoicism.
26th over: New Zealand 91-4 (Mitchell 28, Blundell 24) Blundell gently opens the face and sends the ball to the rope, waving to the slips on its way. Woakes trudges on.
Hello showbizguru. “Talking of gusting winds when I began the very long slog home from the first NZ test on Thursday my first flight from Dunedin to Christchurch was cancelled due to the high winds which the South Island is prone too.
“Five flights and a coach/train home from Heathrow this morning I was forced to abandon my journey with one stop to go after Storm Darragh brought part of the roof down on the tracks, closing my local station.”
“ Ah bugger “ as Unlucky Alf would say.
25th over: New Zealand 85-4 (Mitchell 27, Blundell 20) Bashir, collar up, sleeves wrinkled, shirt rippling in the wind. Mitchell is content wiht a single.
“Hello again Tanya.” Hello again James Brough.
“I thought about Viv and Pant. Stewart won out over Pant because i needed an opener, plus how much I used to enjoy watching him. As for Viv, there just wasn’t anyone I could bring myself to leave out. During the late 80’s, Azharuddin was the only man who could make batting look as easy as Gower at his best. I think it was Angus Fraser who compared Azha’s flick through midwicket with bowling at a revolving door - there’d be a flurry of movement, almost too fast for the eye to follow, and the ball would vanish to the boundary. And then Lara, with the highest backlift I’ve ever seen and bat speed like a striking cobra.
“As a sidenote, I’m vaguely peeved that I’ve not been able to find space for Richard Hadlee or Phil Edmonds. Who’d be a selector?”
24th over: New Zealand 85-4 (Mitchell 26, Blundell 20) Woakes ticks off another maiden.
23rd over: New Zealand 85-4 (Mitchell 26, Blundell 20) Sensible singles.
22nd over: New Zealand 82-4 (Mitchell 25, Blundell 18) Woakes returns, and immediately turns in a neat maiden. This is better from New Zealand.
Hello John Burton. “It probably shows my age, but Tom Graveney immediately came to my mind. I can’t argue he’d strengthen the team, but he certainly wouldn’t reduce its ‘ease on the eye’.” A great call. We just won’t make him do too much running. Was he a good slip fielder?
21st over: New Zealand 82-4 (Mitchell 25, Blundell 18) Blundell neatly sends Bashir though the covers and Rehan fields inelegantly in the deep
20th over: New Zealand 78-4 (Mitchell 24, Blundell 15) On the grassy banks, people lounge in shorts and fleeces as Mitchell survives some hostile stuff from Carse.
“Tanya, I am Thomas Bancroft, he of the wisdom teeth related pain from yesterday. Tonight I am still on the ibuprofen and bonjela and listening to the cricket again for extra analgesia. John Rae, of the emergency dentist tonight, is actually my brother in law. I am not pointing fingers but he is known as a bit of a joker…. and an attention seeker. I’d ask him for a dentist certificate if I were you or a photo from the emergency dental hospital. I you hear from him tell him I miss him.”
Right, both of you, certificates in my inbox.
19th over: New Zealand 76-4 (Mitchell 22, Blundell 15) Bashir extracts sudden turn, the ball ripping from wide of off stump. New Zealand watchful. The first aim must be to get to day four.
18th over: New Zealand 72-4 (Mitchell 22, Blundell 11) Blundell keeps Carse out.
Hello Stephen Hodson. “England’s declaration may have seemed rather delayed, given the mountain NZ are tasked with tackling. However, there was a Nathan Astle innings, years ago, chasing a seemingly impossible total, which may have influenced Ben Stokes’ timing somewhat. Well, that and allowing Joe to duly complete his milestone century.”
Astle’s 222? I was actually there – it was pinch-yourself unbelievable. And very funny.
17th over: New Zealand 71-4 (Mitchell 22, Blundell 10) Time for some spin. Bashir rolls up his sleeves and beats the bat once in an opening maiden.
16th over: New Zealand 71-4 (Mitchell 22, Blundell 10) Blundell gets a life as Bethell can’t hold on at third slip, imagine a man unsucessfully trying to get his hands on a leaping trout while standing up in a rowing boat. Next ball, Blundell swings Carse for six.
Afternoon session
15th over: New Zealand 59-4 (Mitchell 20, Blundell 0) Atkinson finishes the over he had one ball of before lunch. He misses his run up off consecutive deliveries. Just the one run off the over.
Hello again James Brough! “So, I got to thinking about who I’d put in a team solely based on how good they looked playing and I came up with this.
Alec Stewart (keeper)
Gordon Greenidge
David Gower
Joe Root
Brian Lara
Mohammed Azharuddin
Gary Sobers (capt)
Moeen Ali
Michael Holding
Dennis Lillee
Bishen Bedi
For a team chosen largely on aesthetics, that’s come out pretty well - I think I’d back them against pretty much anyone. Thoughts?”
Viv? And how about Rishabh Pant instead of Alec Stewart – I know he doesn’t exactly fit the bill but he would add some sparks.
We watch a lunchtime reel of Woakes and Carse’s highlights – the verdict from the commentary team is that New Zealand were “just outclassed.”
The covers are now off and it looks as if we will start on time after lunch. Time to peer into the inbox:
“ Someone commented yesterday about wisdom teeth,” writes John Rae. “(I believe it was Thomas Bancroft). “I’m in my house in Wellington and was going to go down to the Basin for this afternoon’s session. But alas I’ve now got toothache and will be visiting the emergency dentist instead! Not sure what’s worse.”
Maybe they will have it on telly in the surgery and you can double your pain?
“Speaking of crumbles” writes Colum Fordham “well done Tom vdG on his initiation into the blackberry and apple variant (probably my favourite although damson crumble is on the same level) - New Zealand seem to be well and truly crumbling in the face of some fine England seam bowling in very English conditions. Woakes appears to be playing on home turf and is bowling sublimely.”
“Here in Naples I just had the Italian variant on crumble -sbricciolona - which wasn’t bad. Though not quite in the same league, British fare for once eclipsing Italian cuisine.”
I just googled sbricciolona – looks delicious
David Gower is chatting through a rainy lunch break:“What England have managed to do so well in this game is get through very tricky moments. England had all the fun they wanted with the bat then the bowlers were great. Chris Woakes was brilliant running into the breeze.”
Lunch! New Zealand 59-4, trail by 524
14th over: New Zealand 59-4 (Mitchell 20, Blundell 0) The rain starts to fall, but too late for Ravindra. New Zealand’s resolve weakened in the face of Woakes and Carse, who sliced through the top order. Time for sandwiches in Wellington and a coffee for me. Back soon, with lots more emails.
WICKET! Ravindra c Pope b Carse 6 (New Zealand 59-4)
That’s torn it. Ravindra loosely lunges at a wide one from Carse and Pope does the rest. Ravindra throws his head back and roars – with lunch five minutes away, he must trudge back.
13th over: New Zealand 57-3 (Ravindra 5, Mitchell 19) Mitchell is feeling frisky this morning – two fours fly off the bat off Atkinson – a stylish drive and ana more reckless edge through gully.
Going back to the most watchable batters….”I think I’d agree,” says James Brough. “Of the top five, I don’t think any of them have the combination of elegance, cheek and precision that Root has. Possibly the most watchable batsman since Lara? And Lara, in turn was probably the best to watch since the days of Azharuddin and Gower.”
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12th over: New Zealand 48-3 (Ravindra 4, Mitchell 11) Another bit of comedy fielding from Woakes, who this time dives onto the ball. A pocketful of singles off Carse.
The top six batting partnerships of the series all belong to England. New Zealand need to turn the tide now – their highest partnership to date is 69.
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11th over: New Zealand 45-3 (Ravindra 2, Mitchell 10) Mitchell, who picked up four off Carse, does the same to Atkinson, with a crisp drive. In the field, Woakes sees the funny side of diving over the ball, waves an apology in the direction of the bowler
“Evening Tanya,” Nice to hear from you, Tom Hopkins.
”I feel Tom vd G’s pain at things left late, for me it was picking up a musical instrument, but it’s never too late and I’ve found as a grown up I learn and appreciate learning in a different way.
”There’s also a particular joy, I think in sharing baking you’ve tried with others. It might not be perfect, but it’s a bit of you.
”Also, might I suggest a bit of clove and cinnamon added to the crumble mix? Just makes it feel a bit more special.”
Next time – thank you!
10th over: New Zealand 37-3 (Ravindra 1, Mitchell 4) Stokes’s bowling change pays dividends with Carse’s second ball. He’s got such a high hostility potential, with that bounce and speed. John Windows with more authority about him earlier this week.
WICKET! Latham c and b Carse 24 (New Zealand 33-3)
Bonkers from Carse! He pounds in and then – somehow – contracts that enormous body – to zigzag horizontally across the pitch and catch Latham with one huge ham.
9th over: New Zealand 32-2 (Latham 24, Ravindra 0) Woakes is taking the George Clooney attitude to going grey, and I’m here for it. A rare innocuous ball to finish an over that was testing and tight.
8th over: New Zealand 30-2 (Latham 22, Ravindra 0) Latham picks up four off Atkinson’s first ball, a succession of dots follow.
“Is Williamson the best batter who wears an arm guard?”
Hmmmm, Ruth Purdue, I might have to pass that one onto Rob Smyth. He will take over at 1.40am if you can wait that long….
WICKET! Williamson c Pope b Woakes 4 (New Zealand 25-2)
7th over: New Zealand 25-2 (Latham 17) Woakes has the magic in his fingers this morning, bowling into the wind. He pounds down a bouncer which surprises Williamson who has to bend his back as the ball hits him high on the bat. A beauty of a follow-up and with his last ball releases a little wider and Williamson gets a kiss of an edge to Pope.
6th over: New Zealand 21-1 (Latham 14, Williamson 4) Everything has suddenly calmed down. Williamson picks up three down to long-off. Spectators walk slowly round the ground. Clouds billow upwards.
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5th over: New Zealand 17-1 (Latham 13, Williamson 1 ) Williamson swings at Woakes like a man with an ugly average. The huge pōhutukawa tree at the ground watches with fresh-blood-red blossoms, Ben Stokes chews, chews his gum and Crowded House tinkles over the tannoy.
“Being impartial for a moment,” writes Kim Thonger. “Wouldn’t it be a marvellous thing, for Test match cricket, if the lovely New Zealanders actually knocked off the 583 runs required to bag a victory. Ideally with the last ball of the day, nine wickets down.”
4th over: New Zealand 16-0 (Latham 12, Williamson 1 ) Just a single off Atkinson as the wind continues to gust, dislodging sunglasses, fleeces and sandwiches.
3rd over: New Zealand 15-1 (Latham 11, Williamson 1 ) Williamson nurdles one of his first ball. Latham goes full freedom 90 and smacks a merry four.
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WICKET! Conway b Woakes 0 (New Zealand 9-1)
An uncharacteristically fierce looking Woakes punches the air after wobble seaming through the gate of the unfortunate Conway.
2nd over: New Zealand 9-0 (Latham 6, Conway 0 ) In comes Atkinson, hair shaved, shirt tucked in, sloped shoulders, on hat-trick plus one. No joy this time, in fact the over contains a couple of no-balls as he struggles with his run-up in the brisk wind. A leading edge from Conway, fall s just short of .Carse. Four for Latham, off the hip.
Apologies if you don’t like crumble and associated sauces – it seems most OBOers do. Over to you Clare Dowding.
“Brandy cream, especially M&S brandy cream, is nectar and ambrosia - although in homage to the Rik Mayall/Adrian Edmonson TV series ‘Bottom’, my dad always refers to it as vodka margarine.”
”In other news, Joe Root is pretty good at this batting lark, isn’t he?” Isn’t he just.
New Zealand's second innings - need 583 to win.
1st over: New Zealand 0-0 (Latham 0, Conway 0 ) Woakes opens with beauty that leaves Latham grasping at air and Pope grinning as he collects behind the stumps. A billowing gust of wind then stops Woakes mid approach and temporarily has the cameras moving all over the place. It’s not easy out there.
Hello Nick Watts. “I’m sure I’m not alone in finding Tom’s story deeply moving. To see a man in his 40s crumbling before our very eyes is tragic.”
And while New Zealand whistle for the heavy roller, let’s just talk briefly about Joe Root. His 36th hundred puts him behind only Tendulkar, Kallis, Ponting and Sangakkara – whom he will match if he can whistle out just two more big ones. (Of course he can). Of that top five, I’d argue that.. although I’m not convinced even as I type this – that Root is the most watchable (ignoring early Tendulkar). I stand to be corrected here though.
The highest successful run chase in Test Match history you ask? 418-7, West Indies v Australia at Antigua in 2003. New Zealand today need 583.
WICKET! Root c Blundell b O'Rourke 106 ENGLAND DECLARE 427-6 DECLARED
82.3 overs: England 427-6dec (Stokes 49) And bold as brass Roots gets to his hundred with a reverse scoop! He looks delighted. The next ball is driven like a ferrari for four, fired down ground, huge boyish grin on his face as he does it – it’s off a no ball too. He plumps for juicy drive to pick up four more but gets a thick edge which is superbly caught by a flying Blundell. And with that Stokes and Root trot off to leave New Zealand chasing 583 to win in just under three days.
82nd over: England 418-5 (Root 98, Stokes 49) Chasing milestones…
”Feel for Tom v d G.” taps Stephen Holliday in Las Vegas. “I’m a similar age and was scared of poached eggs for a very long time. And then I made one. Easiest thing in the world. At least a crumble has more than one ingredient making it slightly more complicated than cracking an egg into some water.”
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New ball
81st over: England 412-5 (Root 96, Stokes 45) New Zealand stick with the old ball for now. The youthful O’Rourke rolls into his long run up, Root flicks fine, like a French cricketer. Ah, here comes the NEW BALL, four balls into the over.
“Hi Tanya.” Hello Ian.
”Regarding crumble, it should be made with rhubarb and served with Birds custard. That’s what my Mum taught me and at 62 years old I’m not changing now. Going somewhat off topic England cricket’s looking looking good at the moment :-)“
I love rhubarb, but not so much in a crumble. There’s a joke there somewhere about Geoffrey Boycott’s mother but I’m too sated by that brandy cream.
80th over: England 406-5 (Root 91, Stokes 44) Henry bowls the last necessary over with the old ball. Root takes advantage with two boundaries, the second a cover drive off a slower ball which skims past the leaping cover fielder. Twelve from the over, Root approaches Test Hundred 36.
79th over: England 394-5 (Root 81, Stokes 41) O’Rourke hits Root but all is well.
78th over: England 390-5 (Root 80, Stokes 40) A drop! Henry has a shaving of a fraction of a second as Stokes powers the ball back towards him. His eyes widen in panic, his hands form a kind of crystal ball reading position – he fumbles the ball but saves his body. Next delivery, Root pulls effortlessly to the rope.
Hello Tom v d Gucht. “Despite knocking on the door of my mid-forties, I had always avoided making a crumble as I was convinced there was some sort of mysterious alchemy to the topping and subsequently felt mere mortals such as myself should leave it well alone.
“However, after scrumping a crop of blackberries and apples from a nearby nature reserve in the autumn, I took the plunge and looked up the recipe. I’m now haunted by a lingering sense of disappointed at how I’ve wasted so much time not making something so simple yet so delicious.”
77th over: England 384-5 (Root 75, Stokes 39). Stokes isn’t here to hang about. He flat bats O’Rourke’s first ball into the off side and he and Root scuttle through for two. The Barmies sing a full-throated Jerusalem and the wind billows the New Zealanders’ creamy chunky knit jumpers. Root finishes the over with a dainty nudge down to third.
Some local colour for you, thanks to Ali: the locals call the divots “scallops.” And the players are out, off we go!
The pitch experts gaze at the sweet New Zealand dirt: “There are some divots in the pitch, which means the pitch is drying out.”
An email! “Hello Tanya.” Tim Sanders, good evening.
“Please do tell us more about the crumble, and especially the casually-mentioned yet radical choice of brandy cream. Sultanas with the apple ? Oats in the crumble ? Brandy cream just for the time of year, or because it’s even better than custard / ice cream / cream.”
No sultanas. No oats – nuts. Delia said pecans but I didn’t have any so it was just the left over mixed nuts in the jar. Brandy cream because I asked my husband to get cream or custard and he got brandy cream (but not just any old brandy cream…)
In other news, David Gower is in a blue blazer and reporting windy Wellington weather.
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I’m feeling quite sleepy after a large meal topped off by apple crumble with brandy cream, so apologies if my updates start to wilt into the small hours. We don’t yet know if England have declared over night or if Stokes fancies an even larger lead.
Greedy for hat-tricks is Gus Atkinson.
“Everyone in New Zealand is buzzing about Chris Wood’s latest goal for Forest, beating Man Utd 3-2 at Old Trafford.
“(this may just be me)“
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And there’s more.
Ali has been busy this morning with his laundry but always has time for the Guardian’s OBO readers:
“It’s much windier today, could be a few gusts that make catching in the deep tricky. May also help Shoaib Bashir get some drift when it’s England’s time to bowl.”
This was Ali Martin’s take on yesterday’s play:
Preamble
Hello! As Storm Darragh huffs and puffs outside the window, over in Wellington, England are serenely sailing towards their first Test series win in New Zealand since 2008.
A second day on fast forward left the Kiwis bowled out for just 125 – a hat-trick for Gus Atkinson’s embossed leather wallet. Then England’s blades and guns did their bit – 90s for Duckett and the astonishing Bethell – while Joe Root has a chance to shuffle up the pantheon this evening if he can collect his 36th Test hundred (27 more needed).
You wish New Zealand a long second innings at this beautiful ground, but with the lead 533 already, you fear for their busted confidence. That 3-0 thrashing of India accelerates fast into the distance.
Play starts at 10pm, there’s room on the sofa for more.
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