Devon Conway, Tom Blundell resist after early England breakthroughs

Tea New Zealand 138 for five (Conway 72*, Blundell 21*) path England 325 for 9 dec (Brook 89, Duckett 84) by 187 runs

New Zealand resumed on a ropey 37 for 3, nonetheless 288 runs adrift, however battle was joined from the day’s very first over, as Conway picked off three fours towards Stuart Broad – two of them to his favoured flick off his toes regardless of backward sq. being in from the rope in a catching place.

Broad appeared to have sprung the identical lure for Conway’s fellow left-hander, the nightwatch Neil Wagner, who lofted a clip into the arms of a juggling Jack Leach on 11, just for the bowler to have overstepped.

The let-off briefly ticked Wagner into overdrive, as he greeted Broad’s subsequent over with a 4 and two sixes, each hauled on the pull over the backward sq. boundary, however that was pretty much as good as it could get. One ball later, Broad served up the double-bluff, a fuller size cutter that Wagner may solely clip within the air to midwicket. It was a notable second too, because it registered the one thousandth wicket that Broad and James Anderson had taken as an on-field pairing, since their first Test collectively at Wellington in 2008.

The new man in was a well-known thorn in England’s facet. Mitchell had racked up a exceptional 538 runs in final 12 months’s Test sequence, together with centuries in every of the three Tests. This time, nonetheless, Ollie Robinson entered the assault and struck in his first over, as Mitchell padded as much as an ideal nipbacker from outdoors off and was despatched on his approach, plumb lbw with out scoring.

At 83 for five, New Zealand’s innings was at risk of slipping away, however Conway was in no temper to be meek. He drilled his first ball after drinks, from Leach, by means of the covers for 4 and moved to a 98-ball half-century in Robinson’s subsequent over, earlier than hoisting the spin of Joe Root onto the sightscreen for a crisply launched six.

England saved probing for additional breakthroughs, with Stokes ever ingenious along with his bowling modifications, mixing and matching his spinners with a change of ends, and difficult New Zealand to maintain serious about their choices. Conway, nonetheless, discovered a staunch ally in Tom Blundell, with whom he added 55 in 111 balls earlier than the tea break.