England push result in 368 as Neil Wagner bears brunt of onslaught

Dinner England 325 for 9 dec and 349 for 8 (Robinson 30*, Leach 2*) lead New Zealand 306 (Blundell 138, Conway 77, Robinson 4-54) by 368 runs

New Zealand might want to pull off the best profitable chase of their Test historical past after one other extraordinary English batting efficiency on the third afternoon at Mount Maunganui – one through which Neil Wagner was left nursing one of the costly bowling analyses of all time.

By the dinner break, England had pushed that result in 368 in a second innings of 349 for 8. Their runs shared all down the order, together with 4 scores between Ollie Pope’s tempo-setting 49 from 46 balls, and Joe Root’s 57 from 62. The solely man within the prime 9 who failed to achieve double-figures, actually, was the self-styled “Nighthawk”, Stuart Broad, who was bombed out by a bouncer in Wagner’s second over of the day – a uncommon private excessive spot earlier than he was flogged from the assault with the eye-watering figures of 11-0-104-2.

It was a day of two tempos for England – over-drive within the first session, through which 158 runs have been racked up in 25.1 overs, together with Harry Brook’s coruscating 54 from 41, his sixth half-century in eight Test innings – then cruise-control thereafter, as Ben Foakes introduced up the rear of an innings that – at 237 for six – had at one stage threatened to skid uncontrolled.

Foakes finally fell for 51, caught behind off the persevering Blair Tickner, one ball after mentioning his fourth half-century with a pull by way of midwicket from his 79th ball. On his watch, England have been capable of prolong their innings into the 69th over – and so be certain that New Zealand, as on the primary day, would start their innings with the floodlights kicking in, nominally the hardest time to bat in a pink-ball Test.

Tellingly Foakes arrived on the crease earlier than his captain, Ben Stokes – a tacit acknowledgement that England might do with chilling their tempo, having at that stage shed 5 wickets in hurtling alongside to 225 in extra of a run a ball. Stokes himself finally appeared at No. 8, after Root had fallen to a reverse-sweep on the stroke of tea, and although he took 12 deliveries to get off the mark, he wasn’t destined to remain quiet for lengthy.

The web impact of England’s tempo was to masks the true nature of a pitch that’s clearly on the benign aspect, however was providing some spin to Bracewell by the again finish, and a two-paced nature to the quicks. After Broad’s dismissal, Root’s first boundary got here from a cagey inside-edge off Tim Southee and whereas he discovered his toes, it was left to Pope to set the tempo in a withering show of aggression, together with two mighty launches up and over tremendous leg for six off Wagner, to sign his staff’s intent to climb again onto the offensive.

Two extra sixes adopted in Wagner’s subsequent over – one apiece for Pope and Root this time, who had discovered his personal timing with a clip for 4 off Southee. Both disappeared in the identical route, excessive down the leg aspect as Wagner’s left-arm, body-battering line was used towards him to mighty impact.

Pope’s subsequent trick was to take Wagner down the bottom, retreating to leg to open up his choices with a brace of tennis-smashed fours, and although he succumbed in the identical over, gloving one other pull down the leg aspect along with his half-century beckoning, the arrival of Brook – whose first-innings 89 from 81 had been inside touching distance of his fourth hundred in as many Tests – was not precisely an indication that England have been about to vary tack.

Like Root earlier than him, Brook took an over or two to search out his toes. He may need fenced to Henry Nicholls within the gully when Kuggeleijn shocked him with a uncommon full-length supply, and was inches away from holing out to sq. leg on the pull as effectively. But he too turned up the amount when Wagner got here again into his sights, crushing two extra fours and an enormous six over cow nook to get totally into the swing of issues.

Brook saved his most startling fireworks for the eleventh and last over of Wagner’s spell, nonetheless, belting 4, 4, 4, six in an 18-run over that set him on the right track for a 37-ball fifty. Wagner retreated with the most-expensive evaluation from a bowler’s first 11 overs since ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data started – knocking Bryce McGain off prime spot. But earlier than Brook might go a lot additional, Tickner caught him in two minds with the fuller size, and Daryl Mitchell clung on effectively at slip.

England’s response to that dismissal was to ship out Foakes forward of Stokes – a slight admission, maybe, that their tempo was a contact too excitable for a staff that wished, in accordance with Root’s morning feedback to the broadcaster, to reassess on the dinner break. Sure sufficient, on the appointed hour, they’d given themselves the correct. The solely slight concern was a knee twinge for Ollie Robinson, who batted on after therapy to achieve 30 not out on the break.