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12:23 p.m.
Counter!!
Bracewell c Crawley b Large 13 Two card trick. Broad finally gets the change of ball, has a reaction from Kevin and Perry when he gets in his way, brings one back into Bracewell and hits him on the back leg, then pinches the next one to grab the edge. This time, Crawley moves and bites him. FOW265/7
12:19 p.m.
OVER 106: NZ 265/6 (Mitchell 87 Bracewell 13)
Giving it a tear does wonders for Leach as one spits out of the toeholds and spins square, past Bracewell’s pads. It is to be pondered. Good catch from Foakes. Barcewell sweeps for a single then Mitchell puts his dancing boots back on, goes down and strings a four down the middle, partially on the toe of the bat.
12:17 p.m.
OVER 105: NZ 260/6 (Mitchell 83 Bracewell 12)
Bracewell wouldn’t shoot Overton or Potts sooner, but comes in when Broad sits and begs outside. He doesn’t stick it and ends up scuffing it on the bottom edge for two.
For the fourth time in 70 minutes, England request the change of ball. And then a fifth time two bullets later. Broad throws it to the field after gathering in his follow-up, then throws it towards Foakes. If Dr Johnson was joking today, he would substitute Broad for his Scotsman and a ray of sunshine.
12:10 p.m.
OVER 104: NZ 257/6 (Mitchell 82 Bracewell 10)
Leach never thrives against southpaws but his captain is confident against Bracewell. Not that he can keep it to that end for more than a ball as he taps a record too long. He looks better against right-hander Mitchell if he’s guilty of playing a little short, aware of Mitchell’s love of going downtown. Stokes goes long to encourage high driving, but Mitchell bites his fingers, figuratively speaking, and plays five points.
12:01
OVER 103: NZ 256/6 (Mitchell 82 Bracewell 9)
Broad ends the hour with a young girl at Mitchell, sounding the canal, and the drinks come.
11:59
OVER 102: NZ 256/6 (Mitchell 82 Bracewell 9)
The spinner passes through the wicket at Bracewell. The ball spins and spins to the left-hander, who uses the movement to sweep with it through a deep back square for four. A little more flight keeps Bracewell guessing and Leach finishes the course with Foakes roaring his approval as one jumps up and transforms into Bracewell’s top flap.
11:56
OVER 101: NZ 252/6 (Mitchell 82 Bracewell 5)
The weird thing about Bairstow’s fall was that Crawley on the second slide, and the ball flew between them, didn’t flinch an inch. He never moved at all, not to get the ball, to get out of Jonny’s way or to dodge. Has he seen it?
Mitchell defends four and leaves two on Broad’s 19th. It’s Leach’s time.
11:51 a.m.
OVER 100: NZ 252/6 (Mitchell 82 Bracewell 5)
Bracewell has a fiddle when Potts tilts one at him but fails to hit the ball. It’s another young girl for Potts and leaves him after the fifth of that spell with 25-11-30-1. Northern boy. Correct graft.
11:47
OVER 99: NZ 252/6 (Mitchell 82 Bracewell 5)
After a flurry of four over Overton, Stuart Broad arrives. It’s a bit of a rocky start but gradually builds up to 82 mph. When he straightens up in the middle, Bracewell spanks halfway for four. ‘And some.
Drop! Broad shakes his head when he gets one to get away from Bracewell and he closes it to the right of the third slide. Bairstow goes with one hand and puts it down. He is furious with himself. Same goes for Broad taking his hat off with a big tug. Now, we’re talking about them getting too close to the bat…as well as each other.
11:41 a.m.
OVER 98: NZ 246/6 (Mitchell 82 Bracewell 0)
Bracewell follows fellow southpaw Nicholls in scratching out of the mark. At the end of Potts’ 10th maiden, he remains on a duck egg after 16 deliveries, but looks calmer than Nicholls, as well as Potts bowling.
Foakes is exonerated by Surrey man, former teammate and wicketkeeper brother Kumar Sangakkara. He says this drop shows how committed he is and how athletic he is. Well, absolutely. But what about his judgment?
11:35 a.m.
OVER 97: NZ 246/6 (Mitchell 82 Bracewell 0)
Overton tests Bracewell with a few bouncers, really tests his knees as he dodges both. Guess what? Stuart Broad wants the ball changed. After a no-ball, given high, Overton rounds the wicket to the left-hander and rushes him into a back foot defense. After another bouncer, Overton and Stokes beg to change the ball, both now deliveries. Keep playing. It lasted about six minutes.
11:29
OVER 96: NZ 244/6 (Mitchell 82 Bracewell 0)
Blundell may have been sawn off like so many batsmen have been in the past. This seems highly doubtful. Anyway, that’s how we were. He squared him off and kicked him on the back leg. And when it comes to Matty Potts, every good boy deserves a favor. He played very well yesterday and today.
11:25 a.m.
Counter!!!
Blundell LBW B Potts 55 The drummer shakes his head, knowing he can’t revise. I’m sure he would have too. It was a big inswinger that seemed to surprise him but looked into those eyes like he missed a leg stump. And there was a hint of edge too. FOW 243/6
11:24
OVER 95: NZ 243/5 (Mitchell 82 Blundell 55)
Fuller of Overton who, to be fair, varied his line. Blundell plays the point and run for cover, giving Mitchell a dollop of his own medicine. Mitchell is scoreless the rest of the way but adds four assists when Overton sprays one on his pads and runs off just fine.
The DRS is back down, so no criticism is allowed while Aleem Dar turns it off and on again.
11:21 a.m.
OVER 94: NZ 238/5 (Mitchell 82 Blundell 54)
Foakes isn’t judging glove errors as harshly as Bairstow and Buttler. But it was bad. Dropping the holds is forgivable. Dropping them from the hands of a teammate is less so.
Potts continues, fast and full, and piles up a young girl against Mitchell who appears to have held back after slashing him.
11:14 a.m.
OVER 93: NZ 238/5 (Mitchell 82 Blundell 54)
Obverton continues with the short ball strategy and Blundell steps into one, rolling his wrists and sticking it for four. Nice shot. Bairstow, at Leg Gully, comes into play when he makes a good diving save when Blundell shoots more finely.
11:12 a.m.
OVER 92: NZ 234/5 (Mitchell 82 Blundell 50)
Potts, not Broad, is Overton’s opening partner and he continues to be unlucky, or more accurately, plagued with bad luck. He points one at Mitchell and straightens it a good length to kiss the edge. The ball flew to the first slide for what would have been a routine catch for Joe Root, but Foakes dives and points at Root’s wrist and runs down the gully. They run two. Foakes had a good streak but it was reckless. Either that or Root is too close to his guardian. Either way, Root’s wrist is sore.
11:07
OVER 91: NZ 232/5 (Mitchell 80 Blundell 50)
Jamie Overton takes the honor on day two and repays his captain’s faith with a brutal bouncer at Blundell. The keeper-beater gets out of the way but not fast enough and he crashes into his shoulder and loops towards the keeper. Overton is cowardly goose early today and Blundell scores another quick run for a single, Mitchell grazes one of the toes. As they did at Trent Bridge, England now have a ravine for Blundell, but he can’t get in when Overton hits the outside channel and Blundell opens the face at the Root to slip four to the third man. This;’ his half-century.
10:24 a.m.
Hello
Mitchell and Blundell, Blundell and Mitchell. Will no one rid England of these rambunctious bats? For the third test in a row, Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell have established a century-long partnership and now Mitchell stands on the threshold of a third century in successive tests. How England must be kicking themselves for not considering the appeal before Matt Potts’ leg when it was dismissed. Ben Foakes did all the rounds well but he made that call and understandably, given that the bowler is a novice, Ben Stokes reported to him as he should have given him the responsibility.
But that shouldn’t take the shine off another good bowling effort from Stuart Broad, the ill-fated Potts and the lively Jamie Overton. Even better was the improvement shown by Jack Leach. He had to work with Jeetan Patel in the last 10 days from Trent Bridge as he managed to do a lot less drag downs and there were signs of drifting that weren’t in his arsenal before. This was the case for Will Young. Perhaps just as significantly, the Headingley crowd loves him because of 2019 and his bravery and applauds his every touch. If fans embrace you, confidence soon follows.
Rain is forecast for after tea, but it looks even more bracing when the sun is out. England hope to keep New Zealand around 350, rack up the points (although they will face Neil Wagner for the first time in the series, a bowler they have found very tricky in the past) and hope Leach can tear them up. He may have to. Broad has done a lot of work this series, Stokes has yet to play and maybe not the whole game, Potts will run all day but he and Overton are raw at this level.
Anyway, let’s go.
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