- Barney Ronay: why England need to ditch Bayliss
- England women ease to T20 victory over Australia
- And email Tim here or tweet him here, if you fancy
While we’re on the subject of insomnia, here are a few stats. NZ have scored slower than England (2.45 runs an over, to England’s 2.80). But they have already batted more than four times as long – 95 overs, to England’s pitiful 20.4. Every NZ batsman has lasted at least half an hour; only two Englishmen managed that (Stoneman and Overton). Overton, who made 33 not out, is still the third-top scorer in the match. His strike rate, 132 runs per hundred balls, dwarfs that of Nicholls (34). Kane Williamson not only made much the biggest score of the game, with his measured 102; he also, as captain, went through a whole innings without making a bowling change.
Paul Cockburn has a good point. “Before the inevitable tide of insomniac emails from England fans, can I just put in a word for the NZ bowling attack? OK: 58 is shocking, but Boult and Southee are a genuinely top-class bowling attack, and a decent chunk of that low score is down to them. They do have form in this, after all, as the World Cup down here showed England before…” Very true. And Boult, especially, was on fire on the first afternoon here, as we keep seeing, again and again, when Sky fills space with the highlights.
If you fancy England to win this match, they are 66-1. New Zealand, on the other hand, are 1-3. I know where my fiver would be going, if the Guardian had only thought to build an all-night bookie into their office.
An email has landed. Thank you, Oliver Deed. “The Kiwis might as well declare now. After England’s first innings shambles, does anyone seriously think we will chase down 175? 75 would be progress.” Well, yes, but catastrophic team scores tend to be followed by something more solid. Remember the 40-odd all out in Trinidad, and the hundred stand for the first wicket in Barbados, by Atherton and Stewart?
It could be a long night. If you’re up and about, you have two options: go to bed now or send in an email. Tell us what’s on your mind, what you’re up to and where you are, or how to fix England’s Test team.
Sod’s law: after all that excitement, they’ve gone off again.
95th over: New Zealand 233-4 (Nicholls 52, Watling 18) Joe Root was only bowling Moeen because he had to, so here’s Jimmy Anderson. Round the wicket to the left-handed Nicholls, he gets some swing away towards the slips. But when one goes straight on, Nicholls tucks it away for a couple, and that’s the second individual fifty of the match – off 149 balls, three of which have gone for four. Dear Younger Reader, this is how everyone used to go about Test cricket. Especially in New Zealand.
94th over: New Zealand 230-4 (Nicholls 49, Watling 18) At the other end it’s Stuart Broad. “England have had control for the most part,” says Mike Atherton – his tone adding “if that’s even possible when you’ve been shot out for 58”. Watling is watchful, Broad is a touch wide of off, and that’s a maiden.
93rd over: New Zealand 230-4 (Nicholls 49, Watling 18) Watling, purposeful again, plays a neat lap for a single. Nothing so frivolous from Nicholls. And the Barmy Army sing Jerusalem, with rather too much echo attached because the ground is largely empty.
It’s gloomy, according to John Etheridge of the Sun on Twitter, and the lights are on. “but there’s been no rain so far”. If they do start on time, it will be Moeen Ali to resume after bowling one ball of a new spell.
A tweet has landed, hours before play starts. Is this a record? It’s from Robert Park, who has an update on the weather. “Severe thunderstorm watch issued for Auckland for tonight,” he notes, trying to sound solemn. “Might be that the rain gods help us salvage a draw?” The answer to that may be another question: how long would you back England to hold out?
An afternoon of high drama, followed by a day of rain and not much else:so what comes next? England got this match off to a gobsmacking start by batting like there was no tomorrow. New Zealand, so far, have batted as if it was the day before yesterday, all patience and rectitude and playing within their limitations. Just before yesterday’s wash-out, BJ Watling was beginning to change that with some silky strokes, so let’s see if he can give this game the hurry-up.
More showers are forecast today, but not till teatime (around 3am GMT, 4pm in Auckland). By then, New Zealand’s lead, already a hefty 171, may be large enough for Kane Williamson to declare and go for the jugular, or, as cricket lovers call it, an innings victory.
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