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Sport Nation
England chasing 104 to win first Test against the Blackcaps
Logan Swinkels • December 1st, 2024 1:30 pm
Photo: Photosport
A spirited opening half an hour of Test batting by the Blackcaps saw the hosts add 35 runs to their lead, until Braydon Carse struck for his fourth wicket of the innings to dismiss Nathan Smith (21) via LBW.
The on-field decision was sent for review with ball tracking showing that the bails would've been clipped off Smith's leg stump, bringing in Matt Henry to join Daryl Mitchell at the crease. Henry lasted two balls before a third brought Carse another wicket within the same over by LBW, leaving New Zealand scrambling at 192 for 8.
During his final walkout onto Hagley Oval in a Test match, the Christchurch crowd applauded Tim Southee who thanked them with an entertaining batting display, hitting two sixes off the bowling of Gus Atkinson in the 60th over, pushing the lead to 56 runs.
England captain Ben Stokes promptly adjusted his field placement to guard the boundaries, inviting Southee to take a big swing at Atkinson's bowling and that's exactly what he did - finding Joe Root at deep midwicket, sprinting to cover and secure the catch. And that's been the key difference between the two sides in this first Test: fielding.
A defiant 10th wicket partnership between Mitchell and Will O'Rourke put on an additional 45 runs, setting England a target of 104 runs to take a 1-0 series lead. Brydon Carse the pick of the bowlers with 6 for 42, including the final wicket of Mitchell (84).
England look to apply pressure on struggling Blackcaps bats
The feeling around the ground with the Blackcaps on 155 for 6, with a minuscule lead of four runs, is that the first Test is likely to wrap up on the fourth day with England looking to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.
Christchurch's weather is set bring a clear day with a high of 24 degrees (that's celsius if you're an American that loves their cricket) - Daryl Mitchell (31) and New Zealand Test debutant Nathan Smith (1) will resume play at the crease with four wickets in hand, while England's Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse will want to continue their strong second innings performance with the ball.
Join Sport Nation for our continued ball-by-ball commentary with Daniel McHardy, Jon Norman, Garth Gallaway, and Neil Manthorp, alongside experts Ian Smith, Jeremy Coney, Chris Harris, and Steve Harmison.
Here's a real treat for Day 4 - Coney is the master of the pitch report, this time he gets down onto his hands and knees to examine the quality of the wicket, with the watchful eye of umpire Kim Cotton.
Coney gets up close with the Hagley Oval pitch ahead of Day 4 | Sport Nation
Sport Nation has live ball-by-ball commentary of the first Test between the Blackcaps and England at Hagley Oval - available on all NZ frequencies and the new Sport Nation app - available on App Store and Google Play.
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