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England well in command of first Test as Blackcaps struggle on pivotal Day 3
Logan Swinkels • November 30th, 2024 7:00 pm
Photo: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport
England have enjoyed another strong day at Hagley Oval to be firmly in control of the first Test against the Blackcaps.
The third session of the day started poorly for the hosts with Rachin Ravindra (24) gifting his wicket into the secure hands of Jacob Bethell at deep square leg to be 64 for 3, ending his third-wicket partnership with Kane Williamson that had shown early signs of resistance.
69 runs past before Chris Woakes was destructive in the 36th over - first it was Williamson gone via LBW after a failed review, followed by Tom Blundell next ball, caught behind and another failed review, but the hat-trick wasn't to be as Glenn Phillips punched away the first delivery of the second innings - New Zealand in all sorts of trouble at 133 for 5.
A destructive over by Chris Woakes takes the wickets of Kane Williamson and Tom Blundell | Sport Nation
NZ's woes continued with Glenn Phillips given out LBW after another failed review - ball tracking showed the ball would barely clip the bails, but umpire Rod Tucker's original decision stands and Brydon Carse gets his third wicket of the innings to match Woakes.
At stumps, the Blackcaps are 155 for 6 with a small lead of four runs. It's hard to imagine this Test going much further unless we see a fightback that invokes the spirit of Neil Wagner at the Basin Reserve circa 2023.
Rachin Ravindra spoke with Sport Nation's lead cricket commentator Daniel McHardy following the day's play:
Blackcaps' openers fall early as England continue to charge
With a delicious steak lunch for the commentators barely settled, Matt Henry struck early in Day 3's second session to dismiss England skipper Ben Stokes on 80 with one wicket remaining.
Former New Zealand Test captain Tim Southee took that catch, before showing a determined effort to chase down a high ball off to Shoaib Bashir (5), combining again with Henry to end the visitor's innings. Brendon McCullum's side reached 499 for a 151-run lead.
While at the change of innings, Sport Nation cricket experts Jeremy Coney and Ian Smith lamented that New Zealand could not afford another poor session for the remainder of the first Test, Blackcaps captain Tom Latham lasted seven balls before departing via the bowling of Chris Woakes.
Smithy and Coney on why Blackcaps can't have another poor session against England | Sport Nation
England continued to apply the pressure with the Barmy Army finding their voice around the ground, Brydon Carse got the wicket of Devon Conway (8) to see both NZ openers gone early, leaving Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra to pick up the pieces.
Shortly before the tea break, Williamson brought up his 9000th run in Test career, an incredible achievement by the Tauranga Boys' College alumni who once again looks to 'steady the ship'. By the end of the second session, he was on 26, Ravindra on 23 to begin a promising third-wicket partnership, trailing England by 89 runs.
Here's a treat for you during the break in play - the debut of the brand-new Sport Nation TV commercial, inspired by Anchorman's iconic fight scene.
Sport Nation is the Kiwi voice of sport
Stokes' strokeplay races England to 111-run lead
Dropped catches were a major concern from New Zealand's day in the field yesterday, and that theme carried on early into Day 3 when Glenn Phillips dropped a gettable catch to give Harry Brook another life on 147 runs.
The new ball arrived thirty minutes into the first session, England skipper Ben Stokes signalled his intent with an aggressive swing and miss at Tim Southee's bowling. By the end of the first over with the new ball, the visitors reached 350 on the scoreboard and looking to tally a lead over the Blackcaps.
Come the 84th over, Stokes was pulling off some gorgeous cricket shots for all Test cricket fans to admire as the England captain brought up a 35th half-century of his Test career shortly after Brook reached 150.
"He's batting like a grownup today!", said Neil Manthorp of Stokes' innings so far on Sport Nation.
The ever-reliable Matt Henry got the first major breakthrough with the new ball, dismissing Brook on 171 (from 197 balls) who departed for the Hadlee Pavilion to a raucous standing ovation in the 86th over. Tom Latham then snagged a low catch at second slip off Southee's delivery to promptly send back Chris Woakes on 1.
The runs continued to flow for England, adding an additional 140 runs from their total at stumps, to hold a lead of 111 at 459 for 8 by the lunch break, losing three wickets in the process.
Matt Henry finally gets the wicket of Harry Brook | Sport Nation
Overcast conditions greet Blackcaps and England on pivotal Day 3
Good morning from Hagley Oval!
A cool overcast day has greeted cricket fans as the gates open up for a sold-out Day 3 with England resuming play at 11am on 319 for 5, trailing the Blackcaps by 29 runs. The wicket of Harry Brook remains the key target for the NZ side for the first session with the No. 5 batter on 132 not out, alongside skipper Ben Stokes on 37.
Foot holes are starting to develop on the surface - that wear and tear will look to become a factor later in play for the spin bowlers, according to Sport Nation's Chris Harris.
Chris Harris looks at the developing footholes on the Hagley Oval pitch ahead of Day 3
We also have good news for Android users of the Sport Nation app - an update is now available on Google Play that addresses the streaming errors. We thank those who have persevered with our recent tech issues - enjoy the cicket and thanks for sticking with us!
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.
