Key events
22nd over: New Zealand 105-3 (Mitchell 28, Latham 0) Target 176. Archer, bowling from the opposite end to that from which he begun the innings, sends down three dots then strikes when Ravindra picks out Rashid in the deep. And Archer has his second wicket maiden of the innings. An effortless leader of the attack pack.
Wicket! Ravindra c Rashid b Archer 54, NZ 105-3
From nowhere, Ravindra holes out with a pull to deep square leg where Rashid just has to watch it into his hands.
21st over: New Zealand 105-2 (Ravindra 54, Mitchell 28) Target 176. Ravindra sweeps Rashid for four, then thumps him down the ground for another that brings up a composed 50. The hundred comes up too for NZ and England’s need for wickets is now in the desperation zone. Rashid hasn’t quite been at it on this tour.
20th over: New Zealand 94-2 (Ravindra 44, Mitchell 27) Target 176. Dire necessity prompts the return of Archer to the attack. Ravindra is unfazed, cracking a too-full delivery to the long off boundary for four.
“I’m currently going around the Hanoke open air museum in Japan (think Yorkshire sculpture park – but in Japan),” writes Paul O’Neill, “so my grasp of cricket start times is confused to say the least. Should we be concerned about the form of England’s top order batters, given that most of them will be facing Starc, Lyon et al in Perth in a few weeks’ time?”
We should, up to a point, but it is a different form of cricket and, in general, England are paying the price here for the complete trashing of domestic 50-over cricket.
18th over: New Zealand 88-2 (Ravindra 39, Mitchell 26) Target 176. Ravindra mis-hits an attempted slog off Rashid but still grubs a single, as the steady accumulation continues. The hosts are Bon Jovi-ing it now (halfway there) and this’ll be done before anyone else in my household is up.
17th over: New Zealand 83-2 (Ravindra 37, Mitchell 23) Target 176. Mitchell has looked confident from the off, as he usually does, but Overton’s still getting the odd one to do something, and he beats Ravindra with a seaming beauty outside off but then undoes his good work with an overpitched delivery that’s creamed back past him for four.
“Did you notice this?” write M Varadarajan from Aluva in India. “Curious figures after Archer’s wide to begin second over were 1.1.1.1.!!! First over was a maiden with 1 wicket then it was 1.1.0.1. After bowling a wide to begin second over it became 1.1.1.1. Has it ever happened before, I wonder”
Almost certainly you’d think, but the beauty of cricket stats is it’s perfectly plausible that it hasn’t.
17th over: New Zealand 75-2 (Ravindra 31, Mitchell 21) Target 176. Spin now, with Rashid, and England needing some of his wizardry desperately, but the batters continue to work the gaps for respectful singles.
16th over: New Zealand 71-2 (Ravindra 29, Mitchell 19) Target 176. New Zealand only need to go at a little more than three an over so why Mitchell opted for a dab and run single is a bit of a mystery, but Overton’s rolled run-out attempt is off target. Ravindra then suddenly injects some aggression, with a brutal pull for SIX that threatens people and picnics on the grass banks.
15th over: New Zealand 63-2 (Ravindra 22, Mitchell 18) Target 176. The field is more scattered now as we near the end of the powerplay, and we could be in for some old-school middle-overs meandering. Two singles are followed by an edge from Mitchell high through the now-vacated slip area. If Mitchell didn’t mean that, he certainly meant the next – a high, pose-holding lofted straight drive for SIX. Low risk but aggressive. Perfect.
So they take drinks with New Zealand fairly in control of this chase after a tricky start.
14th over: New Zealand 51-2 (Ravindra 21, Mitchell 7) Target 176. The new ball may be starting to soften but Overton’s managing to find a bit of vim here and there, sharply beating Ravindra with a lifter outside off, as the hosts bring up their 50.
12th over: New Zealand 43-2 (Ravindra 19, Mitchell 1) Target 176. Overton replaces Carse and is appealing for a caught behind straight away, a possible strangle down leg, but Williamson’s not nicked it, and never looked like he had to my mind. But England burn a review on it, possibly on Joe Root’s advice.These batters are beginning to work their ones and twos but then, suddenly, Williamson is castled, and England are back in the game.
Wicket! Williamson b Overton 20, New Zealand 42-2
Just as they were getting on top, New Zealand lose Williamson beaten by an in-jagging cutter.
11th over: New Zealand 40-1 (Ravindra 18, Williamson 20) Target 176. A change of bowling, as Curran replaces Archer. His second ball is cracked through extra cover for four by Ravindra but Curran comes back brilliantly with a scrambled-seam inswinger that Ravindra plays all around, but another productive NZ over concludes with a textbook straight drive for four.
10th over: New Zealand 32-1 (Ravindra 10, Williamson 20) Target 176. Behold! An actual white-ball cricket shot – Ravindra hoiks a short Carse delivery high over midwicket for four. Williamson is later denied another boundary from a delicate late cut by a sprawling Archer, though how many England fans would really want Jofra to throw himself at that too vigorously? Williamson then does find the boundary with an exquisite cover drive, and suddenly NZ look in a healthy position – 11 from the over
9th over: New Zealand 21-1 (Ravindra 5, Williamson 14) Target 176. The first really driveable, overpitched ball Archer has sent down is skimmed to the long-off boundary for four, as the cat tries to walk across my keyboard. He’s evidently irked at England’s batting necessitating my early waking too. Five dots follow that boundary to keep the hosts on their toes
8th over: New Zealand 17-1 (Ravindra 5, Williamson 10) Target 176. Ravindra, who’s been inactive in recent overs, flicks for two on the legside off Carse, who responds with two back of a length beauties that beat the left-hander outside off. A leg bye then a single complete the over.
7th over: New Zealand 13-1 (Ravindra 3, Williamson 9) Target 176. New Zealand don’t need to take risks here, can just ease themselves into this chase with Proper Cricket shot selections, including the judicious leaves you need against an on-song Archer, who beats Williamson with a gorgeous full in-swinger. And when he produces another one, the batter appears to inside edge it to the keeper, diving low. Archer fancies it, and the umpires opt to review it, ultra-edge confirms bat involvement but has Buttler grasped it before it’s grounded? He hasn’t.
Another superb over from Archer, who has figures of 4-1-4-1.
6th over: New Zealand 13-1 (Ravindra 3, Williamson 9) Target 176. Carse is playing his part too, and he beats Williamson for pace with a beauty outside off stump before the batter produces the first boundary of the innings with an effortless square drive for four. England were 29-2 at this stage.
5th over: New Zealand 8-1 (Ravindra 3, Williamson 4) Target 176. This is really encouraging from Archer, as he makes Williamson reel again with another lovely in-jagger. The former NZ captain takes a flicked single on the legside but these batters aren’t inclined, or given the opportunity, to open their shoulders just yet.
4th over: New Zealand 7-1 (Ravindra 3, Williamson 3) Target 176. This pitch is offering plenty of pace and bounce for the England quicks, but Williamson is off the mark with an effortless push square on the off for two, to which Carse responds by digging one into his grill. Williamson, such is the player he is, just brushes it off.
3rd over: New Zealand 4-1 (Ravindra 3, Williamson 0) Target 176. Archer strays down legside and gets Extras off the mark, then he gets to work probing just back of a length outside the left-hander’s off stump. Ravindra gets on top of one delivery with a firm cut in front of square for two.
2nd over: New Zealand 1-1 (Ravindra 1, Williamson 0) Target 176. Carse takes the new ball at the other end, and is pretty on the money too. Ravindra’s dab on the offside finally gets the hosts off the mark, but this is a necessarily good start from England, though they started well with the ball three days ago too. And they have even fewer runs to play with here.
1st over: New Zealand 0-1 (Ravindra 0, Williamson 0) Target 176. Archer gets some zip and movement and cuts Young in half with a beauty third ball, the appropriate working-out for the lower inswinger that follows and gets Young lbw. And he has a shout for leg before against Williamson too, which is turned down. England fancy this though and go for a review. It looked possibly too high with the naked eye, and it is indeed going over off stump. But a sensational wicket maiden to start
Wicket! Young lbw b Archer 0, New Zealand 0-1
Perfect start for England! Archer pins Will Young in front with an inswinger and has to Leave Right Now (sorry).
Tom Davies
Morning/evening/whatever it is, everyone. Anyone northern hemisphere based been up for the duration? Anyway, Jofra has the ball and England have it all to do. Here we go …
James Wallace
A lovely moment for Blair Tickner as he picks up four wickets on his international return. England’s batting was a bit of a confused mess to be honest, they have it all to do with the ball to keep this series alive.
There will be a short break now as Tom Davies rouses himself from slumber earlier than he would have hoped/planned in order to slide into the OBO armchair and bring you the chase. Thanks for your company, ta-ra.
England all out for 175!
Tickner gets his fourth wicket as Rashid is pouched at midwicket. England’s batting card does not make for pretty reading. New Zealand shared the wickets and caught their catches, they are overwhelming favourites to take this game and with it the series.
35th over: England 175-9 (Archer 2, Rashid 9) Shot! Adil Rashid plops Santner onto the grass bank behind midwicket for SIX!
34th over: England 168-9 (Archer 2, Rashid 2) Rashid joins Archer for a last wicket hurrah. Of sorts.
WICKET! Jamie Overton c Santner b Tickner 42 (England 165-9)
Tickner has three! Overton is caught at mid off from an ungainly hack and there goes England’s chances of a competitive total.
32nd over: England 165-8 (Overton 41, Archer 0) Mitch Santner keeps new man Jofra Archer quiet with a rapid fire maiden.
WICKET! Brydon Carse c Mitchell b Tickner 3 (England 164-8)
Carse has to depart! Caught on the rope off a flat hook, Tickner bags his second wicket in his return match.
31st over: England 162-7 (Overton 41, Carse 2) New Zealand lose a review as Santner sends one upstairs for an LBW shout against Overton but it hit the big fella outside the line. Overton then retorts with a languid cover drive for four.
29th over: England 156-7 (Overton 36, Carse 1) Tickner returns and is greeted by some Overton humpty! A four over midwicket and another rocket-launched SIX down the ground.
WICKET! Sam Curran b Bracewell 17 (England 143-7)
Sam Curran is sent on his way by an absolute beauty from Bracewell. Flight and dip, fizzing grip, off peg knocked back.
28th over: England 141-6 (Curran 16, Overton 23) Ten off the over for England as Santner drops short and is punished by Curran. Overton uses his huge frame to get out to a length ball and flex a second four down the ground.
27th over: England 131-6 (Curran 11, Overton 18) The batters rotate strike as the re-build job continues.
26th over: England 126-6 (Curran 9, Overton 15) Jamie Overton can hit a long ball and he shows it by bunting Santner over long on for SIX with a minimum of fuss.
25th over: England 118-6 (Curran 8, Overton 8) Overton cuts Bracewell for four and we reach the half way point in the innings. England have lost over half of their wickets and are in real danger of surrendering the series at the earliest opportunity.
24th over: England 109-6 (Curran 5, Overton 3) Jamie Overton is the new man. He stoops to block out a Santner yorker first ball. England’s ultra aggressive approach is costing them once again in New Zealand, there ain’t a lot of batting to come after these two.
WICKET! Harry Brook c Young b Santner 34 (England 105-6)
Brook is gone! A rash shot as he drives uppishly to Santner and Will Young pulls off a one handed diving grab at backward point!
23rd over: England 105-5 (Brook 33, Curran 4) Spin from both ends for the Kiwis as Bracwell comes on and rattles through an over for just one run.
22nd over: England 104-5 (Brook 33, Curran 4) Harry Brook is playing a lone hand once again, he slog sweeps Santner for SIX to bring up England’s one hundred.