New Zealand 138 for 5 (Conway 72*, Blundell 21*) trail England 325 for 9 dec (Brook 89, Duckett 84) by 187 runs
New Zealand resumed on a ropey 37 for 3, still 288 runs adrift, but battle was joined from the day’s very first over, as Conway picked off three fours against Stuart Broad – two of them to his favoured flick off his toes despite backward square being in from the rope in a catching position.
Broad seemed to have sprung the same trap for Conway’s fellow left-hander, the nightwatchman Neil Wagner, who lofted a clip into the hands of a juggling Jack Leach on 11, only for the bowler to have overstepped.
The let-off briefly ticked Wagner into overdrive, as he greeted Broad’s next over with a four and two sixes, both hauled on the pull over the backward square boundary, but that was as good as it would get. One ball later, Broad served up the double-bluff, a fuller length cutter that Wagner could only clip in the air to midwicket. It was a notable moment too, as it registered the 1000th wicket that Broad and James Anderson had taken as an on-field pairing, since their first Test together at Wellington in 2008.
The new man in was a familiar thorn in England’s side. Mitchell had racked up a remarkable 538 runs in last year’s Test series, including centuries in each of the three Tests. This time, however, Ollie Robinson entered the attack and struck in his first over, as Mitchell padded up to a perfect nipbacker from outside off and was sent on his way, plumb lbw without scoring.
At 83 for 5, New Zealand’s innings was in danger of slipping away, but Conway was in no mood to be meek. He drilled his first ball after drinks, from Leach, through the covers for four and moved to a 98-ball half-century in Robinson’s next over, before hoisting the spin of Joe Root onto the sightscreen for a crisply launched six.
England kept probing for further breakthroughs, with Stokes ever inventive with his bowling changes, mixing and matching his spinners with a change of ends, and challenging New Zealand to keep thinking about their options. Conway, however, found a staunch ally in Tom Blundell, with whom he added 55 in 111 balls before the tea break.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
