Stokes has dropped a catch and the bowlers are two average test batters look like Kohli and Smith. Root of all people with the much needed wicket. It's only took an hour and a half.
New Zealand showing England how it should be done. No excuses from England who should have comfortably got to 450 batting first. That dropped catch from Stokes was huge with Watling going on to make an unbeaten hundred. Hopefully England fight back on day four and quickly take the remaining New Zealand wickets. They don't want to be looking at a deficit of 100+ runs on the first innings or they will be under huge pressure.
Real tough day for England. Expect them to go 1-0 down in the series now. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/50535010
Think you were overly optimistic there Deficit still over 200 with only 7 wickets left and Watkins got a double ton. Hard for day 4 to have gone worse. Expect us to lose by tea tomorrow
Unfortunately so fella. Woke up this morning hoping England would have at least had some sort of a lead with wickets in hand but it's not to be! I read recently Chris Silverwood and Joe Root both say they were targeting an ashes series win in Australia in 2 years time. That's all well and good but there a big issues to sort out. We can't seem to go one innings without having a batting collapse, our bowlers look very ordinary with the kookaburra ball.
The bowling was poor. Archer sent down 252 deliveries for just one wicket. New Zealand is where the pitches and conditions are most similar to our own. Root was in the big four of world cricket and is now down to 7th and will keep dropping.
He should be relieved of the captaincy duties as soon as this test match series finishes. Let him concentrate solely on his batting and getting back to his best without the added burden of the captaincy.
Bookies messed up there with New Zealand only just odds on to win at the start of day 5. Even at that point it should have been around 1/3. Everything was going OK with Stokes making up for his expensive first innings dropped catch. Then he decided stupidly to go after a wide delivery. Buttler didn't have a clue what he was doing either.
Went to bed at midnight with us 4 down thinking we might actually have a chance of saving this. Woke up to find England had done an England and wafted at a few wide ones and let ourselves down again.
LOL - how long have you been watching England. I too went to bed just before midnight with us 4 down - Root having thrown his wicket away thinking it will be all over by tea and long before I wake up - I don't think I was far out
When I saw England had bottled a moderately stable start, the likely outcome was NZ getting a lead and England losing by an innings. Seems the most likely outcome nowadays when the hope of a good start evaporates.
The only way worth watching the second test live for our fans would be to go corporate and take advantage of their huge list of different menus...... https://seddonpark.com/spaces/willows-lounge/
Im on South island .Going to try and make Hamilton for at least a day. True about epic scenery out here. Just warming up too . Cant say im gutted to miss Hull City on Saturday . Will be tuning in of course. You reds
