82nd over: New Zealand 329-7 (Jamieson 21, Phillips 65) Baker continues, surprising the animated Phillips with one that keeps low. He goes short to Jamieson, though, and the hulking New Zealand quick needs to get checked out buy the doc again after another blow to the helmet. Hope he’s OK. After a break in play, Jamieson ends the over with a beautiful punch through the covers for four. England are leaking plenty here.
John Starbuck writes in:
Another drop! This time by Duckett, who’s usually a pretty reliable fielder. I suspect some of the drops at Lord’s, such as those by Rachin Ravindra, may be down to too-powerful sun glasses. Is Ducket sporting them today?
Duckett’s shades were, curiously, resting on his cap.
81st over: New Zealand 324-7 (Jamieson 17, Phillips 64) The new ball is taken – time for England to get out of bouncer mode. Tongue will continue as Phillips welcomes the fresh cherry, clipping through midwicket for the shot of the morning with a lovely little flourish of the blade. Tongue responds by nipping it away from the outside edge.
80th over: New Zealand 318-7 (Jamieson 16, Phillips 59) Jamieson slaps Baker through the off-side, then makes room for a mighty smack … he edges away over Rew for four more. The big man is here to have fun as he launches to deep midwicket … and Ben Duckett, backpedalling, drops it! That should have been snaffled; Baker was already celebrating. To make matters worse for the debutant, Phillips pulls away for another boundary, the third of the over. A very tidy start to the day for New Zealand.
Updated
79th over: New Zealand 305-7 (Jamieson 7, Phillips 55) It’s Josh Tongue to bound in from the Pavilion End – he goes short and Phillips offers no shot, the ball smashing into his belly button. Ouch. England are going full bumper mode, with three men on the leg-side boundary, and midwicket just a few yards in front of the rope. And is Jamieson gone, gloving the ball high, with Rew collecting? Nah, off the helmet. And a no ball, too. Jamieson will get checked out by the doc.
Half-century for Glenn Phillips!
78th over: New Zealand 300-7 (Jamieson 6, Phillips 54) The sun has poked through at the Oval … as Baker goes short, the ball loose and swinging away to the ropes for byes. Short again with the next delivery – and Phillips gets something on it, top-edging as the ball flies over James Rew, evading the fingertips. And that’ll be his fifty too. Baker, in the high-80s, continues to angle the ball into Phillips, who gets a single to keep the strike.
Updated
Right then, it’ll be Sonny Baker to get us going, with Glenn Phillips on strike. Let’s play!
“New Zealand, if they don’t make it to 400, will be very, very disappointed on this deck,” says Mark Butcher on Sky. It’s up to Phillips to get them there, unbeaten on 49 and the leading run-scorer in the series after a couple of decent knocks at Lord’s.
Mark Wood is on Sky’s broadcast, rocking some lime sunglasses. Glenn Phillips got the shades on yesterday, too – while facing Jofra Archer’s bouncer show.
It was a day Sonny Baker will never forget.
Even this morning I could feel the anxiety build up in my stomach, I was trying to play cards on the bus to try and take my mind off the gravity of the situation.
Simon Burnton was focused on the old-new captain.
Would we once again see the Root who led and often carried the team between 2017 and 2022, a new Root reshaped by four years spent working with Brendon McCullum? Or a Root who – as Stokes’s stand-in – felt obliged to attempt an impersonation?
Andy Bull kept a close eye on the unreadable Brendon McCullum yesterday.
It’s increasingly hard to say what’s going on behind those shades. The man’s the Anna Wintour of the wicket.
Preamble
Well, that was nice: a semi-normal day of Test cricket, wickets in single figures, enough there for the quicks, New Zealand’s batters able to get in … with only Glenn Phillips still on course to go big.
Of course, this isn’t a normal Test at all for England, with three debutants in the mix alongside an interim captain. Sonny Baker got to show off his wheels yesterday, firing the ball in at the toes, highlighting his value on this stage after a couple of torrid white-ball appearances. He’s still got work to do this morning, though; Joe Root may well turn to him to help wipe out the tail. And then, potentially, a glimpse at the new shiny toys at six and seven.
It’s cloudy but dry in south London so we’ll get going at 11am BST (fingers crossed). Join myself and James Wallace for all the fun.
