Brydon Carse spent most of last summer confined to watching cricket on television and mulling over the advice he received from Ben Stokes about how to handle his gambling ban.
Now he has a ten wicket haul in a Test, becoming the first English seamer to do so overseas in 16 years, a man of the match award in only his third game and Stokes describing as a bowler with the “heart of a lion.”
It is quite a turnaround. “Own it, and learn from it,” was Stokes’s guidance from his own lived experience when Carse was banned in June for three months for historic gambling offences. A “stupid mistake” Carse called it. A kick up the backside is another way of putting at it and one that has worked for a 29 year-old who looked as if he may have squandered his talent.
Over rounds of golf – what else? – Stokes assured Carse England would stick by him and he was as good as his word, selecting him for the Pakistan tour as soon as his suspension ended. Now he is reaping the rewards of that loyalty.
“I had some chats (with Carse) and when those kinds of things come from someone who knows what it’s like to go through certain stuff it means a bit more to the person listening,” said Stokes. “He knows how much value I have in him as a player. I guess it might make him run a little bit harder when it’s me asking him to bowl an extra over.”
Carse repaid the faith with six for 42, to go with his four in the first innings, and finished with match figures of 10 for 106 as England beat New Zealand by eight wickets at Hagley Oval to go 1-0 up in the series.
Jacob Bethell’s 37 ball fifty in the rapid sprint to England’s 104 target, knocked off in less than an hour at eight an over, completed a remarkably successful week for the Bazballers, who look reborn after their travails in Pakistan.
With his unsettling pace, bounce and aggression Carse has given a real snap to the England attack, but he is more than a bang it in enforcer, and used his skills on a pitch that flattened out. He nipped out the first two wickets on day four with pitched up seaming deliveries, reward for the technical work on his action he did with Durham bowling coach, Graham Onions, during his ban. He also built up his fitness too while suspended and has not once left the field for a breather between spells.
Carse’s success should make Ollie Robinson – the Sussex one, not the keeper from Durham – green with envy and realise what he has frittered away. Carse’s 19 wickets at 17.10 in three games, two of them on dustbowls in Pakistan, make the Ashes attack look a lot more potent than it did at the start of last summer.
“I’ve known Ben for 10 years and we have a good relationship. To have him captain me and be there is a massive factor – he knows my cricket inside out. It’s a very calming influence on me, letting me be myself and play my natural game,” said Carse. “I don’t want to say I knew this day would come, but I was always ambitious to think I can play cricket at this level. I’m just very proud of today’s performance.”
These were Carse’s best figures in first-class cricket and he was Stokes’s go-to bowler, taking three of the final four New Zealand wickets to fall in an extended morning session. He even came back to finish off a last wicket stand of 45 with the dismissal of Daryl Mitchell, who ignored the digs about ‘red inkers’ and selfish batting from the England fielders to make 84. With the Mitchell dismissal, caught in the deep, Carse became the first seamer since Ryan Sidebottom in 2008 to bag ten wickets overseas. Carse’s figures were the best by an England seamer on tour since Matthew Hoggard in Johannesburg 19 years ago. Already, he has gone one better than James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
After coming in at nine for one for his first taste of Test cricket on day two when the ball was nibbling around, this time Bethell could enjoy himself. He showed his shotplaying talent with eight fours and one six, bringing up his fifty with the single that sealed England’s win.
This was a fine victory against a team that recently stunned India 3-0 on their own pitches. From 71 for four after Ben Duckett’s dismissal in the first innings, in reply to New Zealand’s 348, England recovered to make 499, and control the match through Harry Brook’s 171 with the helping hands of the New Zealand fielders.
New Zealand dropped Brook on 18 in the over after they removed Duckett. If Glenn Phillips had held on at gully, the Test would probably have followed a different course. To then drop Brook four more times and spill a remarkable eight in England’s 499 was knuckleheaded.
For Stokes, the victory was just what he needed and rounded off a successful homecoming to the city of his birth. He was sharper with his tactics and happier with his form although a back twinge that stopped him bowling halfway through his fifth over of the morning was a worry.
Bethell was picked at no 3, one of those punts this regime enjoys so much, and while his second innings runs were a nice bonus, what really mattered was that the depth in the side’s batting allowed them to gamble higher up. Bethell only made ten in the first innings but with Pope at six and Stokes at seven there was a hard underbelly to England’s batting. Pope’s 77 and Stokes’s 80 were backed up by more belligerence from Atkinson who made 48 and Carse, who smoked three sixes in 33. The last five wickets added 277, the final three 117.
New Zealand were carried by Kane Williamson, the only batsmen England really had to work hard to dismiss in both innings. Mitchell rediscovered his form but the rest were guilty of gifting wickets and you wonder if there was some complacency after the India win.
The Hagley Oval was a glorious venue for four days, with sold out crowds and sunny skies throughout. It had a welcome, old fashioned feel with fans allowed on the outfield at lunch and children running round the boundary edges to queue up for autographs.
England looked happier too, the players jumping on e-scooters to ride back to their hotel every night, beeping at fans on their way past. The Basin Reserve in Wellington is sold out for the second Test. The series is bubbling nicely.
02:17 AM GMT
England captain Ben Stokes speaking post-match
“It is a very good way to start the tour and I am very happy that we performed for the whole week. We got put under pressure on day two so to be able to go on to make a big first innings score was very nice. Our bowlers were relentless. You need a little luck along the way but you need to make those innings count when the opposition drops catches. Brooky always seems to find the funny side of everything. He is an incredible player and talent. To have someone of his ability in our middle order is outstanding. He is constantly looking to put pressure on the opposition and he is going from strength to strength as player.
“I have been fortunate enough to grow up with Brydon [Carse] at Durham and I always knew he had potential and talent. To see him come into this team and make such an impact so early on is amazing. He is an absolute work-horse who will continue to charge in. Chasing those little targets can sometimes be difficult and everyone knew how we were going to approach that. The quicker we could get them the smaller the target seems. Jacob [Bethell] has been doing that all summer in the white-ball games.
“We found ourselves in a tricky place in that first innings and I built a partnership with Brooky to make sure we got up to a good total. Having a long batting lineup like we do has proved valuable in this Test. I have not spent that much time out in the middle for a while. It has been a pretty heavy week, spending a lot of time in the field, bowled 20 overs and spending time out in the middle batting. I hurt my back diving in the field but it was more management that anything else. Where we were in the game I did not think it was necessary to eke out any more balls than I needed to. We are raring to go for Wellington. We will see what team we select in Wellington.”
02:08 AM GMT
The thoughts of New Zealand captain Tom Latham
“Having been put into bat, we were happy with the position we put them in and we had our opportunities which on another day those catches go to hand and things might be slightly different but unfortunately that is the sport we play. Some days it just does not fall your way. From our point of view it is always an attitude thing in the field. We do not mean to drop catches and we are trying. Hopefully we can do better next time.
“You always want more. We had some good partnerships at the top on the first day but if you are able to extend those partnerships then you might extend it out to 100 more [runs to win]. We had our moments where things could have been slightly different but against a quality side like England with quality players who put you under pressure those mistakes can hurt.
“For everyone it is about contributing the best they can and I am no different. We are all working hard and that will not change in the coming days. From our point of view it is about staying level and we have another opportunity in a few days.”
02:02 AM GMT
Man of the match Brydon Carse
“I am very proud of the outcome today and to be able to win as a team. It is very satisfying. We were thrown different challenges throughout the game but I think as a group we stuck to certain plans and we got our rewards. All the bowlers contributed in different ways, different fields we were setting. Everything paid off towards the end.
“The surfaces in Pakistan were very different to this. There is a lot more carry and bounce here which suited my style of bowling a little bit more. I am very happy with my own personal performance. Me and Gus [Atkinson] have a good relationship off the field and we had a good conversation about the batting last night. I said that I just edged him with the sixes.”
01:50 AM GMT
England win by eight wickets
Bethell smacks Smith over deep square leg for six, meaning England need just three more to win. He then uppercuts for two more and just one more run is required. And there we have it as Bethell pulls it away for one to win the game for England. That single brings up his maiden Test fifty off just 37 balls; a great moment for young Bethell. England go 1-0 up in the series.
01:45 AM GMT
OVER 12: ENG 95/2 (Bethell 41 Root 23)
Root picks O’Rourke up and gets underneath it to send it for six over fine leg. The connection was so pure on that shot.
Just nine more runs required and I cannot believe I am saying this but we are having drinks! You could not write it with England needing just nine more runs to win the Test match. Sums up cricket!
01:40 AM GMT
OVER 11: ENG 86/2 (Bethell 39 Root 16)
Bethell pulls Smith away fine but O’Rourke cannot cut it off and prevent the boundary. Bethell is having some fun here.
England require just 18 more to win.
01:36 AM GMT
OVER 10: ENG 77/2 (Bethell 33 Root 14)
Bethell flicks off his hips and gets four down to fine leg. New Zealand then review for caught behind as Bethell attempted to pull away but it hit a sweatband on his arm so it will remain not out. Bethell goes for the pull again and gets a top edge but it lands safely.
01:31 AM GMT
OVER 9: ENG 71/2 (Bethell 28 Root 13)
A more sedate over from England there, scoring just four runs.
England need 33 more to win.
01:27 AM GMT
OVER 8: ENG 67/2 (Bethell 26 Root 12)
Joe Root is in at four. He is off the mark third ball with an edge through a gap in the slip cordon for four. O’Rourke then drops too short and Root cuts away for four more. Root finishes the over with a third boundary as he emphatically pulls in front of square for four more.
01:23 AM GMT
Wicket
Duckett c Henry b O’Rourke 27 Duckett’s fun is over as O’Rourke gets a wicket with his first ball in this second innings, uppercutting straight to Henry at third man. FOW 55/2
01:21 AM GMT
OVER 7: ENG 55/1 (Bethell 26 Duckett 27)
Nathan Smith is brought on to replace Southee and Bethell welcomes him into the attack by belting him through mid-off for four. He then whacks him off the back foot in front of square for four more. His white-ball skills coming to the fore here and England look like they are in a hurry to finish this game off. This is quite selfless batting from a debutant, not thinking about his own numbers.
Another four comes his way as he belts Smith over mid-on to bring up the 50 already. Make that four fours in the over as he smashes another boundary back past Smith. The 50 partnership comes up in quick time.
01:18 AM GMT
OVER 6: ENG 39/1 (Bethell 10 Duckett 27)
Bethell is now charging the bowlers as he advances to Henry, smacking it straight back past him for four. The field is already spread for the rampaging Duckett.
England need 65 more runs to win.
01:14 AM GMT
OVER 5: ENG 31/1 (Bethell 4 Duckett 26)
Duckett starts off Southee’s latest over by driving back past him for four He then pulls away for six over fine leg’s head. He comes down the wicket and pulls away for two. Duckett is on the charge, attempting a reverse ramp but it does not come off.
He finishes the over with another four as he pulls behind square in between the fielders. 16 from the over.
01:09 AM GMT
OVER 4: ENG 15/1 (Bethell 4 Duckett 10)
Bethell gets off the mark in fortunate circumstances as an inside edge comes so close to crashing into his stumps but instead runs away for four.
01:07 AM GMT
OVER 3: ENG 11/1 (Bethell 0 Duckett 10)
You think you have seen it all but then you witness something like that. Duckett comes inside the ball and ramps over his head from miles outside off for four. He then flicks away through midwicket for four. Duckett is at his best when he takes the attack to the opposition and that is what he is doing here.
He guides one to wide third man for two.
01:03 AM GMT
OVER 2: ENG 1/1 (Bethell 0 Duckett 0)
Debutant Jacob Bethell is in at three. Wicket maiden from Henry.
01:01 AM GMT
Wicket
Crawley c&b Henry 1 Crawley falls cheaply again to Henry in this Test match. He drives one back and Henry takes the return catch well. How much should Crawley’s position in this team be under threat? FOW 1/1
12:58 AM GMT
OVER 1: ENG 1/0 (Crawley 1 Duckett 0)
Crawley gets the first run of the chase with a drive through backward point for one.
Southee bowls a beauty to Duckett that comes in a little and somehow misses both the outside edge and the top of off stump.
Duckett finishes the over charging down the ground and going for a big swing but misses.
12:54 AM GMT
104 to win
Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett stride out to the crease with England needing 104 runs to go 1-0 up in the series. Tim Southee has the new ball in hand.
12:35 AM GMT
Get your fix
12:23 AM GMT
Special moment for Carse
12:16 AM GMT
New Zealand all out for 254
Mitchell c Woakes b Carse 84 Mitchell’s good innings comes to an end as he finds Woakes at long-off which gives Carse his sixth wicket in this innings and 10 in the match. Well bowled sir! There was a lengthy check for no-ball but I have no idea why as he was absolutely fine. That will be lunch, after which England will need 104 to win. FOW 254 all out
12:14 AM GMT
OVER 74: NZ 254/9 (Mitchell 84 O’Rourke 5)
Mitchell pulls aerially but it lands safely and he comes through for a single. He is now just 16 short of a ton.
New Zealand lead by 103 runs.
12:08 AM GMT
OVER 73: NZ 252/9 (Mitchell 83 O’Rourke 5)
Bashir did not look like taking a wicket and he is out of the attack, with Brydon Carse returning. England allowed the new Zealand tail to wag in the first innings and they have done so again in the second. Definitely something for England to work on.
O’Rourke sees out the maiden over.
12:04 AM GMT
OVER 72: NZ 252/9 (Mitchell 83 O’Rourke 5)
Halfway through the over Ben Stokes brings up the field. Mitchell takes advantage by flicking over the legside for four.
Off the final ball he pulls away for another four to bring up the 250 and New Zealand’s lead goes past 100.
We now enter into an extra half an hour.
11:58 PM GMT
OVER 71: NZ 244/9 (Mitchell 75 O’Rourke 5)
Mitchell comes down the ground and launches Bashir over long-off for six. He then taps into the legside, hoping to come back for two but cannot.
Bashir gives O’Rourke width and he obliges by driving through the covers for three.
England are struggling to take the final wicket of an innings again. These are very useful runs for New Zealand for restoring a bit of pride. England should win comfortably as things stand but if New Zealand can nip out some wickets it will give them something to build on. If they’d held their catches…
11:53 PM GMT
OVER 70: NZ 233/9 (Mitchell 67 O’Rourke 2)
Mitchell gets a single off the fourth ball so Woakes will have two deliveries at O’Rourke but once again England cannot take advantage.
11:49 PM GMT
OVER 69: NZ 232/9 (Mitchell 66 O’Rourke 2)
Mitchell dabs into the legside and tries to come back for two but cannot. He does not need to worry as O’Rourke blocks out the remainder of the over.
11:45 PM GMT
OVER 68: NZ 231/9 (Mitchell 65 O’Rourke 2)
Woakes finds O’Rourke’s outside edge but it falls short of Brook placed at third/ fourth slip. O’Rourke sees out a maiden over.
11:41 PM GMT
OVER 67: NZ 231/9 (Mitchell 65 O’Rourke 2)
Ben Stokes turns to spin for the first time today as Shoaib Bashir is brought on. Before he is allowed to bowl he is asked to take some tape off his bowling hand.
Off the second ball Mitchell reverse sweeps, hoping to come back for two but only gets one.
Bashir finds the outside edge of O’Rourke’s bat but it goes wide of Brook at slip and New Zealand come through for a single.
Off the final delivery Mitchell reverse sweeps over third man and gets four.
11:35 PM GMT
OVER 66: NZ 225/9 (Mitchell 60 O’Rourke 1)
Mitchell gets some width from Atkinson and he cuts him away for four through backward point. He then tries to heave Atkinson over the legside but it misses the inside edge of the bat and goes over the top of the stumps.
Off the fifth ball Mitchell just pushes up to long-on with ease for a single. I do not get that. If you are going to spread the field why keep it back on the fifth and sixth balls.
England fielders giving Mitchell a bit of stick here, and not for the first time either. They are saying he wants a ‘red inker’, in other words not out for his average. England have often have a go at Mitchell because they think he bats selfishly. He averages 74 against England so he can claim the last laugh, but think he has never really hurt them or won a game for his team.
11:31 PM GMT
OVER 65: NZ 220/9 (Mitchell 55 O’Rourke 1)
Mitchell gets inside the ball and ramps the ball over Pope for four. Mitchell takes a single off the third ball to give O’Rourke three balls to face in this over which he blocks out.
11:27 PM GMT
OVER 64: NZ 215/9 (Mitchell 50 O’Rourke 1)
Maiden over for Atkinson as O’Rourke sees out the over.
11:22 PM GMT
OVER 63: NZ 215/9 (Mitchell 50 O’Rourke 1)
Chris Woakes is on to replace Carse. The field is spread for Mitchell as we enter the inevitable phase of a Test match with one wicket left in the innings and a batsman playing with a number 11.
Mitchell swats down the ground and Carse comes running in from long-off but cannot take the catch. It looked like Carse did not pick it up immediately and it was difficult to see whether it actually carried.
Mitchell dabs into the offside and takes the single to reach his 13th Test fifty. He will leave O’Rourke with two deliveries to face.
O’Rourke gets his first run with a single through mid-on.
11:15 PM GMT
OVER 62: NZ 211/9 (Mitchell 47 O’Rourke 0)
Will O’Rourke is the last man in, with New Zealand’s lead sitting at just 58.
11:11 PM GMT
Wicket
Southee c Root b Atkinson 12 Southee’s fun is over. He continues trying to smash Atkinson out of the ground but this time he skies a fuller delivery high into the sky and Root takes a good catch running around from deep midwicket. FOW 209/9
11:08 PM GMT
OVER 61: NZ 209/8 (Mitchell 47 Southee 12)
Carse will continue after drinks. Ben Stokes is still out there which hopefully is a positive sign for England. If it was bad he would have gone straight off.
Mitchell gets two through mid-off.
11:00 PM GMT
OVER 60: NZ 207/8 (Mitchell 45 Southee 12)
Atkinson is banging it in short to Southee and after a few misses he belts one for six over deep backward square leg to bring up the New Zealand 200. Southee is going to go down swinging and why not!
Atkinson then goes for the full ball but Southee does well to dig it out as he came across his stumps.
Southee swings again and he has just enough to get it over Root for six more.
Time for drinks.
10:55 PM GMT
OVER 59: NZ 194/8 (Mitchell 45 Southee 0)
Five dot balls bowled by Carse to Mitchell so can England keep the latter off strike for the next over? Carse bangs it in and Mitchell ducks underneath it so Southee will face up to the next over.
10:48 PM GMT
OVER 58: NZ 193/8 (Mitchell 45 Southee 0)
Tim Southee has joined Mitchell in the middle. How will Mitchell now approach this? New Zealand’s lead is just 42 runs.
This is a real concern for England as Stokes has stopped mid-over. He has not gone off the field but that is not nothing. Perhaps Stokes opened with himself this morning to get some miles in the legs but this could be a worry moving forward in the series. Atkinson will finish off the over.
Big worry for England here. Ben Stokes has pulled out of his seventh over after three balls with Gus Atkinson taking over. He was flexing his knee on Saturday but appeared to be fine this morning, opting to bowl himself from the start of play. Stokes has only just returned from a hamstring injury and underwent knee surgery last year. Perhaps it is just a precaution with England well on top, but to pull out of an over halfway through is not a good sign.
10:41 PM GMT
Wicket
Henry LBW Carse 1 Brilliant bowling from Carse, who has his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket and raises the ball to the crowd. He fires one in full and straight, pinning Henry plumb in front. Carse has been so good in his first few Test matches; two in Pakistan and this one in Christchurch. You miss, I hit! Unsurprisingly Henry does not review. I hate to bang on about it but when you pitch it up, you get your rewards. FOW 192/8
10:36 PM GMT
Wicket
Smith LBW Carse 21 What was I saying about pitching it up! Guess what, you pitch it up and you cause problems. Carse smashes Smith on the pads and the finger is raised. Smith sends it upstairs but it is crashing into the top of leg stump. Three reds and a first wicket on day four for England. New Zealand lose a review. Carse picks up his fourth wicket of this innings to add to his four in the first. FOW 190/7
Cricket’s bias towards batsmen means Harry Brook will almost certainly be man of the match. But it should be Brydon Carse, whether he gets another wicket or not. England’s player of the winter so far.
England wasted half an hour there with the short ball and breakthrough as soon as they go orthodox with Carse nipping one back for his fourth wicket of the innings. Atkinson and Carse are the two standouts of this Test year for me. We knew what the batsmen could do. Now they have found two bowlers to throw at the Aussies.
10:33 PM GMT
OVER 56: NZ 190/6 (Mitchell 43 Smith 21)
England have looked more likely to take a wicket this morning pitching it up than banging it in short and they are now starting to pitch it up a little more.
Smith drives on the up through cover for three.
It has not been the best start from England this morning, not really looking like taking a wicket and at the same time being leaky. New Zealand have already scored over 30 runs this morning and we are only just over half an hour into the day’s play.
10:28 PM GMT
OVER 55: NZ 184/6 (Mitchell 41 Smith 17)
Another couple added to Smith’s score. I am slightly confused as to why England have gone to this short-pitch bowling immediately at the start of the day. Surely it would have made more sense to start by trying to hit the top of off stump and then if that does not work you can they revert to banging it in.
10:24 PM GMT
OVER 54: NZ 182/6 (Mitchell 41 Smith 15)
Smith pushes off the back foot through a vacant mid-off for two.
New Zealand lead by 31 runs.
10:18 PM GMT
OVER 53: NZ 176/6 (Mitchell 40 Smith 12)
Mitchell drives through mid-on and comes back for three. Slightly strange from Carse that, considering he has the field set for short-pitch bowling yet bowled a full length. I think what he was trying to do there was bluff Mitchell and bowl a yorker but did not quite execute that plan.
Christchurch is a place that restores your faith in the future of Test cricket. The smaller boutique style grounds in New Zealand are always packed for Test cricket which is much better than the vast empty stadiums of other parts of the world. There is no stuffiness here, just a laid back vibe with lots of children running around getting autographs and playing games of cricket. Test cricket is also free to air in New Zealand too. Imagine that!
10:14 PM GMT
OVER 52: NZ 172/6 (Mitchell 37 Smith 11)
Stokes finds Mitchell’s outside edge but it goes right in between Root and Brook and runs away for four. It probably would not have carried even if it had gone straight at one of those two in the slips.
To Smith, Stokes has the field set for short-pitch bowling.
10:09 PM GMT
OVER 51: NZ 166/6 (Mitchell 32 Smith 10)
Brydon Carse will open from the other end to form a Durham tandem of bowlers. Carse has a short leg, leg slip, fine leg and deep square leg in place.
Smith plays a nice shot through mid-on for the first boundary of the day. That is in fact Smith’s first boundary in Test cricket on debut. Carse then finds the outside edge and it runs away down to third-man for four more.
10:04 PM GMT
OVER 50: NZ 157/6 (Mitchell 32 Smith 2)
Stokes finds the outside edge of Mitchell’s bat and Brook makes a good diving stop at gully. He has put a leg slip in place for the one that slides down the legside.
Off the fifth ball of the first over Mitchell gets the first run of the day with a single into the legside.
Smith gets his first run of the day off his first delivery of the day with a quick single up to mid-on.
09:58 PM GMT
Ready to go
Daryl Mitchell will resume on 31 and Nathan Smith on 1. The sun is out in Christchurch and we are ready to go. Not a cloud in the sky! England will be hoping to take these last four wickets quickly and chase down the runs to take a 1-0 lead in this series.
Captain Ben Stokes will bowl the first over of day four.
09:51 PM GMT
Chris Woakes speaking before the day’s play
09:45 PM GMT
Get your fix
09:38 PM GMT
Stokes looks back to his old self after losing his way in Pakistan
By his own admission, Ben Stokes was not himself on England’s tour of Pakistan.
The England captain rushed himself back from a serious hamstring injury soon after he returned to full fitness from a major knee problem. But he was not fit to bowl in the first Test, so was left out to retain the five-bowler balance of the side required in gruelling conditions. That will have hurt.
When he returned in the second and third Tests he looked frazzled by the physical effort he had put in to get back on the field. He endured a series of slapstick dismissals (see below) as his batting retained scars of the tour of India earlier in the year, when he was exposed against spin. Meanwhile, he barely bowled and his captaincy lacked its usual spark. He even lost his cool with his players for the first time on the field. A 1-0 lead became a 2-1 defeat to a team England should have beaten.
For more from Will Macpherson, click here.
09:31 PM GMT
Highlights from day three
09:16 PM GMT
England closing in on victory
Victory is in sight for England in Christchurch going into day four at Hagley Oval. New Zealand finished day three on 155/6, leading by just four runs with only four second innings wickets remaining. Earlier on day three England finished their first innings with a lead of 151 runs after being bowled out for 499. Captain Ben Stokes made 80 whilst Harry Brook had earlier fallen for a magnificent 171, despite being dropped five times. Gus Atkinson played an entertaining knock of 48 and Brydon Carse contributed a swashbuckling 33 not out.
As New Zealand were closing in on wiping out England’s deficit with Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell at the crease just three down, Chris Woakes took two wickets in as many deliveries, first trapping Williamson LBW before dismissing Tom Blundell first ball. At the end of day three, centurion Brook paid tribute to Woakes and his skillset.
“We are in an amazing position to go on and win the game. What we saw from Woakesy at the back end was unbelievable. With that ball, on that pitch, to get two big wickets back to back was a dagger to their heart.
“With the swing he gets and the skills he has, he is so tough to face. He is always niggling away at the top of off stump, trying to hunt your front pad. Williamson always looks so secure when he is batting, always looks impossible to get out, so to see the back of him gave everyone energy. Then to get Blundell with the next ball got everybody firing.”
Brydon Carse, who dismissed Glenn Phillips not long before the close of play, has been impressive yet again during this Test match. After a strong first Test series in Pakistan recently, he took four wickets in the first innings and took three more on day three in New Zealand’s second innings to put England in a commanding position going into day four. He also made a quick-fire 33 not out with the bat, helping England establish a big first-innings lead.
After scoring 93 in the first innings, Williamson registered his second fifty of the match and made in history in the process by becoming the first New Zealand batsman to reach 9000 Test runs but his side are very much under the pump.
Day four gets going at 10pm UK time.
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