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After day three, at Bay Oval: England 325-9 and 374 (Joe Root 57, Harry Brook 54, Ben Foakes 51, Ollie Pope 49, Ollie Robinson 39; Blair Tickner 3-55, Michael Bracewell 3-68) versus New Zealand 306 and 63-5 (Stuart Broad 4-21).
Stuart Broad opted for wobble seam, and boy, did the Black Caps wobble.
The hosts haven’t yet fallen down completely but only the most optimistic person within a wide radius of Bay Oval – which is probably Michael Bracewell – gives New Zealand any chance of avoiding going one-down in the two-test series against England on Sunday.
At stumps on day three in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand were 63-5 in their second innings, needing another 331 runs for victory.
Bracewell, who will resume batting on Sunday at 2pm on 25, recited that required run tally when facing the media after the home team’s top order had been ripped apart by Broad.
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The 36-year-old Englishman took 4-21 under lights, with all of his victims being bowled as the tourists cotinued to dictate proceedings in the day-night match.
After resuming their second innings on day three at 79-2, leading by 98 runs, a string of England batters made quick runs before the side was dismissed early in final session as dusk began to fall for 374.
Phil Walter/Getty Images
Michael Bracewell will resume batting with Daryl Mitchell for New Zealand on day four of the first test.
That left the Black Caps needing to set their new test record for biggest successful fourth-innings run chase – only for such slim hopes to rapidly vanish as Broad bowled Devon Conway (2), Kane Williamson (0), Tom Latham (15) and first-innings century-maker Tom Blundell (1).
When he dismissed Latham, it was the first time an England bowler had removed the first three batters all bowled in a test since Fred Trueman dismissed West Indians Conrad Hunte, Easton McMorris and Rohan Kanhai in that manner at Kingston, Jamaica, in February 1960.
“The way we set the whole game up throughout the day was building towards knowing we wanted to bowl as much as possible under lights with the harder pink ball,” Broad said.
“If we could try and get 20-25 overs in, with New Zealand’s quality at the top of the order, making breakthroughs was going to be crucial in the result of this test match.
“I knew if I could wobble the ball and hit the pitch as hard as I possibly can, to bring the stumps into play, that was my only game plan.
“Any time you get Kane … I’ve played against him since, when, 2009 or something, and seen him score a lot of runs against us … so to get him early was a great feeling.”
Phil Walter/Getty Images
Kane Williamson of New Zealand is bowled by Stuart Broad of England at Bay Oval.
Bracewell, batting at No.7 after picking up three wickets with his off-spin earlier, admitted the visitors have posed New Zealand major problems when the hosts have batted at night.
”It’s obviously challenging under lights in the pink-ball stuff – the ball was doing a little bit off the wicket there.
“That’s what we signed up for, playing this pink-ball test – it’s not unexpected what’s happening out there,” Bracewell said in an admission that could be taken two ways, given England are on the verge of their 10th test win in their last 11 outings and NZ now set to have gone seven tests without a victory.
“We’re pretty positive if we can get a couple of partnerships together tomorrow than we can make a fist of this total.”
Broad said he took a simple approach to dismantling New Zealand’s taxing quest.
“You go into a rhythm of not over-complicating, not over-thinking too much … you’re not trying to swing one away, swing one in, change a length. I was just so simple in what I was trying to do – I was almost taking the batter out of the equation. I was looking to bowl the same ball whoever I was bowling against.
“I thought if I hit the pitch as hard as possible, on a length where I can’t get driven but still hit the stumps, then I was going to be in the game.”
“We’ve been lucky with the conditions in this game so far – but New Zealand won the toss, didn’t they, so not that lucky – but we’ve played good cricket to bowl at the right times.”
Bracewell acknowledged that while England had managed to work the day-night pink-ball conditions in their favour despite captain Tim Southee winning the toss, New Zealand could have negated that to an extent by bowling better, particularly on the first day.
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