Ollie Pope and Joe Root will start the fifth day at the crease as England aim for victory
That’s it from me for the day, the TV has firmly been flicked to Glastonbury so I’ll bid you adieu.
Ali’s report and the colour pieces from another enthralling day of Test cricket will be along soon.
I’ll be back in the morning to OBO the final knockings. Thanks for your emails and company and see y’all on the morrow. Goodnight!
This sums it up quite well:
It's a measure of England's new approach that they've faced 39 overs in a big fourth-innings run-chase, have reached stumps on 183 for 2, and no one's batting an eyelid.
— Lawrence Booth (@the_topspin) June 26, 2022
Root brings up his FIFTY in the last over of the day, seizing on two loose Bracewell deliveries, he doesn’t miss out. Great session for England, they will come back tomorrow with 113 needed for a record breaking win.
38th over: England 173-2 (Pope 80, Root 46) England putting the foot on the throat, accumulating and picking off runs with ease. We’ve got one over left...
37th over: England 171-2 (Pope 79, Root 45) The Kiwis look ragged, Bracewell fires a ball down the leg for four byes.
36th over: England 163-2 (Pope 77, Root 43) Pope takes 14 from the over! A pull, a glide and the best of the lot a beautiful on drive down the ground. The camera cuts incongruously to a chap wolfing down a salad (?!) in the crowd. Waldorf? Caesar? Why not sir.
35th over: England 149-2 (Pope 63, Root 43) Root reverse-sweeps Bracewell for four! The crowd greet that boundary with a particularly raucous cheer.
34th over: England 142-2 (Pope 61, Root 38) Pope picks up three through cover-point.
This made me chuckle from John Tumbridge:
My Wife: “What are you doing?”
Me: “Watching the cricket”
Her : “I meant on your Laptop”
Me: “Reading about the Cricket”
Her “Why?”Me: “Because I can”
33rd over: England 139-2 (Pope 58, Root 38) Bracewell back into the attack. He isn’t hitting the rough (‘rubbish’ according to Mike Atherton) enough and Root and Pope are happy to hang on the back foot to nudge and nurdle away.
32nd over: England 135-2 (Pope 57, Root 35) Shadows creeping across the Yorkshire turf, just a single off Southee.
31st over: England 134-2 (Pope 57, Root 34) Boult is starting to spray it about a bit and England are happy to pick up easy runs.
A reminder that this gets underway in Taunton tomorrow. Double England Test cricket. Ambassador...
Headshots ✅
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 26, 2022
Just one day to go until 🏴 #ENGvSA 🇿🇦 gets underway! pic.twitter.com/yd0t1uCJij
30th over: England 130-2 (Pope 54, Root 33) Root plays an effortless pull off Southee that skims away to the fence. Pope glides past backward point to pick up a brace. Southee has another strangled appeal turned down by Umpire Kettleborough. Too high this time, Tim.
29th over: England 122-2 (Pope 52, Root 28) Four runs collected from Boult. The sun comes out at Headingley - the crowd are singing “Joe Root” to the tune of Hey Jude. England on top. Tomorrow is FREE entry. Glory days indeed.
28th over: England 118-2 (Pope 51, Root 25) Southee comes back into the attack and is flogged away by Pope for a streaky four that brings up the Papal Fifty. His second of the series in his new home at number three.
27th over: England 112-2 (Pope 46, Root 24) Just a singe off Boult as things calm down a bit.
If England did manage to chase these runs, they would be the first team in Test history to successfully chase a target of 250+ three times in a single series. #ENGvNZ
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) June 26, 2022
A few OBOers asking this question. It would be some achievement.
26th over: England 111-2 (Pope 46, Root 23) Pope flays Wagner away through point for another boundary.
25th over: England 107-2 (Pope 42, Root 23) Boult is back into the attack with Williamson searching for the breakthrough. Pope swivels the wrists on a pull to pick up a couple.
24th over: England 104-2 (Pope 39, Root 23) A maiden from Wagner.
1 hour left today. England need 192 runs and New Zealand need 8 wickets.
That’s an OBO order.
Are you actually joking mate pic.twitter.com/wk7PmzF5j2
— Will Macpherson (@willis_macp) June 26, 2022
23rd over: England 104-2 (Pope 39, Root 23) Four easy runs from the over. New Zealand need to make something happen here. Right, let me have a scooch for that Root reverse ramp shot on the social meedjas. You’ll thank me later, promise.
22nd over: England 100-2 (Pope 36, Root 22) ROOT REVERSE RAMPS WAGNER FOR SIX!
What. a. shot.
“That is barking, but so, so good” says Mark Butcher on commentary. Wagner had been hanging the ball outside Root’s off stump and after five-balls of watchful play Root decides to be ludicrous. An amazing, audacious stroke.
21st over: England 93-2 (Pope 36, Root 16) Pope plays a scuttling ball well and times it away to the extra-cover fence. He’s looked in nice touch today. We will play until 6.49pm this evening, apparently.
20th over: England 89-2 (Pope 32, Root 16) Just a single off a probing Wagner.
I’m on to something, I reckon. https://t.co/FAPHUU6JDN
— daniel norcross (@norcrosscricket) June 26, 2022
More than a whiff I reckon.
19th over: England 88-2 (Pope 31, Root 16) Root gets his reverse-sweep out to pick up four from Bracewell. Too easy. Oooof! That one spat like a baccy chewing camel! Root gets an edge on a devilish ball that flies between keeper and Daryl Mitchell at slip! Mitchell is surely too wide to be at a conventional slip, it isn’t the first time the ball has evaded his left hand and if he stays that wide it surely won’t be the last. England march on towards a hundred.
18th over: England 79-2 (Pope 30, Root 8) Wagner is caressed through mid-wicket by Root. England ticking along at a lick.
Neil Wagner is coming on for some heave-ho. The ball has gone all misshapen again though so we’ll have a drink whilst they bring out the box o’balls.
“Afternoon from Cape Town.”
Afternoon Bob O’Hara.
“I’ve been travelling for the last day or so. I’m a bit disappointed that the match is still going - that suggests there might have been some normal test cricket at some point...”
Very droll, Bob.
17th over: England 74-2 (Pope 30, Root 4) Pope helps himself to three boundaries off Bracewell! One crunching cut is followed up by a more fortuitous one that flies passed Mitchell at slip. The last boundary is a peach - a lovely hop and a skip to the pitch of the ball and an elegant drive through the covers.
16th over: England 60-2 (Pope 17, Root 3) Just a single and another strangled appeal (outside the line again, duh) from Southee.
Simon Withers emails in:
“I’ve only ever contacted OBO once before, and that was also regarding an underestimated Somerset spinner - Ian Blackwell.
I’m so pleased that in Ben Stokes England has a captain who clearly has confidence in the ‘Taunton twirler’ (great description, by the way).
It seems Leach has been criticised for not being Shane Warne, or even Graeme Swann, but he’s been the best England-qualified spin bowler for the last few years, having overcome numerous issues. While having a self-effacing look, you get the impression he’s absolutely as hard as nails underneath.
Hopefully this will be the start of chapter two - or three, or four?! - of his England career.
And hopefully it’ll coincide with the end of Zak Crawley’s presence in the England team. Unkind? Maybe. But his record is very, very poor...”
Could be harsh but fair Simon. Sometimes the look of an innings just isn’t right and it felt a bit like that with Crawley today. He looked a bit shot to me. A ‘scrambled brain’ as Nasser would say.
15th over: England 59-2 (Pope 16, Root 3) Bracewell continues and gets the odd ball to spit off the pitch. Engrossing cricket. Simon Doull is not happy with Williamson’s profligate use of the DRS.
14th over: England 56-2 (Pope 15, Root 1) Oh Kane! says Nasser on commentary as the Kiwi skipper burns through TWO reviews back to back. Root was the batter and they dearly want his wicket but both were pretty spurious - Root was outside the line to both and Kane has to kiss ta-ra to a brace of reviews. The home crowd loving it, obviously.
13th over: England 56-2 (Pope 7, Root 1) Pope shows Crawley what he should have done by waiting for a full ball to drop right by his feet and opening the face. Four runs. Root is the new batter and is off the mark with a tickle to leg.
GONE! Crawley’s skittish innings comes to an end in dismal fashion. Bracewell gets one above his eyeline and Crawley can’t resist a big drive, serving only to plop a catch to cover. Nicht gut.
12th over: England 51-1 (Crawley 25, Pope 7) England bring up the fifty in the 12th over. Pope guides a full ball from Southee to the boundary.
11th over: England 47-1 (Crawley 25, Pope 7) Time for some spin. There’s turn and bite. Bracewell gets a lorra lorra overspin on the ball causing it to loop and droop. Crawley tries a slog sweep but misses out. England will try and get after the spinner and put the pressure on. Sure enough the last ball is swept powerfully by Crawley for four.
10th over: England 41-1 (Crawley 20, Pope 6) Pope gets off the mark with a flick off his pads into the leg side. Southee is honing in on Pope’s front pad, something’s gonna give. It does! Pope plays a stylish on-drive to pick up four.
9th over: England 35-1 (Crawley 20, Pope 0) I reckon Crawley is cutting his losses here, he looks pretty clueless against the new ball and is reeling from the Lees run out. He picks up a short ball from Boult over mid-wicket for a pressure-relieving boundary before two drives bring him another couple of fours. Two on the up through the covers and another! - more convincing, down the ground. ‘If it is up it is off’ seems to be the tactic now.
8th over: England 19-1 (Crawley 4, Pope 0) HOW HAS THAT NOT BOWLED ZAK CRAWLEY?! The tall Kent man looks all at sea here, he plays a jelly-legged booming straight drive at a full ball from Southee and the ball somehow misses the stumps! Crawley even looks shocked not to hear the death rattle.
7th over: England 18-1 (Crawley 4, Pope 0) Don’t do that Ollie Pope! A nothing-y drive at a wide ball nearly sees the end of him, it was neither a defensive or attacking stroke. A maiden.
6th over: England 18-1 (Crawley 4, Pope 0) To make matters worse Crawley is very nearly done LBW but for a tiny inside edge! He looks shaken by the run out. Not like he didn’t have enough on his mind already. Ollie Pope is the new batter. Don’t go away.
If looks could kill... Zak Crawley flashes a drive to Williamson at mid-off and ball watches, loitering in the middle of the pitch. Lees is looking for a call, anything from his partner but nothing comes - Williamson gathers the ball and throws the ball in from his knees for Boult to take and whip off the bails with Lees stranded. Great fielding. Shocking calling. Lees glares at his opposite number before trudging off. I actually think both batters could be at fault for that. England lose their first.
4th over: England 17-0 (Lees 9, Crawley 4) Lees plays a flashing blade and gets a four wide of gully. Not entirely convincing but the intent is clearly there.
“Hi James,”
Wotcha Jonathan Salisbury:
“I like the way Lees always checks the back of his bat just before the bowler delivers to make sure he’s got it the right way around”. Ha. It actually looks exhausting to me!
3rd over: England 13-0 (Lees 5, Crawley 4) SHIMINECKERS! as my brother would say (Hi Andrew) - Crawley plays a real softy-wafty drive to Boult and nicks through Southee’s fingertips at second slip!
Good spot Gavin... only SEVEN more needed.
Reckon Ben Stokes might be number 1 on this list by tomorrow - https://t.co/prUSBESrdo
— Gavin Sellar (@GavinSellar) June 26, 2022