Michael Vaughan on BBC TMS
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“I was expecting Jofra Archer to start from the Pavilion End, one over with the old ball and then take the new ball. To think that Jofra did not bowl for 91 mins, as the day has got longer and longer, that decision looks more silly by the minute. If someone like Jofra has got a problem, surely you would have got him warm at around 10:50, bowled him one over with the old ball and then said give us four with the new ball, then come off.
“For him to have fielded for 91 minutes, it was just a very strange look for the team. We had Jofra warming up for about 40 minutes. He was bowling to mid on for quite a while. It probably was not his decision, it was probably taken out of his hands by the medical team.”
Dinesh Karthik on Sky Sports
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“At the start of the day, I would have probably said England were on top, but with the way things have panned out so far, it definitely feels like New Zealand are in the driver’s seat. If they can get their wickets early tomorrow and then bat well, they can definitely push England further away from the game. If they have as good a day as they have had today, England will find it very hard to come back. I expected a lot better from England this morning. Today they came in with not their best plans, and did not execute those plans well.”
Matt Henry speaking to Sky Sports
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“Nice to be able to contribute. We were really good. It was pretty tough, England put us under pressure early [in their innings]. But the ability to rein back some momentum was huge for us, and then obviously we reaped the rewards at the end there.
On Glenn Phillips’ hundred:
“Given what the guy went through last night, with a smile on his face, it is pretty cool to have one of those guys in your locker room. To be there for him getting a hundred, that is what this team is all about.”
Bethell averages nine in the first innings and 73 in the second – this is why
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It is a remarkable statistic, easily explained. Jacob Bethell averages 8.75 in the first innings of Tests against 72.5 in his second innings.
Yes, it is a small sample size, but there is also the obvious explanation – that Bethell has gone into all of his eight Tests almost completely out of red-ball form and has, naturally enough, failed at first. But he is a quick learner who, having processed all the information assimilated during the match, has cracked on in his second innings.
Bethell is a once-in-a-decade if not once-in-a-generation talent. The proof is that he has passed 500 Test runs for England on the back of very little red-ball cricket. Bethell is in his sixth season, and eighth Test, while the rest of his red-ball career consists of just 29 first-class games.
Nasser Hussain on Sky Sports
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“Day two belongs to New Zealand. England were very poor in the first hour and New Zealand and [Glenn] Phillips capitalised on it. Their bowlers found control and got wickets and they are in a very strong position. This is a good cricket pitch and has produced some exciting cricket. A different pace from Lord’s but no less watchable.”
England end day two on 222/6
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Cox will be on strike at the start of this final over, which will be bowled by Henry.
From the third ball, Cox takes a single out to deep backward point, leaving Archer to face the final three balls of the day. Archer survives those three deliveries.
That brings day two to a close and New Zealand you would have to say are in the ascendancy after two days. England are 222/6, 169 runs behind.
OVER 58: ENG 221/6 (Archer 0 Cox 21)
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O’Rourke sends down what will probably be the penultimate over of the day. Cox flicks away through mid-wicket and comes back for two with a man out there in the deep.
Cox then takes a single off the fourth ball of the over to leave Archer to face two deliveries from O’Rourke.
Archer survives and there will be one more over.
OVER 57: ENG 218/6 (Archer 0 Cox 18)
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Cox decides to take a single from the first ball so no thought of protecting Archer. It really would be a damning indictment if Cox thought he had to protect Archer.
Archer blocks out the rest of the over and there will probably be time for two more overs.
OVER 56: ENG 217/6 (Archer 0 Cox 17)
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Jofra Archer is the new man in. He is probably batting a place or two higher than England would like but the tail is not the longest fo this game.
Wicket
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Rew c Mitchell b O’Rourke 24 That is so, so stupid from Rew. With just over 10 minutes left in the day, Rew gifts away his wicket. Having already had a life from an O’Rourke short ball, he continues to go after the short ball. The ball loops off his glove and Mitchell takes the catch backpedalling from first slip. Dare I say it but that is brainless batting. FOW 217/6
OVER 55: ENG 216/5 (Rew 24 Cox 16)
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Blundell is doing a good job up to the stumps. Arguably him coming up to the stumps contributed to the two wickets of Root and Brook.
That is back-to-back maidens from Smith.
OVER 54: ENG 216/5 (Rew 24 Cox 16)
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Drop catch! Ravindra has had a shocker in the field in this series. He dropped some sitters in the first Test and fails to take this chance. Rew top edges a pull and the ball goes high into the air. Ravindra comes in at fine leg but spills the opportunity.
OVER 53: ENG 214/5 (Rew 23 Cox 15)
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A tight maiden over from Smith, with 25 minutes remaining on day two.
OVER 52: ENG 214/5 (Rew 23 Cox 15)
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Be careful there Cox! O’Rourke tempts him with a ball outside off and Cox goes after it. There is no foot movement and he is lucky not to nick the ball behind.
Later in the over, Rew swivels on a pull shot, beating Conway at square leg and the ball races away for four.
OVER 51: ENG 208/5 (Rew 18 Cox 14)
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Cox gets on top of the bounce and drives through wide mid-off for two. This pair of debutants came in with England under pressure but have looked assured and confident since coming to the crease.
A reminder that due to the 30-minute rain delay at the start of this session, we will be playing until 7pm to catch up. No threat of any more rain or bad light as it is a beautiful June evening.
OVER 50: ENG 205/5 (Rew 18 Cox 11)
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O’Rourke replaces Jamieson at the Pavilion End. Just the one run comes from the over.
OVER 49: ENG 204/5 (Rew 18 Cox 10)
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Smith is into the attack and is welcomed back by a fine shot from Cox, who gets on top of the bounce and punches away through cover point for four. That boundary brings up England’s 200.
OVER 48: ENG 199/5 (Rew 18 Cox 5)
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Jamieson offers plenty of width outside off stump and Rew tucks into it, drilling through the covers for four. Shouts of “Reeeewwww!!!” ring around The Oval and sounds a lot like “Roooooot!”.
Rew finishes the over with his second boundary of the over, clipping it away off his pads over mid-wicket’s head for four. He played that with a real flourish.
OVER 47: ENG 191/5 (Rew 10 Cox 5)
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Henry zeroes in on Rew’s pads and the England debutant just about gets his bat on the ball just in time. The ball runs away through square leg and he comes through for three.
England are exactly 200 runs behind.
OVER 45: ENG 186/5 (Rew 6 Cox 4)
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Rew, under a degree of control, guides one down to third man for four, his first boundary in Test cricket. It came off the outside half of the bat but was mostly along the ground.
OVER 44: ENG 182/5 (Rew 2 Cox 4)
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That is what you call a good leave from Rew, but it was not far away from being a bad one as Jamieson’s delivery from around the wicket is close to hitting the off stump as it came back in. But, as we all know, there are only two types of leaves; good ones and bad ones.
England are a long way behind and under pressure but remember this; New Zealand had only ten more runs than this when they lost their fifth wicket. However, these are two debutants for England and their tail is not the longest or best I have ever seen.
Cox gets his first runs in Test cricket as he drills Jamieson through the covers for four.
OVER 43: ENG 177/5 (Rew 1 Cox 0)
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Two debutants are now at the crease as Jordan Cox joins Rew in the middle. Huge pressure on the shoulders of these two. A wicket maiden from Henry, who has got those two huge wickets of Root and Brook.
England still trail by 214 runs.
Wicket
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Brook LBW Henry 24 The two set batsmen are dismissed in quick succession. It is another LBW but this one was far more out than Root’s. Brook, who never looked massively convincing with Blundell up to the stumps, is tracked on the crease and sensibly does not even think of a review. FOW 177/5
OVER 42: ENG 177/4 (Rew 1 Brook 24)
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Rew gets his first run in Test cricket down to fine leg.
That is a poor delivery from Jamieson and an absolute gift, sliding down the legside and Brook gratefully clips fine for four.
Brook then takes a stupid single into the gully region and Rew is nearly run out. Phillips’ throw missed and Rew would have been safe but it still was an unnecessary run.
OVER 41: ENG 170/4 (Rew 0 Brook 18)
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Debutant James Rew is in at number six and the next hour and a bit that remains on day two feels like a pivotal passage of play. Rew blocks his first delivery in Test cricket.
Wicket
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Root LBW Henry 46 Two runs shy of 14,000 Test runs, Root is gone. Root is wrapped on the pads and the finger goes up pretty quickly. Root decides to review; it is umpire’s call on impact but hitting the stumps so he has to go. He shakes his head as he walks off; I think he is annoyed that he was given out on impact and I would agree with that. I am also surprised the finger went up as quickly as it did. That feels like a big moment in the game. FOW 170/4
OVER 40: ENG 169/3 (Root 46 Brook 17)
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Jamieson is coming back on at the Pavilion End. He offers up some width and Root takes advantage, guiding one through a vacant fourth slip region for four.
Root is now just two runs away from 14,000 Test runs.
OVER 39: ENG 164/3 (Root 42 Brook 16)
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Henry is on at the Vauxhall End, with Blundell up to the stumps like he was for Smith. Henry seems to be struggling a touch with his run-up. Despite that, just one single and a bye come from the over.
OVER 38: ENG 162/3 (Root 42 Brook 15)
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These two are rotating strike well and keeping the scoreboard ticking over, whether it be through singles or boundaries. New Zealand perhaps need to clamp down on he ease at which they are rotating strike.
Four singles from that over.
OVER 37: ENG 158/3 (Root 40 Brook 13)
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Blundell is up to the stumps off Smith, who finds the outside edge of Brook’s bat but it falls short of Latham at second slip.
OVER 36: ENG 156/3 (Root 39 Brook 12)
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This feels like a crucial partnership, with two debutants to follow this Yorkshire pair.
Oh my word! That is quite incredible from Brook. O’Rourke sends one down at 90mph and Brook backs away. Off-balance, Brook carves one over point for a flat six. That was Brook’s sixth ball! O’Rourke shakes his head in disbelief. That six brings up England’s 150.
From the final ball, Brook drives slightly uppishly for four through mid-off. I think it is safe to say that watching Brook is going to be blockbuster.
OVER 35: ENG 145/3 (Root 38 Brook 2)
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Two runs come from Smith’s ninth over.
OVER 34: ENG 143/3 (Root 37 Brook 1)
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Harry Brook joins his fellow Yorkshireman at the crease and is off the mark first ball with a single.
Wicket
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Gay c Blundell b O’Rourke 53 A few balls after reaching his second Test fifty, Gay has to go. It is a slightly strange dismissal as O’Rourke bangs one in short. There are appeals for caught behind but they are not particularly strong and it is given not out. New Zealand do not look that convinced to go up for a review but just about do so in time. Replays show it hit the shoulder of Gay’s bat as he attempted to sway out of the way and the England opener has to go. We never saw the review timer as Tom Latham took quite some time to review. I would be interested to know how long it actually took for them to review as it appeared to be a while. A good knock from Gay. FOW 142/3
OVER 33: ENG 138/2 (Root 37 Gay 49)
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Smith keeps it tight with a probing maiden over.
The lights are now off with the sun shining at The Oval.
OVER 32: ENG 138/2 (Root 37 Gay 49)
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A Root single puts Gay back on strike, one run away from his half-century. But Gay is still stuck on 49 as he faces a number of dots. That over did also include a huge no-ball from O’Rourke and I mean huge!
OVER 31: ENG 136/2 (Root 36 Gay 49)
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Gay, just one run away from a second Test fifty, sees out a maiden over from Smith.
OVER 30: ENG 136/2 (Root 36 Gay 49)
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O’Rourke got away with one short and wide ball but the next time he does it Root does not fail to capitalise as he cuts away for four. That ball was there to be hit for a boundary and Root obliged.
The lights are actually still on as there are some clouds are hanging around but we are due more sunshine over the coming hours.
O’Rourke bangs one in but does not get it up high enough so Root is able to pull away for a second boundary in the over.
The third boundary of the over comes in slightly more fortuitous circumstances as an outside edge runs away through a vacant fourth slip region, but Root was mostly in control of the shot.
OVER 29: ENG 123/2 (Root 24 Gay 48)
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Smith will bowl from the Vauxhall End. The first runs after the rain delay come from the bat of Root, who drives elegantly through mid-off for four. Jamieson tried his best with a diving stop but had no chance.
OVER 28: ENG 119/2 (Root 20 Gay 48)
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Hopefully the rain has now passed and we will be good not just for the rest of today but also the Test match.
O’Rourke will finish off his over from the Pavilion End and has one ball remaining. It is a dot ball a long way outside off that Gay thought about going after.
Good news!
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We will get back under way at 4.35pm, so in just over five minutes. It will have been roughly an half hour delay so we should be able to play until 7pm tonight to make up for lost time.
In case you missed it
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It was a pretty dismal morning session for England and our very own Will Macpherson has dissected it:
Bowling choices
On his first day as captain for more than four years, Joe Root did pretty well. In conjunction with coach Brendon McCullum on the walkie-talkie and vice-captain Harry Brook, who largely stood next to him at second slip, Root was energetic and busy with his tactics. On the second morning, his choices left plenty to be desired.
Starting with three overs to go until the new ball, England deployed their change quicks, Josh Tongue and Sonny Baker. Then, with the new ball due, Root did not turn back to his opening bowlers from day one, Jofra Archer and Matt Fisher.
Remarkably, after five overs of the new ball, Jacob Bethell was brought on to bowl his left-arm spin. Bethell did not help England’s dreadful over rate, which slipped to -8. Eventually, Fisher emerged for the 89th over. Archer was not seen until the 96th; his first over brought Phillips’s hundred, and the wicket of Matt Henry.
Durham head coach Ryan Campbell on Ben Stokes
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“Ben sent me a text and then gave me a phone call and said that he really needed to play and wanted to play for Durham. We are always backing our players and the guy needs to play cricket so we are very welcome to have him here. He is in our 11 and will take part tomorrow. He will have ball in hand and bat probably five or six with us. We are still debating whether he should open the bowling for us but he is going to be right in the thick of the action.
“He is very focused on what he needs to do to prepare himself for the next game and the next game happens to be for us, so he is ready to go. As a coach you always have a duty of care and you worry about your players all the time and that is part of the job so to speak. From what I have seen from Ben, he is in good order, he is free to play, he wants to get back into doing the thing that he loves the most. He is going to play cricket and I guess that is where he is at his calmest and at his best. He is ready to go, he wants to play, and he will play.
“Playing cricket for Durham and England is what he loves, and he does it well, and hopefully he can do it well for us over the next four days and then when he gets the call back whenever that is I hope that he does it very, very well for England. Whatever he has done going out after the curfew, that should not be in front of the number of cricket games that he has won for England. The amount of enjoyment that people have paid to go and watch him play. I have been lucky enough to play with and coach some of the greats of the game and they have all got this trait. When they are under this extreme pressure, they produce. Ben Stokes has done that over and over again. He is one of the modern day greats. At the end of the day it should be runs and wickets that we talk about.”
Rain stops play
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Will O’Rourke will send down the first over after tea from the Pavilion End. Root gets a single off the second ball to get England going in the session.
The rain appears to be coming down a bit harder and the umpires are getting a little twitchy. In typical cricket style, we took tea whilst it was not raining and now, just as we restart, it is starting to rain.
The umpires have decided the rain is coming down too hard and take the players off.
Evening session
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There is a bit of rain in the air and the light is not fantastic but conditions are good enough to get back going again. Emilio Gay resumes on 48 not out whilst Joe Root is on 19.
Sky Sports’ Mark Butcher on Emilio Gay
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“He [Gay] is very composed and very in control of his game. He and [Ben] Duckett got off to a flying start against the new ball, he is wonderfully in control on the drive. I love the way he bends his knee into it but after that New Zealand’s seamers started to find a decent length.
“[Will] O’Rourke came on and was posing all kinds of problems; Gay has a tendency perhaps to cross over his hands a little bit, so he gets opened up but he solved that problem and, most importantly, he was not rattled by the fact there were 15 or so dot balls on the trot. He just lined it up, left it, left it, and then eventually got one to get away. That shows a young man in control of his mind and his game.”
Simon Doull on Sky Sports
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“A good, hard-fought session of Test cricket. New Zealand were a bit off with the ball in the early stages but bounced back with some maiden overs and a couple of wickets. [Emilio] Gay is now looking for a second half-century in as many Tests and has the interim captain [Joe] Root with him.”
Tea: England 118/2
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Jamieson aims for the pads but Gay flicks away through mid-wicket for a couple to bring up the 50 partnership between this pair.
There will not be time for another over before the tea break and England end the session on 118/2, with Gay on 48 and Root 19.
OVER 26: ENG 116/2 (Root 19 Gay 46)
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Gay is taken off his feet by an inswinging delivery from Henry that nipped back in a long way from around the wicket. These are not the easiest of batting conditions.
Henry does find the outside edge of Gay’s bat but the England opener played it with soft hands so the ball went down and away for four. That was nowhere near carrying, even if it had gone in the direction of one of the slips.
Five minutes until the tea break so there might be time for two more overs.
OVER 25: ENG 109/2 (Root 18 Gay 40)
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It will be changes at both ends as Kyle Jamieson is back into the attack from the Vauxhall End. The two New Zealand bowlers currently on have now swapped ends from their first spells.
Jamieson bowls short and wide so Root decides to go after it. The ball comes off the toe end of the bat and races away fine for four, although there was no danger of him being caught.
We might get fortunate with the rain as most of it might pass by the ground.
OVER 24: ENG 105/2 (Root 14 Gay 40)
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Change of bowling at the Pavilion End as Matt Henry replaces O’Rourke. Henry bowled his first spell earlier from the Vauxhall End so how will he fare from the other end. There is still a leg slip in place to Root and the ball nearly ends up in Nicholls’ hands in that position as Root flicks away but it is safe and runs away for four.
OVER 23: ENG 100/2 (Root 9 Gay 40)
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Gay would have had his heart in his mouth for a moment. He goes for a cut shot and it is a touch aerial as the ball goes towards Ravindra at backward point. It does though drop a little way short of Ravindra.
A few balls later, Smith goes for the jugular and aims for the pads but Gay flicks away fine for four to bring up England’s 100.
OVER 22: ENG 95/2 (Root 8 Gay 36)
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The lights have come on at The Oval and these are definitely bowler-friendly conditions as the clouds have rolled in. There is rain on its way that is set to hit in the next hour.
Gay waits for O’Rourke to go full and leans on a cover drive for a couple. That was a nicely-controlled shot from Gay.
OVER 21: ENG 93/2 (Root 8 Gay 34)
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Smith bangs one in short to Gay, who swivels on the pull shot and gets two. With so many wickets at The Oval, the ball does race across the outfield quickly so you get real value for your shots.
Here is one for you; a no-ball is called as New Zealand had three men behind square on the legside. You do not often see that at this level. Pretty village that from New Zealand in my humble opinion!
England still trail by 298 runs.
OVER 20: ENG 88/2 (Root 7 Gay 31)
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There is a leg slip in place to Root off O’Rourke, who sends one down the legside. It goes flying past leg slip’s right hands and runs away for four leg byes as it came off Root’s pads. England employed a leg slip and even a leg gully at times yesterday so perhaps in their analysis New Zealand think they can get Root caught in that region.
OVER 19: ENG 83/2 (Root 6 Gay 31)
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Smith has settled in well from the Vauxhall End and knows this ground well, having played for Surrey last year. Smith thinks he is about to send down a maiden but is denied by a fine shot from Gay, who flicks through wide mid-on for four. That is a glorious shot from Gay.
OVER 18: ENG 79/2 (Root 6 Gay 27)
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Gay gets some width outside off stump and carefully guides one through the gully region for four. He had that under control. Just one more single comes from the rest of the over.
OVER 17: ENG 74/2 (Root 6 Gay 22)
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England’s stand-in captain Joe Root strides to the crease, 48 runs shy of 14,000 Test runs. He is off the mark first ball with a boundary. It did not quite end up where he intended, perhaps going finer than he thought, but it beats gully.
More runs for Root as he guides one the other side of gully for a couple.
Playing in the IPL doesn’t help you practise which balls to leave eg Jacob Bethell playing at the ball that dismissed him. But the conclusive argument in the debate about whether he should have played IPL or championship cricket is that he would have got some red-ball overs under his belt if playing for Warwickshire. He was clearly very rusty bowling - remember that full toss that got Nathan Smith - yet he still picked up three wickets for spit - in his first bowl in any match since February. Sorry to repeat: Bethell has the potential to act as England’s main spinner in plenty of Tests at home, along with four seamers and Joe Root’s offies.
Wicket
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Bethell c Blundell b Smith 9 The clouds have rolled in and, in good bowling conditions, New Zealand get their second wicket. Bethell probably did not need to play at that one outside his off stump but the ball finds the outside edge and is poached by Blundell. FOW 68/2
Jacob Bethell’s dreadful first innings record continues: he now averages just 8.75 from eight first innings in Test matches. A curious anomaly, or something deeper, like relative weakness against the seaming ball? That was a fine ball from Nathan Smith, who is bowling an excellent spell.
OVER 16: ENG 68/1 (Bethell 9 Gay 22)
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Three of the last four overs coming into this one have been maidens as the number of consecutive dot balls is growing.
Finally, the run comes to an end to ease the pressure. O’Rourke offers some width and Gay leans on a drive through backward point. He did not try to hit it too hard and was in complete control of that shot.
OVER 15: ENG 64/1 (Bethell 9 Gay 18)
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Henry’s spell is at an end as Nathan Smith replaces him from the Vauxhall End. Smith, like O’Rourke at the other end, is coming around the wicket to these two England left-handers. Smith starts well with absolutely zero freebies and begins with a maiden over.
OVER 14: ENG 64/1 (Bethell 9 Gay 18)
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O’Rourke has found some decent rhythm quite quickly into his opening spell of the match. He backs up a maiden in his first over with another in his second. This might be one of those times to soak up some pressure.
OVER 13: ENG 64/1 (Bethell 9 Gay 18)
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No need to run. Henry’s first ball of his seventh over is drilled through cover by Bethell, who did not try to overhit it and it was all pure timing.
Two singles come from the rest of the over.
OVER 12: ENG 58/1 (Bethell 4 Gay 17)
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The first bowling change of the innings sees one giant replaced by another at the Pavilion End as Will O’Rourke replaces Jamieson. O’Rourke begins with a testing maiden over.
OVER 10: ENG 58/1 (Bethell 4 Gay 17)
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Gay played some sublime cover drives in the first Test and there is another one, crashing Jamieson away for four. He will feel bad at running out his opening partner but has to put that out of his mind now as he cannot go back in time. A couple of balls later, Gay gets a couple through the cover region.
Gay may have had his heart in his mouth for a moment as his pull lands short of Ravindra at mid-wicket.
OVER 9: ENG 52/1 (Bethell 4 Gay 11)
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Henry is too straight and Gay flicks one of his pads through square leg. The ball races across the wickets but Jamieson just about gets down in time to save a run and keep it to three.
Bethell gets off the mark fifth ball with a boundary through backward point to bring up England’s 50.
OVER 8: ENG 45/1 (Bethell 0 Gay 8)
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Jacob Bethell joins Gay in the middle.
Gay had his head in his hands even before Nathan Smith hit the stumps with a direct hit. This is now a hard challenge for Gay to put the mistake out of his mind. It was caused by the pressure of not scoring a run since lunch and by trying to kickstart his session he ended up running out Duckett who was looking better than he had for some time. Cruel game.
Wicket
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Duckett run out Smith 36 How silly! Gay drops into the offside and calls Duckett through. There is never a single there though as Smith picks up and hammers his throw into the stumps. Duckett was nowhere near making his ground and that is a big blow for England as Duckett was motoring. Earlier in the innings the reverse nearly happened as Duckett called Gay through for a single that was not on and England got away with it but not on this occasion. FOW 45/1
That is a shocker from England and Emilio Gay. It’s cost them the wicket of Ben Duckett, who gave up hope a long way out. Nathan Smith was only about five yards from the stumps when he threw them down. Duckett was flying, and he’s been barbecued by his partner.
OVER 7: ENG 45/0 (Duckett 36 Gay 8)
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Duckett is on a mission here; having blasted 11 runs from Jamieson’s over, he now pulls a short ball from Henry emphatically in front of square for four. Duckett finishes the over with another boundary; he gets one on his pads as Henry’s line is off and flicks it away. The contact is so pure and the ball races across the wickets so quickly that Ravindra at deep square leg cannot cut it off despite not being too far away from it.
OVER 6: ENG 37/0 (Duckett 28 Gay 8)
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Duckett goes aerially over mid-off but is absolutely safe. He did not time it well at all, thus why it did not reach the boundary, and Smith runs after it to restrict Duckett to two.
A few balls later, Duckett gets one on his hips and flicks away behind square. O’Rourke gets around well from fine leg to keep it to two.
That is one of the shots of the day as Duckett absolutely crunches one past a wide mid-off for four. That one flew to the boundary and Duckett is starting to motor. Therefore, Jamieson comes over the wicket. However, it does not get any better as Duckett drives down the ground. Smith’s fantastic diving stop saves a run as Duckett comes through for three. Duckett is up to 28 from just 19 balls.
Ben Duckett is purring since lunch. In Australia, his batting confidence eroded after some poor dropped catches – I am not sure whether one contributed to another – but here he has managed to put a very poor drop behind him. Early days, but he looks in fine touch.
OVER 5: ENG 25/0 (Duckett 17 Gay 8)
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Matt Henry, as he did before the lunch break, is bowling from the Vauxhall End. It is a decent, probing over from Henry, pushing it across the left-handed Gay from over the wicket.
OVER 4: ENG 25/0 (Duckett 17 Gay 8)
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Kyle Jamieson will start proceedings after lunch from the Pavilion End. Ben Duckett gets the first runs of this session with a punch up the ground through mid-off for a couple.
A few balls later, Duckett is a touch fortunate. He goes at one outside his off stump and the ball flashes through the gully region for four. That could so easily have ended up in New Zealand hands.
Duckett then gets his second two of the over with a flick through backward square leg.
Duckett finishes the over with a third two with a flick through square leg.
Afternoon session and some breaking news!
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England resume their first innings on 15/0 having faced just the three overs before the lunch break. Ben Duckett is on seven not out whilst Emilio Gay is on eight.
Meanwhile Gay’s club teammate Ben Stokes has been named in Durham’s 15-man squad for their County Championship game against Northamptonshire starting tomorrow.
When will Mark Wood return?
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The Durham fast bowler is part of Sky’s team today and this is what he has had to say on when he might be back:
“I do not know if it is good news that you can have an operation but next week I am having an operation. My knee was that bad after The Ashes that we were unable to do anything but a tidy up next week should get me back on the path to bowling. It was frustrating. It was improving slowly but now I have sort of hit that ceiling and have a chance to put it right.”
Nasser Hussain on Sky Sports
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“I thought England were no better than okay with their lines on day one while this morning was history repeating itself. Against the lower order and tail, England always, always, go for the short-pitched ploy and it very rarely works. It was not just the short-pitched bowling but the line of it as well. Bouncers were outside off stump and [Kyle] Jamieson likes it there. I thought England were really poor. Misfields, dropped catches.
“If it was just a one-off, you would say, ‘okay, they got it wrong’ but they must look at how they are bowling to the lower order. You have to bring the stumps into play as the only way you will get a wicket with short stuff is if a batsman hits it up in the air. If you mix it up, you can bring bowled and lbw into play and then the odd bouncer can get a caught in the deep.
“The [Jofra] Archer situation is England playing catch-up cricket. He has been in the IPL only bowling four overs and then he missed the first Test to get his loads up. England say he is very good when he comes back but Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Chris Woakes will tell you that the only way to get fit for bowling is spending a day in the field. When you have not played Test cricket in a long time, you get out of bed the next day and your body is a little bit [stiff].”
Maiden Test ton
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It was a special morning for Glenn Phillips, who reached his first Test century. He survived that enthralling, spicy spell from Jofra Archer last night and made hay while the sun shined this morning.
Michael Atherton on Sky Sports
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“I thought England were pretty inept this morning. Tactically it was very hard to understand that short-ball ploy from the very first ball of the day.
“They were also scruffy in the field; dropping a catch, 51 extras, 22 byes, a no-ball, Jofra Archer not appearing until 15 overs in with the second new ball. It was a really poor effort all told from England.”
Why or why go so short?
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We seem to have this conversation quite often surrounding England going to short-pitch bowling. Bowling full seems to be good enough for the actual batsmen but for the lower order they seem intent on banging it in halfway down the wicket. England too often appear to go to short balls far too quickly but how different things could have been if Ben Duckett had taken that simple catch on the boundary right at the start of the morning’s play.
Par total or better than that?
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It looks a decent pitch to bat on and conditions are favouring the batsmen, unlike in the first Test so how good a total will this prove to be for New Zealand? England will probably feel that they have allowed New Zealand to get 60 or 70 runs too many but we will only know that once England bat. The hosts have to take advantage of these conditions this afternoon, which look ripe for runs, runs and more runs.
Lunch verdict
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Grim morning for England that could cost them dearly. Poor tactics exposed by Phillips as the inexperienced, not match fit seam attack leaked runs giving New Zealand control for the first time. There are runs to be scored on this pitch so England just have to handle the pressure of a total close to 400 by New Zealand. Good test of whether they have learned how and when to put pressure back on the opposition.
Lunch: England trail by 376 runs
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A good session for New Zealand and especially Glenn Phillips, who scampered to a charming maiden Test hundred. England were poor in the field but, a run-out chance notwithstanding a run-out chance, started well with the bat.
OVER 3: ENG 15/0 (Duckett 7 Gay 4)
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Gay survives a run-out chance on the stroke of lunch. Duckett pushed Henry into the off side for a quick single, and Gay was just short when Nathan Smith’s throw whistled past the stumps. Gay hesitated slightly before setting off, and I guess it takes time for a new opening pair to develop their chemistry between the wickets. My hunch is that Zak Crawley would have set off straight away and been home.
An escape like that would scramble many a brain. Not Gay’s: three balls later he pushes a quite gorgeous boundary through mid-off. Henry responds with a wide, tempting outswinger that Gay can’t resist - he chases it and is beaten. That’s lunch.
OVER 2: ENG 10/0 (Duckett 6 Gay 4)
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No sign of Emilio Gay playing for lunch. He drives his first ball beautifully through the covers for four. It was a swinging half-volley from Kyle Jamieson, true, but he put it away in style.
At this stage we don’t know whether he’ll play six Tests or 60, but there is a lot to like about Gay’s strokeplay and temperament.
Jamieson responds later in the over with a jaffa that beats the edge. Time for one more over before lunch.
OVER 1: ENG 6/0 (Duckett 6 Gay 0)
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Duckett plays a couple of solid defensive strokes and then rifles a boundary through mid-off. That’s a cracking way to get off the mark.
The players are back on the field
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There will be time for two or three overs before lunch; the first will be bowled by Matt Henry.
A scruffy performance from England
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That was a poor morning for England, who conceded exactly 100 runs in just 19.2 overs. But they will still fancy their chances of going past New Zealand on what looks an excellent pitch.
Wicket!
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Phillips c Gay b Fisher 100 Phillips pulls Fisher to deep square leg and is smartly caught on the run by Emilio Gay. He had to go for his shots with only the No11 for company. The England players congratulate Phillips on a brilliant hundred - 135 balls, 18 fours - as they make their way off. The timing of the dismissal means the England openers will have an awkward 10-minute mini-session before lunch. FOW: 391 all out
Expect several move hundreds from Phillips
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Really terrific counterpunching century from Glenn Phillips, rescuing New Zealand from 188/5. His first in Test cricket; you’d think they’ll be several more, especially if he is promoted up the order. Phillips has been comfortably New Zealand’s most impressive batsman this series.
OVER 96: NZ 391/9 (Phillips 100 O’Rourke 0)
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Will O’Rourke, a good defensive No11, plays out the rest of the over.
Wicket!
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Henry c Tongue b Archer 5 Matt Henry cleaves Archer miles in the air and is caught by Josh Tongue. That’s not a great shot, especially when Phillips is still going at the other end. FOW: 391/9
Maiden Test hundred for Phillips
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Glenn Phillips knocks Archer into the off side to reach his first Test century! What a marvellous innings: sweetly fluent at times, seriously courageous at others - particularly against Archer, who pats Phillips on the back as he walks back to his mark. I think it’s also the first Test hundred by an openly ADHD cricketer, a small but important landmark.
All that time he spent on his backside last night was worth it.
OVER 95: NZ 388/8 (Phillips 97 Henry 5)
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A superb short ball from Fisher hits Henry, who’s trying to take evasive action, and loops over Rew for a couple of runs. I thought Henry gloved it but they were given as leg-byes so it must have him on the arm.
Interestingly, replays show that Henry edged Fisher to the keeper earlier in the over, but nobody appealed.
And now, with Glenn Phillips three away from a maiden Test hundred, it’s time for his buddy Jofra Archer to have a bowl.
OVER 94: NZ 386/8 (Phillips 97 Henry 5)
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Matt Henry cuts Bethell gracefully for four to get off the mark. New Zealand have more than doubled their score since the loss of the fifth wicket; they were 188/5 when Daryl Mitchell fell to Sonny Baker yesterday evening.
Phillips moves to the brink his hundred by lashing Bethell to the cover boundary.
OVER 93: NZ 377/8 (Phillips 93 Henry 0)
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Jofra Archer is on the field, but he’s been used to four-over spells of late and he bowled 19 yesterday. Stiffness might be the reason he hasn’t bowled this morning.
Fisher digs in a bumper that hits Phillips on the helmet and flies over the keeper’s head for four. They’re given as runs, which takes Phillips into the nineties, and there’s no concussion check despite that whack on the head.
The mistake to give Phillips four extra runs is fair enough - that can happen - but the lack of a concussion check isn’t good enough.
OVER 92: NZ 373/8 (Phillips 89 Henry 0)
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A quiet over from Bethell, one from it.
OVER 91: NZ 372/8 (Phillips 88 Henry 0)
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Phillips pulls Fisher ferociously for four, the ball making a beautiful sound off the bat, and then works a single to reach his highest Test score. He’s played so well, both in attack and defence, and deserves a maiden hundred.
OVER 90: NZ 367/8 (Phillips 83 Henry 0)
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Bethell has 3/16 from eight overs - and, right here right now, a Test bowling average of 25.42. That’s the best in this particular England team. He should have been on from ball one!
Wicket!
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Jamieson b Bethell 41 The surprise introduction of Jacob Bethell pays off. Jamieson misses an almighty hack across the line and is bowled leg stump to end a punchy innings of 41 from 48 balls. England really needed that. FOW: 367/8
OVER 88: NZ 365/7 (Phillips 82 Jamieson 40)
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Matthew Fisher replaces Josh Tongue, whose five overs this morning went for 23. A jaunty pick up from Jamieson is well stopped at cow corner by Cox, saving two runs - but Jamieson nails the next ball over mid-on for four.
Jamieson is a very handy lower-order batter, with a Test average of 22, and he’s closing in on his career-best score of 51.
Fisher pleads for LBW when Phillips whips around his front pad. Missing leg.
It’s time for drinks after a mildly shambolic first hour for England, who shipped 74 runs from just 12 overs.
OVER 88: NZ 357/7 (Phillips 81 Jamieson 33)
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Joe Root briefly leaves the field, possibly to talk tactics with Brendon McCullum. It would be fascinating to know the reason for introducing Bethell ahead of Archer and Fisher.
Bethell continues and bowls a decent over, one of the few this morning that hasn’t included at least one boundary.
OVER 87: NZ 356/7 (Phillips 80 Jamieson 33)
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Jamieson leathers Tongue through extra cover for four, a seriously handsome stroke. England have been scruffy as hell, it’s true, but Phillips and Jamieson have batted superbly. At the end of the third Test we may reflect on this as a series-turning partnership: they’ve added 76 in only 13.2 overs.
Root’s vote of no confidence
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Incredible! Five overs of second ball and Jacob Bethell is on. Even allowing for difficult footholds at the Vauxhall End, this is some vote of no confidence in his four seamers. But it was Joe Root’s decision to kick off with bouncers and it has unravelled from there.
OVER 86: NZ 350/7 (Phillips 80 Jamieson 27)
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There’s funky captaincy, then there’s giving the new ball to Jacob Bethell ahead of Jofra Archer. That’s what’s happening now, but Joe Root knows infinitely more about cricket than you and me so he will have his reasons.
A misfield from Gay at extra cover gives Jamieson a bonus boundary, after which he scrunches a single down the ground to bring up New Zealand’s 350. England are all over the place just now.
OVER 85: NZ 345/7 (Phillips 80 Jamieson 22)
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Phillips moves into the eighties by timing Tongue past backward point for four. It’s a surprise that he has never made a Test century, especially as he has a pretty good average of 37. This is Phillips’ 19th Test and his highest score, at least for the next minutes, is 87 against Bangladesh in 2023.
Mark Wood set for knee operation
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Chris Woakes was here with Sky yesterday, and today it’s Mark Wood’s turn. He hasn’t played since bowling a handful of overs in the Perth Ashes Test in November. He says after a period of trying to rehabilitate his knee, he is having a “tidy up” operation, which should accelerate his return to action.
It seems unlikely that Wood plays Test cricket again, given the number of injuries he’s had and the fact that he is 36, but it would be nice if he could get back on the park in the less taxing shorter formats, whether for England or anyone else. Wood’s England contract expires in September.
OVER 84: NZ 340/7 (Phillips 76 Jamieson 21)
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Phillips is surprised by some extra bounce from Baker and does well to drop the ball safely on the off side. He stands tall to punch the next ball beautifully to the cover boundary, then pulls another through square leg. Lovely stuff.
Not sure why Archer and/or Fisher aren’t bowling here because England are haemorrhaging runs: 49 from seven overs this morning.
OVER 83: NZ 332/7 (Phillips 68 Jamieson 21)
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This is now a three-act innings from Glenn Phillips. He timed the ball like David Gower when he came to the crease, then went into survival mode against Jofra Archer before the close. This morning he has been busy in the best sense of the word, putting away the bad balls and always looking to rotate strike.
These are the three stages in number form:
- 40 from 39 balls
- 8 from 35
- 20 from 25
Time to review the concussion protocols?
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In an era when concussion is properly regarded, should two strikes on the batsman’s helmet demand half-an-hour of being retired hurt - or until the next wicket falls? Perhaps three strikes then temporarily out?
A very poor start from England
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This has been a good pitch so far, but interesting that one has gone through low already. It’s only day two, and Glenn Phillips said “wow” as the ball went past his bat. With New Zealand building a decent score, England will be wary that they will have to bat last. England have had a very poor start to the day with the dropped catch, a no-ball, and just general looseness of the short ball tactic.
OVER 82: NZ 329/7 (Phillips 65 Jamieson 21)
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Baker continues with the new ball, a bit of a surprise given the presence of Archer and Fisher. A length ball keeps low and only just misses the off stump. Interesting.
Later in the over, Jamieson misses a full and is smacked flush on the grille. That’s the second time he’s been struck this morning and the physio is on to check for concussion.
Jamieson is okay to continue and drives Baker majestically to the cover boundary to end the over. New Zealand have scored 38 in five overs this morning.
OVER 81: NZ 324/7 (Phillips 64 Jamieson 17)
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England take the new ball and revert to an orthodox length. But when Tongue overpitches, Phillips puts him away through midwicket with aplomb.
The follow-up delivery bursts from a length to beat Phillips, who instinctively shouts “Woooo!” as it passes the bat. The non-striker Jamieson then survives a run-out chance when the throw from cover misses the stumps. Not sure who the fielder was.
A poor drop from Duckett
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Ben Duckett is 100m or so to our right here and he looked in a great position, even though he is looking into the sun. A poor drop. His catching went missing in the Ashes and his batting followed...
OVER 80: NZ 318/7 (Phillips 59 Jamieson 16)
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Baker’s second over of the day, surely the last before England take the second new ball, disappears for 13. Jamieson makes room to slam a boundary through the covers, then top-edges another over the keeper’s head. He’s dropped next ball, a relatively straightforward chance to the backpedalling Duckett at cow corner. He may have lost it in the sun.
England haven’t quite lost the plot but nor have they started well. Phillips pulls crisply round the corner for four to make it 27 runs from three overs this morning.
England leaking extras
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I suppose we have to have three overs of bouncer barrage before the second new ball, to get it out of England’s system. But please let us go back to conventional bowling when the new ball becomes due ie normal length and three slips plus gully. The extras are piling up during the bouncer barrages!
OVER 79: NZ 305/7 (Phillips 55 Jamieson 7)
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Phills shapes to pull Tongue, then aborts the shot and wears one in the breadbasket. Jamieson tries to pull, misses and is hit on the helmet, with the ball looping to Rew behind the stumps. It was a no-ball so he wouldn’t have been out even if he had gloved it.
There’s a short delay while Jamieson gets a new helmet.
Phillips looks like New Zealand’s best player
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Glenn Phillips has been in sparkling touch all series. He looks like New Zealand’s best player - surely too low at seven. A swap with Tom Blundell, and a promotion to six would be a start.
OVER 78: NZ 300/7 (Phillips 54 Jamieson 6)
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Baker starts with a bouncer that beats Phillips’ attempted hook before swinging down the leg side for four byes. Phillips top-edges the next ball for four to bring up an admirable half-century - fluent at the start, then extremely courageous - from 76 balls.
Time for the action
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Sonny Baker, who must have slept like a brain last night, has the ball in his hand.
Mixed weather forecast at the Oval
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The weather forecast suggests we could have an interrupted afternoon session, but it looks good until lunch and then after 5pm. Any rain is likely to be light.
A great day to be a punter
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Good morning from the Oval, where it is cloudy and cool. A great day to be a punter, I reckon, with an exciting but largely unproven England batting order up against a superb bowling attack on a good pitch, with the game in the balance.
‘Archer’s bouncer just keeps coming and coming and coming’
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Glenn Phillips is speaking to Sky Sports about his exhilarating contest with Jofra Archer.
I’ve got muscular bruises so that’s all right – the last thing you want is a bruise on the joint of elbow or somewhere. So yeah, we’re good.
Jof’s got incredible speed and his action doesn’t have many bodily cues, so I find it hard to pick up his length. He’s incredibly accurate with his bouncers and they just keep coming and coming and coming.
I was trying to come up with a plan; believe it or not I was trying to play it! The whole time I was thinking about taking him on but it was a bit too quick. The intent was there, but actually being able to do it is another story. Sometimes, with the way things go, evasion is the best option.
It was a great battle and he’s an incredible bowler.
[On wearing sunglasses] My eyes are really sensitive to the light so when the sun hit that sightscreen it really lit up. There was one ball I didn’t see and I was lucky it wasn’t at the stumps. So my choice was either to see the ball at 140+kmh or not see it and hope for the best. I’d definitely rather see it!
Carry On Sonny
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Two difficult debuts in white-ball cricket forged a deep determination in Sonny Baker to be his idiosyncratic and authentic self, and the Hampshire paceman became an instant fan favourite on his Test bow.
In 2025, Baker was handed debuts in a one-day international, when he was smashed for 76 in seven overs by South Africa, and in T20 cricket, when his four overs cost 56.
Before Baker’s Test debut, he was so nervous that he struggled to eat and control his emotions as he was presented with his cap by the former England fast bowler Steven Finn. But it went rather better, as he picked up the wickets of New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell and became an immediate favourite of the Oval crowd.
Opportunity knocks
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Day one of Joe Root’s captaincy dissected
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To Joe Root, his chances of leading England in a Test match again were 0.1 per cent. Yet the extraordinary events of the previous 10 days meant Root had the captaincy thrust upon him – and the most unlikely opportunity to improve his previous record, of 27 victories counterbalanced by 26 defeats. Here is how Root fared on his return as captain, four years after the end of his first stint.
England redeemed by new boys after week of scandal
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After a faintly farcical Lord’s Test and a week of scandal, England needed a day of hard-fought Test cricket to snap them back to reality.
The England side for this Test are a little like the ones you often see rolled out in Sydney at the end of a chaotic Ashes tour, but while those teams capitulate at the slightest puff of wind, this one is brimming with youthful enthusiasm and they had a decent day against New Zealand.
It looks like a good batting pitch, one that will improve as the game goes on in hot weather, and New Zealand may well end up regretting some soft dismissals. They closed on 291 for seven, not a disaster after being put in, but it should have been so much better against an England team forced into five changes and fielding three debutants.
Good morning
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Hello and welcome to live, over-by-over coverage of day two at the Oval. If you were quantifying the perfect Test match, the first day would look a bit like yesterday’s. New Zealand closed on 291/7, which reflects an even contest between bat and ball and leaves us wondering which team is on top.
The actual play was fairly subtle in its entertainment until the last 90 minutes, when Jofra Archer decided it was time for Glenn Phillips to have a little sit down. And another, and another, and another. Phillips did brilliantly to survive a ferocious spell of perfectly directed short balls and will resume his innings on 49 not out.
The New Zealand scorecard – six of the top seven reached 20, nobody made more than Tom Blundell’s 51 – reflects a batting line-up that has more ballast than stardust. England’s bowling attack looks more varied, but they also shared the wickets. There were two each for Sonny Baker, joie de vivre incarnate, and Jacob Bethell plus one apiece for Archer, Matthew Fisher and Josh Tongue.
Though he’s not yet in their class, Baker’s pace, enthusiasm and personality evoked a couple of England crowd favourites: Darren Gough and Mark Wood.
“I’m buzzing,” said Baker at the end of the day’s play. “It felt awesome, could you tell? I was pretty nervous going into the day but once you get into the warm-up everything just goes away. It seems the crowd have taken to me pretty nicely and I’m pretty grateful, that’s for sure.”
Baker and the other England bowlers have work to do this morning, but they will want to get their feet up as soon as possible and for as long as possible. It feels like a good day for batting at the Oval. Bed and Breakfast should be available.
