comment by Blue Heaven (U20912)
posted 51 minutes ago
NZ fought back via Latham and Conway but England then took 3 wickets with spin. NZ 202-3.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pleased to see Leach contribute with 5 in this match when outsiders thought he should be dropped for another seamer. Hopefully we can make early inroads with the new ball tomorrow with a fresher attack although I don't think England will fear chasing anything.

comment by Emile Death Rowe (TCM) (U8959)
posted 1 hour, 5 minutes ago
comment by Blue Heaven (U20912)
posted 51 minutes ago
NZ fought back via Latham and Conway but England then took 3 wickets with spin. NZ 202-3.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pleased to see Leach contribute with 5 in this match when outsiders thought he should be dropped for another seamer. Hopefully we can make early inroads with the new ball tomorrow with a fresher attack although I don't think England will fear chasing anything.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Leach is a good bowler though not a great one but England don't have any better spin options. The obvious alternative is to play another seamer and use Root as your main spinner - and I would do that depending on conditions. England are still favourites for this match - with the bookies at least.

England still in a good position. A couple of early wickets and they'll struggle to get a lead of 150. even it was 300. This England team would go for it.

Leach has bowled almost 50 overs in this match, I'm not sure I'd want to put that workload on our best batter. I know if we had 4 seamers then it would have been less as Stokes has only bowled 2 but Leach has done a tremendous job in this second innings.

I don't think he's great but he's the best we've got and there is usually always value in having a spinner. Root is a more than useful part timer but I think I'd have only considered a 4th seamer if it was Wood, or a fully fit Archer. Stone is quick but not rapid and Potts isn't any quicker than the other 3.

A load of juggling by Brook and Nicholls goes, off Robinson. 222-4.

Leach aint that great is he? terrible in fact

Mitchell caught off Broad. NZ 297-5.

needed that wicket!

comment by bestoftherest2021 (U22523)
posted 7 hours, 31 minutes ago
Leach aint that great is he? terrible in fact
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Probably going to be the reason we win this match now as long as we knock off the runs tomorrow. Brook's bonus wicket of Williamson also pretty handy but he's picked up 8 wickets and bowled a lot of overs. Given Anderson, Broad and Robinson took 1 between them in that second innings, he's played a crucial role.

A grinding effort on both sides though and definitely missed Wood across the last 2 days. In the Root era, we'd have probably batted in the 3rd innings but we'd also be cursing chasing over 250 in the 4th innings. Now I'm pretty confident we will knock these off.

Crawley got a very good ball today although the big drive made it look like a poor shot, which it was but the ball was also a good one. Which then makes you say yes be positive but that's not the ball to go after.

comment by Emile Death Rowe (TCM) (U8959)
posted 26 minutes ago
comment by bestoftherest2021 (U22523)
posted 7 hours, 31 minutes ago
Leach aint that great is he? terrible in fact
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Probably going to be the reason we win this match now as long as we knock off the runs tomorrow. Brook's bonus wicket of Williamson also pretty handy but he's picked up 8 wickets and bowled a lot of overs. Given Anderson, Broad and Robinson took 1 between them in that second innings, he's played a crucial role.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
2* for 240 between them off 79 overs so Leach 5/157 off 61 looks a great effort.

At the time i posted it. he was bowling like he was throwing pies..
A better spinner would have caused more problems.,
But thats for another time. Hopefully Robinson can stick around and get 20 or so runs.. help us lower the target.

Robinson if anyone should be the night watchmen.

Yeah fair enough on Leach but credit to him, he had to bowl a lot of overs and if he was smashed around at 5/6 an over then the others and even Stokes would have had to bowl a bit more. At the same time, if NZ were more aggressive then wickets probably would have fallen earlier.

I love Wagner asking Robinson where the night hawk is and his response is "I am the Night Hawk" he's already done his job and he will probably be told to go for it tomorrow as with potential rain about, they won't want him to sit in and hang around for the sake of it.

This is the weirdest 4 runs ive ever seen from a top order batsman in test cricket. Thats Pope by the way

up to 10 now. dont know how though

Pope gone.

dunno why he couldnt have left that? why cut that?

Oh dear, what the fack was that?

Root killed Brook there

That could lose us the match that decision.

Popes average in the second innings of test matches is hilariously bad

57th 50 for Root. Could do with him getting 150 to redeem himself for selling Brook down the river.

horrible error from Stokes but something hes always done his entire career

Ridiculous ending, so happy not to be in U.K. time zone