**Official** New Zealand in England

[PhoenixFire]

It certainly is. England can just go as slow as they want TBH, they have all the time in the world. A 350 ball 100 from Cook would be invaluable now.

 

[cover drive man]

Yeah.

 

[Jono]

I'd love to know NZ's average 2nd innings score in test cricket since 2004 or something.

 

[stumpski]

Just to go in tonight none down would be a huge fillip, really.

 

[Richard]

Think England have a very realistic chance at this, they've got a full day tomorrow to do it.

And Tuesday.

True ... was anyone else thinking this was day four?

We've been lucky to have had a full day's play though - no play at Edbgaston, and only 20-odd overs at Derby.

Oh yeah I keep forgetting. Well its anyone's game then.

It certainly is. England can just go as slow as they want TBH, they have all the time in the world. A 350 ball 100 from Cook would be invaluable now.

Yeah.

Welllllll, there's little prospect of any play on Tuesday hactually. But a Friday-start Test in this country will always confuse many.

Either way, if there's a full session this evening and a full day tomorrow, we'd need to score at less than 2.4-an-over not to have won by then. Which is rather unlikely.

And TBH, whatever rate we were to score at, I couldn't see us (or anyone really) batting 123 overs on this wicket anyway. I certainly don't want to see us driving at balls which are not full enough, or trying to hit balls off the stumps to leg, but so far this pitch has played encouragingly. Even despite Vettori turning it, the seamers have got nothing and have pitched too wide so far.

 

[Richard]

I'd love to know NZ's average 2nd innings score in test cricket since 2004 or something.

Is that a deliberately ironic comment, given said question was answered about 15 posts ago?

 

[Richard]

Fifty up without loss - much, much more than I'd expected at the outset of this innings. If these two can add another 20 or 30, then I'll be starting to hope we could win this.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

The way this is shaping up, it could end up being England's best Test win since the Ashes for pure bounce-back-ability. If I've jinxed England, I'm not particularly bothered.

 

[Richard]

Don't worry, what a Trinidadian says on a cricket forum server-located in Sydney can't possibly have any effect on what happens on a cricket field in Manchester.

If England fall in a heap, it'll be all their own or New Zealand's fault.

 

[Richard]

Daym, Cook gone, well bowled Vettori. A good start though, but we can't afford to lose two in quick-time. Just 6 overs left this evening, Strauss and Vaughan absolutely must get through them.

Vaughan off-the-mark 1st ball.

 

[chalky]

Cook gone a little unlucky inside edge on to thigh pad caught at short leg.

 

[Richard]

Well, we close on 76 for 1. 218 more needed to win tomorrow.

Certainly possible.

 

[wpdavid]

Well, I'd have settled for 218 needed from 9 wickets at the end of today. Trouble is, the lion's share of those need to be made before we lose two more. Should be a terrific day tomorrow.

 

[stumpski]

If we can get to 200 with no more than four out I'll be quite hopeful - should be a fascinating day.

 

[Richard]

If we need 70 when Bell walks to the crease, I'll be reasonably confident. But to expect to get 140 for the loss off 2 wickets would be expectation in the extreme.

 

[wpdavid]

If we can get to 200 with no more than four out I'll be quite hopeful - should be a fascinating day.

Hmmm - 90 from one of the top 5 plus Collingwood (no runs for yonks), Ambrose (no runs for 5 test innings) and the bowlers. I'll be bricking it, tbh.

 

[Woodster]

Tomorrow promises to be a tense day! Providing England do not disappoint as they have so frequently chasing lesser scores than this, by losing a clutter of early wickets and ruining the whole days entertainment!

A time for the top 6 to really stand up and show it is a good unit, partnerships is obviously the key, NZ will be nervous everytime a partnership lasts any length of time. Could be a thriller. Vaughan is key for me, he's in good form and plays Vettori as well as anybody, but must be more positive than the first innings.

 

[Richard]

To me now I think about it a little more, this bears some similarity to the situation at the end of the third day at The Oval in 1999 - ironically, the Test before Michael Vaughan made his debut. No real similarity to the rest of the match, but the end-of-day situations bear resemblence.

England needing something we all knew was pretty unlikely, but certainly not totally impossible, and in a not-completely-indecent position at the close.

Hopefully the outcome will be different this time. Our batting is certainly a bit deeper than on that occasion: five of the top six was strong (Atherton, Hussain, Stewart, Thorpe, Ramprakash) but the bottom five was very weak indeed (Irani, Caddick, Mullally, Tufnell, Giddins). Also, NZ's attack (Cairns, Nash, O'Connor, Vettori) was quite a bit stronger than the current one.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Hmm must be that time of year when teams hand Panesar obscene bowling figures. How's dismissal was the sort of crap WI were pulling when they were handing Panesar wickets. Marshall and McCullum - godawful shots. Vettori and Mills were more understandable but still poor. Taylor was unlucky obviously.

 

[GIMH]

Vaughan the key tomorrow. Captain needs to be at his best on days like the one ahead.

Got to see most of the day's play. Days like this are the reason I love Test Cricket. I, the eternal optimist, was convinced that we had lost once Ambrose went out, yet now I am absolutely certain that we will march on to victory. Obviously, in all reality, it is in the balance, but what a turnaround.