1st Test, New Zealand vs England Day 4 preview: A day of attrition passes, another lies ahead

BJ Watling (119*) batted through the entire third day at Mount Maunganui, adding 93 to his overnight score of 26. Aided by Henry Nicholls (41), Colin de Grandhomme (65), and Mitchell Santner (31*), he helped push New Zealand from 144/4 to 394/6. They now lead by 41.

After keeping wickets for 124 overs, Watling showed excellent judgement in his strokeplay, opting to grit it out as de Grandhomme opened up at the other end. The pair had added 113 in New Zealand’s last Test, at P Sara (Watling had got a hundred there as well); they put up 119 here.

Neil Wagner, Tim Southee, and Trent Boult – the remaining batsmen – all have reputations as six-hitters. Even if England manage to claim the seventh wicket early, New Zealand will have enough firepower left to stretch the lead to a hundred, and more.

One would have expected Joe Root to start the day with Jofra Archer (0/84), but his advent was surprisingly delayed. Root (1/31) himself struck in the first session, trapping Nicholls leg-before by. Nicholls had expected turn when there was none, and that was that.

De Grandhomme took the bowlers on in the second session, the highlight of his innings being a ferocious hook off Archer for six. He eventually went first ball after tea, caught one-handed by a flying Dom Sibley off Ben Stokes (2/37). But Santner stayed put, helping New Zealand add another 78 by stumps.

Key players

Tim Southee (New Zealand): Southee had ripped through England’s lower-middle order in the first innings. New Zealand can do with an encore from their senior-most bowler; they would not mind a couple of big hits before that, either.

Joe Root (England): This has not been Root’s greatest year, and what better occasion can there be for the England captain to find form than to help his team recover with their back against the wall?

Brief scores

England 353 (Ben Stokes 91, Joe Denly 74; Tim Southee 4/88, Neil Wagner 3/90) trail New Zealand 394/6 (BJ Watling 119*, Colin de Grandhomme 65; Sam Curran 2/74) by 41 runs.

Prediction

New Zealand to stretch lead past 100, England to catch up.