England v New Zealand Test Series 2026

[Durhamfootman]

England are going to get creamed in this one

I wonder how long it will take for the ECB compliant media to blame Stokes and Atkinson

[Arthur Crabtree]

Root out!

[sussexpob]

I just cannot get my head round this team at points. Its a record June heatwave, the temperature is over 30 degrees, and on a pitch that is known for being flat you put up 4 paceman that bowler quick and no back up 5th bowler. What is supposed to be thinking behind it? Root brought himself on in around the 15th over. The whole of the 4 man pace attack had bowled less than 4 overs on average after a whole days rest, and were already gassed with the ball still having a bit of shine on it. What to you end up gaining from it? The combined dross of 3 players with FC averages of 48/70 and 70 end up bowling the most after you have a team 33-2 and a potential path back into the game. Dross comes on, both bats get in, game now basically in miracle street.

It's a simple question of maths. If the most overs are being bowled by dross people with no hope of wickets, then the players you are picking to facilitate that line up have to be exceptionally brilliant to compensate. I cant be bothered to do the maths properly, but as a guestimate based purely on test/FC averages, the positive difference of having even someone like Ashley Giles as the 5th option would be worth about 2-3 runs per bowler less.... which would be about the same as converting Tongue into McGrath, the rest into the Damien Fleming/Jason Gillespie territory. I know that sounds a weird point, but thats basically what you have to over come.... the difference between Ashley Giles and Brook/Root/Bethell based purely on their career numbers. The likelihood of that paying off it therefore low.

And why do England keep picking Archer like his some all-time great. He has a post 30 average in an era of declining bowling averages, he doesn't care about playing for England and rather be on a beach, and for all the talk today he bowled 8 overs out of nearly 60, so even if he was peak Malcolm Marshall how much is he winning matches!!!

England gave away their 16th most extras ever in the first innings. Only 2 of those instances were lower innings totals, and they have never registered even close to 50 plus in under 100 overs. I would estimate that about 75% of those were Archer short balls flying over slips heads. I think he had about 20 lbs from balls that hit batsman and cannoned away.... so he meh match in true value is even worse.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Seems mysterious to me that at Lord's there was an obvious case for going in with four pace bowlers and no spinner, but they picked a specialist spinner when the game was expected to be squeezed by the weather. But at the Oval, they left the spinner out in a game expected to take place in a heatwave.

And I've never understood why it is that when you have a four bowlers attack plus a part timer, you play four pace specialists, but the only spinner you rely on is a net bowler. Why not pick three pace bowlers, a specialist spinner and a part time seam bowler to fill in.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Good day for the batters. Maybe England could get a draw if the try to bat time... Don't know if they still have the chase anything mentality.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Cloudy today but dry. Sunny and hot tomorrow. Unless they're expecting the pitch to break up, NZ will want to have a long bowl today.

[sussexpob]

Lead 352... NZ will want 500 by lunch or some time not long after

[alfie]

Looks like being a 500 run chase or bat out 4.5 sessions...both unlikely. Not surprised at the third day : although Fisher did surprisingly well , that tail was always unlikely to last long. And on a warm day , flattish pitch , unless the new ball brought a host of scalps the bowlers were inevitably going to be worn down and punished. NZ did a very professional job and are all but certain to level the series tomorrow.

I am not going to panic. Losing 3/4 of the first choice attack plus the keeper : one could argue about whether the best replacements were picked - but honestly are there really any obviously better options running around at the moment ? (I would have picked Rehan rather than the extra batsman - but can't confidently claim he would have worked miracles) get the A Team back together next week and no reason they can't win the decider. Hopefully all that nonsense about keeping Stokes & Atkinson out for the last Test has been put to bed !

I will wait until the game is over before getting too dogmatic about selections ; but suffice to say Rew is possibly at risk of emulating the short Test career of Bracey in the corresponding series 5 years ago. Might be his brother has better prospects going forward ? In fairness to the young keeper , most of the byes were better categorised as wides , and neither chance was easy. But he could do with some second innings runs...As could most of the team !

[Arthur Crabtree]

Maybe Rew will be seen as more of a specialist bat.

[sussexpob]

You need to give players more than three innings, but an immediate observation seeing James Rew fall into the same trap in quick succession just left me a bit speechless. In normal times that is fine and you trust the coaches to work in people, but this administration just sent someone out to say aggression is brilliant.

I don't think it's Rews though that he basically kept for one game before the squad came out to show he was a keeper, and since Somerset have given the gloves to his brother and Banton. It has shown over this test Rew is not a specialist standard, he dropped Ravindra at a key moment yesterday, and then Nicholls gloved a chance that I'd expect a good standard test keeper to at least get a hand on, but he didn't get near it.

[sussexpob]

Ben Stokes will be delighted nevertheless with everyone getting a reminder of how terrible Joe Root is at captaining..I think iNew Zealand scored about 200 runs through point yesterday, and his symmetrical leg slip/wide slip tactic was confusing, as he was setting the field to the bad ball

And with Rew struggling back behind the stumps, not sure who thought it a good idea for him to stand up to Fisher bowling 85mph. The ball went straight through him for 4 at the first opportunity....if you drop clangers, don't do the heman stuff

[Durhamfootman]

Dobell was having a go about this, yesterday. He referenced Key's comments, last year sometime, about keepers who can stand up to the stumps being a complete waste of time (or words to that effect). Since then Carey used standing up to the stumps to great effect in the ashes to keep the likes of Harry Brook in his crease, and now Blundell is doing the same thing.... and guess what.... because Brook can't dance down the pitch to stay out of trouble, he keeps getting pinned lbw in front of his stumps. NZ will be doing that because they've done their homework.... They got Root the same way I believe.

Now standing up the stumps requires fast bowlers to swallow their ego and bowl appropriately with the keeper standing up, and that's almost certainly why Key was so dismissive of it. You can't go all in for a pace, pace, pace and if it isn't working bowl faster and bang it in shorter philosophy and then ask the speedsters to slow it down a bit so the keeper can stand up, when you're fully committed to express pace. Remember extreme pace is the only way.... the only way to win in Australia.... which is why England won so convincingly.... pfft!

It's just more evidence that the 'we've learnt the lessons of the ashes' soundbites, were just that.... soundbites! England are actually still wedded to this idea and will probably remain so for as long as Key is in charge.

[Arthur Crabtree]

500 looking some way off. But maybe NZ feel they have enough anyway.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Rehan close to a ton, as well as the 2-6.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Wonder if Bethell is close to being dropped.