England v New Zealand Test Series 2026

[Arthur Crabtree]

Root is in... Boring.

[sussexpob]

Not sure you can get a better of example than this last 10 overs of why Bazball is so infuriatingly infantile at points. Ok, you send a lower order player up to hit the new ball attack out the game and that in the modern day is not an idea I have a problem with finding ways to chase down huge totals by being different.... but the point you have SIX men back on the boundary, you have o realise you won the battle. Just give them death by nudges and return to the baseball sh*t if they get tired of death by singles.

But no... Lets take on everyball hitting to an iron curtain of a boundary on tiny percentages. And then let the next man come in cold and slog every ball. If O'Rourke and Sears are down, bide your time. The cash in will come when Mitchell is throwing you lollipops tomorrow at 12h45.

Duckett is still attempting to reverse dilscoop everyball. Just hang into the close, another wicket down now is a catastrophe.

[sussexpob]

Good news for NZ... Sears is on

[sussexpob]

Duckett gone.... got one of the hand grenade balls.

[sussexpob]

I think Gay could be out first ball here

[Arthur Crabtree]

Gay must think he's in the madhouse. I hope the ECB coaching programme prepared him for days like this.

[sussexpob]

Santner ragging it first over.....

103/4 at the close. Guess the boys will be at the golf course by session two

[Arthur Crabtree]

Might be Root and Gay will try to play some percentage cricket tomorrow...

[Arthur Crabtree]

That was one of those times when England playing positive cricket felt more like taking the **** out of the paying public.

[sussexpob]

The barometer for English cricket is difficult to judge in the modern day with all the client journalism, bias that leads to overtly positive summary's, or ex-Rob Key colleagues who always stop short of really laying the boot in, but tonight the universal outrage is pretty clear. I thought the ECB wouldn't sack the management for the Ashes, as investment in the brand was too large... but I see no conceivable scenario where anyone survives losing tomorrow. Whatever goodwill was left in the press for Bazball dissolved the moment Harry Brook got out.

With Stokes gone, its a perfect opportunity to start again under a new vision. Although judging on the scale of the work required, I am not sure I'd be jumping at the chance.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Looks like Key is being isolated from the pack for a kill.

[bigfluffylemon]

WTF?

Stokes going out in a blaze of egoism. Can't help but think he's sticking two fingers up at the ECB on the way out.

[bigfluffylemon]

Well done Harry.... just utterly, utterly brainless.

Lost for words.

I think the last 12 months have proven that for all his talent, Brook must be one of the thickest people ever to have padded up for England.

[alfie]

Was totally nuts , that second innings. Didn't mind Stokes opening and blasting away : state he was in probably the best use of his talents ; but after he got out - having got England off to a flyer - would have made more sense to have Gay come in and try and settle for one down , two tops , at the close with something like 290 to get tomorrow.

But I am afraid after the Stokes retirement bombshell in the morning none of them were thinking that clearly. Not that it makes much difference as there was no way this group of bats were going to bat 105 overs on this pitch. In truth NZ just about won this match in those few overs early on day three...the rest has just been about deciding the margin.

Hats off to the Kiwis anyway. They are always underrated and have again showed can never be taken lightly.

Lot of work for England to reset now...

[Arthur Crabtree]

Was totally nuts , that second innings. Didn't mind Stokes opening and blasting away : state he was in probably the best use of his talents.

Though he has a reputation as someone to guide the back end of a run chase, and Duckett would have played aggressively at the top anyway.

It felt odd that they anticipated a hard time against the new ball, so they felt the only way to get through was to slog...

Maybe a good idea to look at another spinner?