6 talking points as late wickets put England in charge of third New Zealand Test

England are 2-0 up against New Zealand and will be hoping to complete a series whitewash to kick off a brand new era under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes

England are in the driving seat heading into day four of the third and final Test against New Zealand at Headingley after they reduced the visitors to 168-5 at the close of play.

In what was another dramatic day of Test match cricket, England were able to get a slim first innings lead of 31 thanks to Jonny Bairstow and Jamie Overton’s record-breaking partnership and a useful cameo from Stuart Broad.

Bairstow went onto make 162, his second-highest Test score, while Overton was cruelly denied a debut hundred when he was dismissed for 97 as England posted a first innings total of 360.

In response, New Zealand lost Will Young early, before Tom Latham finally found some form and shared a good partnership with Kane Williamson. Latham made 76 as he put on 97 runs alongside Williamson, before falling to Overton with the very first ball after tea.

England were then able to repeat the feat after a rain delay, with Joe Root getting Devon Conway out for 11 thanks to a brilliant catch from Ollie Pope at short leg. Conway’s was the first of three New Zealand wickets to fall for just 11 runs shortly before the close, with Potts getting Williamson for 48 and Jack Leach getting Henry Nicholls for seven to leave the visitors 168-5.

Here are six talking points from the day’s play…

Overton misses out on a hundred

After batting brilliantly alongside Bairstow to rescue England from 55-6, Overton was cruelly denied a century on debut when he was dismissed for 97. It was a heartbreaking moment for the England quick, who has worked hard on improving his batting in recent years, but it was a memorable innings as he shared a record seventh wicket partnership for England worth 241 with Bairstow.

And former England captain Nasser Hussain was full of praise for Overton, describing him as a “really organised player”. He told Sky Sports: “He will always think about the three runs he didn’t get as opposed to the 97 that he did.

“I thought it was a lovely moment when Bairstow ran to pat him on the back. He would have said, ‘you have kept us in the game here, mate, kept me in the middle’.

“At 55-6, he and Bairstow kept England in the game. He lines the ball up really well. He is a really organised player.”

Bairstow’s brilliance

What a magnificent week and a half it has been for Bairstow. After blasting England’s second-fastest Test hundred to guide his side to victory at Trent Bridge, he followed it up with another brilliant knock at his home ground.

Bairstow shared a record-breaking partnership with Overton and rescued England from 55-6 to a first innings lead of 31. On day two, he reached 150 from just 143 balls, making it England’s second fastest 150 in Test cricket behind Ben Stokes.

And his England teammate Moeen Ali believes it is Bairstow’s greatest ever innings. “What a fantastic knock by Jonny,” Moeen told BBC Test Match Special.

“In my opinion it’s his best Test innings to date. He looked in control. He was calm. We were 50-odd for six – when your team needed him he stepped up. He’s that sort of character.”

Broad’s cameo

He may have a high score of 169 in Test cricket, but Broad’s career average of 18.46 means he has gradually moved down the order. Before coming out at number eight in the second Test at Trent Bridge, Broad had only batted above number nine once for England in the last four years.

However, he has been working hard to improve his batting with former England coach Peter Moores, revealing in 2020 he has looked to play like Shane Warne did during the 2005 Ashes. As a result, Broad looks to bat aggressively and has enjoyed flashes of success.

In 2020, he struck 43 off 40 balls against South Africa and then blasted a 33-ball fifty against the West Indies. Since that knock against the West Indies, Broad had passed double figures just five times in two years, but he played a crucial cameo at Headingley to help extend England’s lead.

Just one day after celebrating his 36th birthday, Broad scored 42 off just 36 balls in a very useful innings that contained six fours and two sixes. “What I like about Stuart Broad is at times he can bat like Monty Panesar, and at other times he can bring out Sir Garfield Sobers.” former England captain Michael Vaughan remarked on BBC Test Match Special.

Leach opens the bowling

In a surprising move, England decided to open the bowling with Leach as the spinner partnered Broad with the new ball in New Zealand’s second innings. Having impressed in the first innings as he picked up his first five-wicket haul in England, Leach was once again backed by his captain as he delivered two overs with the new ball.

It was perhaps a ploy to ensure Broad would have enough time to bowl three overs before lunch and it was the first time England have handed a spinner the new ball at home since 2009, when Graeme Swann partnered Broad against the West Indies at Lord’s.

“Interesting to see Leach open the bowling,” former England spinner Phil Tufnell told BBC Test Match Special. “Usually openers get it in their mind that they’re going to be facing seam, so it’s not a bad little ploy…”

Foakes’ injury scare

Wicketkeeper Ben Foakes was absent from the field for the entirety of day three after struggling with a back problem. After informing England’s medical staff that he had a stiff back, Bairstow was handed the gloves at the start of New Zealand’s second innings.

The ECB later announced that Foakes had returned to the team hotel as a result of the injury and his progress would be monitored before a decision was made on his involvement for the rest of the Test.

Should the injury be serious enough to keep Foakes out of action for any length of time, it will be a major blow. The 29-year-old is in the midst of his first Test series at home and had been starting to cement his place in the side, having impressed with his glovework, notched a second Test fifty and been not out in two victories.

Wickets fall after the break

Two of the five New Zealand wickets to fall on day three came from the very first ball after a break. First, Overton accounted for Latham with the first ball after tea, getting him caught behind for 76.

Then, Conway fell to the first ball after a 21-minute rain delay, with Pope taking a brilliant one-handed catch off Root at short leg. Two other wickets also fell shortly after, as England picked up three wickets for just nine runs.

It was an excellent passage of play for England and coincided with the atmosphere ramping up dramatically at Headingley, with the likes of Stokes, Bairstow and Broad encouraging the crowd.

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