Test Match Special - New Zealand dominant in decider at Trent Bridge
Episode Date: June 27, 2026Daniel Norcross is alongside former England captains Michael Vaughan and Sir Alastair Cook, as well as BBC chief cricket commentator Jonathan Agnew for reaction to the third day's play between England... and New Zealand at Trent Bridge.Hear from England spinner Shoaib Bashir, and New Zealand allrounder Nathan Smith.
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So we're going to look back here on the third day of the test match between England and New Zealand at Trent Bridge.
And it's been a day that has definitely belonged to New Zealand.
England started it in a strong position, really, at 223 for 2.
where they contrive to be bowled out for 354,
conceding a sizable lead of 84,
and then, after a little burst,
they picked up a couple of early wickets,
Bart Ratchin, Revinja, and Darrell Mitchell
have got New Zealand into a terrific position,
120 for 3 at the close,
a lead of 204 on a pitch,
that has really started to show signs
of movement, danger and peril for the batters.
I'm glad to say I'm joined by us.
So, Alastair, Michael Vaughn,
and Jonathan Agnew to look back on the day,
and let's start at the very beginning
Jonathan
England's two overnight batters
would have been not just dreaming
but genuinely expecting
that they could get England into a position
to get to 448 and beyond
to give themselves a lead.
Well I think all the talk up here was 500, 600
England were going to bat on
and there was always that sort of cautionary tone
of well hang on a minute
they're still over 200 behind
you know but it just felt yesterday
that all the momentum was with England
that they were just going to carry on
but then 13 balls of course that had gone
because both those two batsmen are being dismissed, Root and Bethel,
and broke apart, you know,
I have to be quite critical of the batting.
I've got to say, I don't think,
I think there are one or two balls that did account for wickets,
but not that many.
We've got the same issue again with bats from being wary of the week.
He was standing up to the wicket,
to the impact that that has had.
But that's a chastening day for England.
That really is.
You know, New Zealand here in a fantastic position.
They lead by 204.
got seven wickets left on a pitch that is yes it is it is it is increasingly
misbehaving but that is not the day that that England would have planned at all and
they're they're facing defeat at the moment I mean you can always turn around again but
that's that's that's that's New Zealand's day is it time to worry Michael Bourne about
Joe Root because it's a third LBW on an umpire school we've had and the New Zealanders got a
very clear plan they're keeping him and Brooke tight in their crease and they're getting
them out at LBW or at least
keeping them quiet.
Yeah, I mean
Joe Rout I'm sure I'll work it out
but I just always watch this England side
and when Joe Rout gets out in a certain
way on a consistent basis
and it's not been often and this last
a few innings Matt Henry at the Ovalon
now Nathan Smith here
New Zealand has found a way
as did Australia in Brisbane with this keeper
up tactic to eight odd miles an hour
quite a skilful seamer in Nisa
now we've got Smith we've had Henry
have got Volks
I just know
I've watched England enough
that it sends a shudder
down the England dress room
when Joe Root gets out
you know this England batting line-up
has got very good players
but under Basque McCollum
in this England environment
for four years now
they've only batted over 150
and over twice in the first
that's 48 attempts
so I look back to this morning
I arrive like I guess said
and I think most of us right well
the pitch was pure yesterday I'm sure it'll
deteriorate a little bit and England
or bat the day they should be able to bat, you know, with eight wickets in hand
on that pitch against this New Zealand attack.
You fancy that they've backed the day and have a 100 run lead by the end of it.
But actually, having seen Joe Root get out and then Jacob Bethel, I actually said to myself,
why was I so confident when I looked at the stats of information that this team have delivered
for four years when they only bat twice in 48 attempts over 115 overs and to get 500,
550, which we all thought they were going to do on this pitch?
The history books of stats and information told you that it wasn't going to be possible.
You have to give New Zealand a huge amount of credit.
You know, last week England were depleted.
This week, New Zealand are depleted, but they found a way.
And they found a way with skill.
They found a way with determination.
Yesterday, England dominated the day, and I thought that would be it from New Zealand.
But they found a way of finding a real kind of mindset of fight and skill.
And they're the favourites to win the test match from here.
That lower middle order, Alice Cook played in the side,
which had a very strong lower middle order,
six, seven, and then an eight and a nine,
sometimes with Swan and Broad that were scoring runs.
And there's no sense of permanence in that part of England's batting order.
And it's a lot seems to depend on Harry Brooke to keep things going.
He couldn't quite keep it going all the way through a century today.
He got another 58, but it was undone by a good bit of bowling from folks.
Were you surprised by how what is actually New Zealand's third string,
Alistair, was able to bowl on this pitch?
Sometimes as a captain, it's better been lucky than good
and I think Tom Latham
with the unfortunate redrawal of Tickner
Blair Tickner with the blow which arch a nasty ball
but you ask every England bats and who they would rather face
it would have been Tickner rather than folks who's come off
and he's just found that perfect air of control
A to our man now the keeper comes up
and he just bashes away and he found a crack
where it did all sorts occasionally
like some odd balls
you know Harry Brut missed one by about
I reckon four or five inches on 40 odd
and now that played doubt in England's mind
and the odd one nipping back
it's a very simple ploy there
straight fields and England weren't good enough
actually I thought the lower order stuck around
we've seen quite a lot of the lower order
with this team under McCullum
just backing away and trying to score as many runs as quickly as they can
actually Archer Atkinson they hung around
really desperate to get as many runs as they can
because suddenly runs became really valuable
because we thought it was going to be a low-scoring game.
And they were, so I can't blame them, I can't blame them.
You're blaming the, you have to blame the top seven
because that's what it does.
They haven't got on to get that.
The pitch was changed a lot more than I thought it did,
but it still wasn't a pitch I think you would get out on.
And then when England are bowled it, not get out, that's not right,
it would have been as difficult it as was?
Have New Zealand found something in that pitch that England couldn't do
apart from, you know, 10 overs or so?
you know, they're seeing when Archer's bowling.
Stokes bowled again, clean bold.
It's happening regularly, isn't it?
You know, in a big booming drive at a ball that wasn't there for it.
He's getting in his habit of walking off as if he's been burgled.
He's had the most unplayable delivery in the history of the game.
Well, that wasn't.
That was just the really poor shot selection.
It just came back a little bit at him, but, you know,
a bowler's entitled to do that with a massive gap, booming drive.
And he's getting bowled too often.
And I don't know how many times you two were in clean bowl
in your career
or percentage,
put it that way.
But Stokes' percentage
of being bold now
in recent times
is far too high.
Well, if you actually look
at the big drive
that Ben played on a few occasions
he got dropped at Gully
by Devin Commey.
He could have been out to the big drive.
He aged one past Gully.
That went in the air,
could have been caught
and obviously gone to hand
and then he plays the big drive
to a length ball.
He's clearly in that kind of mindset
of the minute.
He played well for Durham last week
being ultra-agreffive
but guess what he was doing?
He was dancing down
because the keeper wasn't stood up.
Keeper stood up, I'm telling you now,
and they'll hate me of say they have an issue.
They have an issue with this skill set
and this tactic that's been produced against them.
Now they need to be coached or coaching themselves to play it better
because in the second news, guess what's going to happen?
The keeper will be stood up.
Guess what will happen against Pakistan?
Mohammed Abbas will probably play.
And guess what will happen?
The keeper will stood up in a year's time, Australia.
But it's not rocket side?
Why is it suddenly happening?
I mean, Tom Cartwright and dear old Derek Shackleton were doing this.
in the 1960s.
It's slightly concerning when we're hearing the likes of Shackleton
and Cartwright being mentioned.
But what's going on?
I mean, they say it's not rocket science.
It's not something that's new.
Why is it suddenly come a thing?
In this modern era of the game,
and a lot of these players,
the real great players,
Joe Roots, K.N.
They try and put the percentages
back in their favor.
So by coming out of the crease
to scene bowlers,
who are bowling 8-odd miles out,
they're not worried about the short ball,
what they're worried about LBW.
You come out your crease,
you get outside the line,
you can't be out LBW.
How are you going to get out?
Now they've gone,
a-a-a, keeper up,
you've got to go back in your crease.
Guess what we've brought into the equation,
the LBW, extra covers in place,
mid-wickets in place,
mid-on and mid-off, quite tight.
You're looking down as a batter going,
where am I going to score?
So you really have to get quite a bad ball
to score a boundary when the keeper stood up.
And when you've got real consistency
in Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Michael, Nisa,
now Falkch, you're going.
Plugging away.
Yeah, and they're just hammering,
that fourth stump line.
They know they're not going to go for too many runs.
And the runs that you do score of them,
if it's a good ball,
you're opening the blade of the bat to that cover point gap,
or you're coming across your front pad
to go square the wicket on the on side.
It's a brilliant tactic.
You've still got to deliver it.
Now, England have got to find a way.
So Marcus, the batting coach,
Bazma Cullum, his team of coaches,
have got to get the bats to get.
They have to find a solution.
Because if they don't find a solution,
they're going to lose this series,
and they'll be challenged against Pakistan,
South Africa probably will do some
something similar. It's not going to go away.
It's always going to arrive and it's always going to
be the target of this England batting unit.
The best batsmen are problem solvers.
And Joe Root will solve this problem
because that's what he's done over
13, 14 years and
there's been other periods where he's
had little issues and he'll
overcome them quicker than the best players.
The reason it's working for Joe,
for New Zealand's working against Joe at the minute
because he's not doing anything differently
apart from staying a bit close to the stump.
So when he was a bit further down,
he'd missed the ball to hit his pad
and exactly the same ball, but because the ball had further
to travel, and it would nip, it would go down
and miss legs done. That's the reason for Joe.
I have no doubt, you know,
the second leading run score ever.
What would you do if you were Joe, what would you advise?
I would just be making sure
that I hit more of those. Just get
into your mind, just hitting whether... I would actually come
a little bit more leg side of the ball. I would
just come a little bit leg side of the ball.
He was then worried, I reckon that
he would then be hit in line,
but I'll trust myself that
the reason he's so good is he doesn't miss them very often.
He's been LVW, what's it, six times, the last eight innings or so.
It's now been 1,000 balls, now it's 100 balls.
But these little things creep in and longevity,
and no matter how good you are, you do it.
So just realign yourself a little bit, I would, for Joe,
and just stay a little bit leg side of the ball,
and trust yourself that you'll be fine.
So I know Michael's got to go, but so we're talking technology and wobble scene?
Are they the two sort of game changes here?
Yeah, I mean, technology is obviously a little bit,
harder but you know the wobble seems a good skill you know we've seen so many demos on the
television about the wobble scene but you know the skill sets from vaults and particularly
Smith that just seems to be able to get the ball just nipping it's going quickly you know the
one thing i say about joe ru he's always getting beaten on the inside edge at the minute you know
he's not getting beaten on the outside edge so alistair's right if he could just stay a little bit
leg side of the ball so if he's then beaten on the inside edge it's probably going to go down
the leg side i've not seen joe play and miss at many from when the keeper's stood up to
Matt Henry to Smith to Fox.
I've not seen him playing misset balls outside off stumped.
So I wouldn't be worried about that one at the minute.
If I was Joe, I'd be worried about that one that's nipping back onto the stumps.
What I don't understand is how Daryl Mitchell was able to bat perfectly
with the keepers up to the stumps.
What's he doing differently from what Joe...
Hitting the ball.
And Harry Brook is.
Well, put it very simply, yes.
There's two things.
There's two things that the actual New Zealand bowlers are different.
style of bowlers, as in a bit skidder, Matt Henry's skiddy bowler, where actually, I'm going to
Atkinson, Archer, tongue slightly different, but Atkinson Archham to hit the pitch bowlers.
And Darrell Mitchell is very open, so he's a very open stance player, so he gets his leg out of the way.
That will be less of an issue to him.
Are we crying out for an English semen of bowls 80 miles an hour?
It does rather sound like it, doesn't it?
Because ironically, this is how England had been undone,
both in Australia we've talked about before, with Boland and Nisa,
and now here with New Zealand's, like I said,
almost third string in some cases,
and it all looks incredibly simple.
Isn't it great, though, the way the game does revolve?
And I've talked about Shackleton and Carr, right,
with a slightly tongue-in-cheek, but that's what they were doing,
you know, 70, 60, 70 years ago.
Did they cause problems?
Well, I guess so, yeah, but there wasn't the technology.
They had uncovered pitches,
so there might have been the movement.
They didn't have technology
and they didn't have wobblesing.
And both of those
have made a difference to this, haven't they?
Yeah, and they played on uncovered wickets.
But it's great.
But that's what the challenge of cricket throws it,
doesn't he?
And that's why it's so hard.
You never conquer it.
We're talking about Joe Rutt,
who is England's best batsman.
He's up right out there
the best world has ever seen.
And yet this creeps into anyone's games
and he'll have to find a way.
And I have no doubt he will find away.
Another question for me,
I'm just talking about it,
I'm talking about it.
I've got a question,
because it caught my time.
attention yesterday when whoever was being interviewed by
from the England Capcom, who it was now,
but it was Ben Duckett, wasn't it?
They have a name for Joe Root.
England's best ever or England's best.
They have like a title for him.
So when he gets out, oh no, best player ever's gone.
Do you think that's got any sort of impact on it?
I don't think so.
I mean, the one thing it might do,
it's comforting, isn't it, watching when you know,
he's out there because, you know,
most of the time he delivers.
average is 50 in test cricket for 160 test matches.
He's going to score 100 runs a test match.
So the rest of no, what's that noise?
Oh, Joe's out. Oh, no.
Well, I think you will have that feeling.
Well, no. But I don't think that's...
I don't think you walk out of the back because in any different frame of mind.
I mean, there are some quite dominant personalities in that line up.
So I imagine Harry Brooke probably thinks that he can handle this.
You'd imagine Ben Sokes would think that.
I think there's a worry about Jamie Smith because his form started well at the county championship the season,
but we're seeing familiar failing.
and today's this missile was not a good one.
It was a ball that didn't do anything
and he drove at it loosely at the wrong time.
And no, it wasn't brilliant behind the stump.
So just to wrap up on England's innings,
Nathan Smith was a leading wicket-taker with four for 91.
Zach Fawkes, three for 35,
but also Willow Rourke bowled well
and very differently to pick up his three for 53.
Then New Zealand came out to bat
with a surprising lead of 84.
The game has churned yet again
from one side to the other
and it looked like it might change back towards England
when Archer picked up two early wickets.
Latham in the first over.
Latham and Conway, both been 150,
both out for single figures.
That was a good spell from Archer.
And at that point, England were back in it, Jonathan.
Yeah, he's only bowling 82, 83 miles an hour,
but still getting this quite steepling bounce.
He just found an area outside the left hand is off stumpy.
I mean, clearly unsettled Conway.
Nasty blow on the head.
There's a long break while I had to get a helmet to fit,
all that sort of stuff. Conreras had a long time to think about it
and his shop was a little bit, a little it windy I thought it'd been
unsettled. For me, Ravindra was always going to be the danger because it's a
free flowing batsman, left-handed and the lead could quickly grow
which puts so much pressure then back on the fielding side, fielding positions and so on
and there was a nick that went through the slips at a very catchable height but there wasn't
a second slip. There's signs that obviously Stokes had to be very well
about that lead but he's the danger man for me because he's got he's got the shots he plays freely
I say left-handed has opened up the field and to see him sickedy not out that's that's a
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Only one other wicket fell, that of Henry Nichols, caught by Brook,
Atkinson, who had bowed well, but then something curious happened.
And it was that Shera Bershear bowled a lot of overs from the end where folks had actually
got quite a lot of joy.
Alistair, were you surprised by that captain?
See, I mean, he didn't bowl badly, Bashir.
Nine overs done for 28, but it felt like a missed opportunity.
In a session where they only bowled in total 35 overs.
And the series is on the line, and possibly the whole, like jobs are on the line.
Don't you say to your four fast bowlers right, you've got nine overs each, you've got to bowl them all?
Well, the thing for me is, so the left-hander, which we Archer exploited, New Zealand's top order,
there's a crack bowling from the Stuart Broad End towards us
which Archer hit and made life very uncomfortable for the New Zealand of it
you're crying out on this end bowling from our end
at the media centre end that New Zealand found that crack to the right-hander
and only one ball was bowled at a right-hander from this end to tongue
and I couldn't wait for it it was a 17th over
Mitchell's I think it was 17th over Mitchell's on strike
tongue would bowled five or six over is plenty still you know
The game's on the line, right, Mitchell, what are you going to do to this crack?
And the next time I saw Bashir bowl, and my head went into my hands.
And if it turned out to be a great tactical move and Bashir got wickets, fine, but it didn't in that there.
And I thought, oh my God, what's happened here?
Let's have a look, let's see.
I was really genuinely excited about someone bowling, because he bowled at 91 now.
The crowd was roaring, but he was bowling mainly at the left-hander, and he got the right-handle-and-strike-Mitchell, and he just didn't happen.
And from that moment on the initiative, lost, ask every...
And Mitchell had been stood at slip all time.
watching folks bowl these balls to Brooke.
He'd have been thinking, oh my God, what happens when I face this end?
He didn't get it, and you're saying, who do you want to face?
Bashir, who bowled nicely fine, or a bloat by a night and miles hitting a crack?
I could not. I genuinely could not believe it.
There was no pressure, was there? That's the trouble. It's like, pressure off.
And he just, just, he spun one or two. I think I had the rough more than anything else, wasn't it, from outside the off-stump.
But that was disappointing. In a way, it is quite typical Stokes.
Stokes can often do that quite.
deliberately, I think, because he knows that people are saying he shouldn't be doing it.
He can be quite a stubborn individual.
I mean, he wants Bashir to do well.
There'll be part of him thinking they want to big Bashir up a bit.
And therefore we're going to give him a bowl, but it's a bad decision.
Wrong decision.
Well, Simon Mann is speaking to Shera and maybe we'll find out about that decision.
Well, show, when you started off this morning, what was your hope, expectation as a team?
Yeah, I mean, yesterday we fought ourselves back into quite a good position.
and for us this morning to lose a few wickets
was a few wickets early
was quite disappointing
we would have liked to got
close to their score or a lead if possible
but that yeah that didn't turn out to be
but I thought the boys
when we went out here today
we bowled well
we were restricted them
but yeah tomorrow we've got a job to do
and got to bowl them out tomorrow
yeah I mean how did you assess the overall state of the game
yeah it's
obviously they're probably ahead of the game at the moment I'd say
but you know the game's changing massively
the wicket's spinning now which is good signs for me
and yeah it looked like the ball was doing a lot more today
than it has done in these last few days
so yeah we know we'll come tomorrow quite positive
and see where we can get it.
So it felt like an unusual game I mean there being big fluctuations
throughout the match yeah it has I mean the wickets played
very strangely it's a good wicket
We saw on day one where Lundle and Conway.
Yeah, two openers, obviously the 300-run partnership,
which shows you how good that wicket was.
But yeah, it's changing, so we're looking forward to seeing where we can get to tomorrow.
What do you think might be quite difficult to chase?
What do you feel you need to keep them to?
I wouldn't put a number on it at the moment, but as little as possible, obviously.
as possible, obviously.
What about your experience?
You bought a lot early in the season, didn't you,
in the championship 200 overs before the Lord's test?
Not much bowling in the last or month or so.
What was it like coming into this game without that,
a lot of recent bowling behind you?
Yeah, to be honest, I've been training a huge amount.
I made the move to Derbyshire,
where Mickey Arthur took me under his wing.
And yeah, I've bowled a lot more overs than I have done in the previous years,
so I feel like my bowling is in a good place at the moment.
and what about your role tomorrow?
Yeah, as you saw, the wickets deteriorating a bit.
So obviously my role is going to be a more important role.
I've bowled here before in second innings,
and yeah, it's been special,
so I see what I can pull out on my sleeve tomorrow.
Are you surprised how the pitch has turned out today?
Not in particular.
The weather's allowed the pitch to dry out,
so and there has been lateral movement and a bit of bounce
but yeah we're at Trent Bridge so yeah anything can happen
thanks very much your time great thanks a lot thank you
and that was Bashir with Simon Mann he said anything could happen
he also said earlier in that interview that it was really starting to turn
and spin was really going to come into it and he was going to have a massive role to play
now what we watched was New Zealand getting the pitch to do all sorts with seamers
we saw England doing it themselves a little bit not so much with the
pitch but taking their wickets with Seamers
but everything that we saw today was
assisting Seamus. Do you think
that's an unusual reading of the pitch?
Well I mean it's unusual he was put up in the first place
who had not not out and naught for 28.
A poor old showb has to go out and talk about England's performances
so he's just trying to make it himself
I suppose really relevant tomorrow
I mean someone's got to bowl them out
but from what we saw today it's unlikely to be him
it's more likely to be a fast bowler bowling at right-handers
from this end
They've got to get Revinja out quickly.
So, you know, I want Archer coming in at the far end
bowling to the left handers crack.
And I want to see Atkinson or tongue, preferably actually,
bowling from this end at the right handers.
And they've just got to get, they've got to roll them over tomorrow.
Otherwise, I mean, 250, 260 is going to take a lot of getting.
Because the problem for England is that, you know,
folks who was not even playing in the game and look steady.
He does look steady.
But because the pitch, the way it's playing,
he's actually dangerous.
If you look at the attack,
first thing this morning
thought,
oh, you know,
England will get a lot of runs here.
But actually,
they've got just the attack
for these conditions.
That would be very difficult for England.
I mean, I've given up predicting
because who would have predicted
that on day two
that England will have that kind of day,
bowl New Zealand out for 100 runs,
basically for eight wickets,
and then be in the position they were
at the end of day two
to the position we are and the day three.
You can never, ever,
right off this England side because they have produced.
I think Ben Duckett is going to be so crucial for the start of the chase because how he plays
and the pressure he transfers back onto the New Zealand bowlers.
So yeah, I can't write England off.
And Agers is right.
I hate to admit it sometimes.
Revinja, the way he plays, New Zealand missed that on day two morning where both like Blundell,
Mitchell not went into the shelves but tried to grind their way into a situation.
They got it wrong, didn't they?
Yeah, rather than putting their foot a bit more aggressively,
they allowed England to bowl, and England countered that.
So who knows in this test match?
And that's why we love it.
We try and predict, and we...
I haven't got anything right so far, I'm not.
No, me neither.
Well, it's Nathan Smith, who took the most wickets with four for 91,
and he's with Simon Mann.
Well, Nathan, what about that fight back today?
Yeah, there's a fabulous day from us.
With the ball, start off of the ball.
I thought we put the ball in good areas for...
Got some rewards early, and then hung in there.
long periods which was good. What were you thinking
this morning because you totally
controlled the first day and then England
fought back on the second day were you fearing
that they you know they might better get a
lead? Oh I mean we never really sort of let ourselves think
that too that far ahead but
for us it was just about keeping it as simple as
possible and just try get our execution up a little
bit more compared to the day two.
What did you make of the pitch
today? I actually
felt like it offered a little bit more this morning
than it did yesterday and obviously
a few from folks there you saw seem quite sharply.
And then a couple of our wickets as well were starting to do a little bit more,
especially with that newer hardball.
So hopefully we can pile on a few more and then have a crack at them late tomorrow night.
The tactic of having the keeper standing up worked so well for Matt Henry in particular at the Oval,
but also for you as well.
What about it?
How do you see it?
Yeah, it's an interesting one.
You're not really used to having the keeper up too much.
But I think it just takes their feet away, both Root and Brook, especially.
like to get out of their crease and be quite proactive.
So I think it just keeps them on the crease.
And obviously we're trying to set them up for that sort of, that LBW, that one that nips back.
But it also keeps them a little bit leg side of it because they are worried about that.
And I think you saw in the second innings at the Oval, Matt Henry knicked off, Harry Brooke as well.
So I think it just gives you both edges, keeping them on the crease.
And obviously, Tom Blundell's, he's kept amazing these last two tests.
So he's really got us back in the game.
Are you surprised at how well it's worked?
I'm not surprised.
We're very happy it's worked well.
I don't know about surprise because Tom's an amazing keeper.
I mean, it's just something that we're not used to.
Visually, it's a little bit different from a bowling point of view.
You used to sort of seeing the ball fly through past the outside edge.
But I think, you know, even you saw there, Joffa got the keeper up for a couple of balls there.
So you just have to adjust.
What was it like to get Joe Root out this morning?
I mean, that's the way you need to go early on, isn't it?
For sure, yeah.
I was definitely prepared to sort of have to work for it quite a bit this morning
and put the ball in an area for a long period of time.
But luckily got one to nigh to do.
knit pretty early and yeah we're pretty happy with that one yeah what about the state of the game
you're about 200 runs ahead seven wickets in hand i mean how many do you feel you need not not saying
to be safe but feel oh yeah we got a really good chance in the game yeah i was a little bit nervous
when we were two for 12 i was thinking what can we get to here but you know the boys have batted
really well this evening to get us through to 200 ahead um i'm not sure how many we need or i just know
we we want a hell of a lot more tomorrow back for another session and a half if we can
and obviously I think it does a little bit more in the morning here as well
so we'll see how we go there in that first hour but then yeah pile on over 300 for sure
are you expecting the pitch to disintegrate a little bit more
I feel like I feel like the heat's done its thing it's definitely I feel like it's
definitely gotten worse for batting as the game's gone on so I'd assume it would continue with that trend
okay well done today thanks very much yes thank you well obviously delighted Nathan smith
bat on for a session and a half things are tricky in the morning
wickets deteriorating.
Alastair Kirk, it's all doom and gloom for England.
Is there any way back in this match?
Well, absolutely, there is.
They get Revinja Mitchell out early
and suddenly then run scoring becomes harder
and you're tating 270.
Ben Duckett gets off to a flyer
and Joe Wroo knocks him off with Harry Brooke.
That's the dream scenario.
And in this test match it swung so violently
from side to side.
It's really hard to call.
Guess what? It'd be exciting and be great to watch.
As you say, an incredibly unpredictable
game. Thanks to Michael, Alastair and Aggers. That's it for this episode of the TMS podcast.
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