Lunch England 143 and 193 for 5 (Atkinson 19*, Pope 17*) need a further 465 to beat New Zealand 347 and 453
New Zealand claimed three wickets before lunch on day four at Seddon Park as they closed in on a thumping win over England in the third and final Test.
England resumed on 18 for 2, notionally chasing 658 to win. If that was an unlikely target, then so too was batting out two days for a draw – but Joe Root and Bethell made positive progress, bringing up a 50 partnership inside the first nine overs.
Both rode their luck at times. Root was badly dropped at second slip by Tom Latham off Southee when he had made 20, while Bethell chopped Matt Henry past his stumps attempting to drive. Will O’Rourke gave Bethell, in particular, a torrid time from round the wicket, pushing his pace up to 153kph/93mph in his second spell.
Bethell had been going at a run a ball, but slowed down as he approached 50. He brought up the mark with a single off Mitchell Santner, who was then repeatedly picked off by Root to raise his own half-century a few overs later, their partnership reaching 100 at the same time.
But it was Santner who made the breakthrough, Root missing the ball as he looked to sweep to be trapped in front. It was given not out by Ahsan Raza, but New Zealand’s review was shown to be an astute one, with the ball dipping under the bat before straightening down the line of middle and off stumps.
O’Rourke then bagged the reward his bowling had deserved when he dismissed Harry Brook cheaply for the second time in the match. Brook, who made a golden duck in the first innings, had attempted to charge his fourth ball and then was dispatched by his sixth, a snorting short delivery that he could only fend to slip.
Ollie Pope was struck on the arm in the same over as he ducked into a bouncer, but settled despite some nervy moments against spin. Bethell continued to attack but, having earlier smacked Southee’s first ball of the day over the head of mid-on for four, fell trying to repeat the trick, as he sliced a drive out to Glenn Phillips at deep backward point.
The fall of the fifth wicket brought Gus Atkinson to the crease, with Stokes still in his training kit. He hit four of his first nine balls for four, one of them perilously close to being dragged on, but England were realistically only looking to save face.
Alan Gardner is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo. @alanroderick
Source: ESPN Crickinfo