LEEDS: New Zealand starter Tom Latham and captain Kane Williamson starred at bat before England bowlers shook up the middle order to restrict the Kiwis to 168 for five wicket loss on day three of the Leeds Test.
England resumed proceedings on the third day with a lead over opponents, as Jonny Bairstow and debutant Jamie Overton had beaten the Kiwi bowlers a day earlier, but the Kiwis managed to outscore the hosts by 360 in the first session.
Kiwi pacemaker Trent Boult stunned the all-rounder Overton and deprived him of his first proof hundred as he walked back to the pavilion in 97.
Stuart Broad and Bairstow continued to dominate the Kiwis and combined excellently for 55 runs before Broad was eliminated. by Boult at 42.
The hero of the last game for England, Bairstow continued his sublime form as he topped his side’s scorecard.
He fired 167 runs with an impressive 100-plus strike rate, laced with 24 limits.
Boult starred with the bowl on his side, grabbing four crucial wickets followed by Tim Southee who took three wickets. Neil Wagner took two while Michael Bracewell did a scalp.
New Zealand, on the other hand, put up a solid start to their second innings as the pair of Latham and Williamson unsettled the England bowlers. The duo formed a strong 97-run partnership after their team lost their first wicket on 28.
Newcomer Overton was able to derail the partnership when he fired Latham in ’72, opening the floodgates for the Kiwis. England bowlers dominated the final session as they blasted through New Zealand’s middle order and took four consecutive wickets to tighten their control over the match.
Skipper Williamson, who missed the last match after testing positive for Covid-19, failed to make the most of it after it gained momentum.
He was fired by Mathew Pope, two races short of half a century.
For England, Potts took two wickets with Jack Leech, Overton and Joe Root, on a part-time basis, making a scalp each.
New Zealand will resume play in the fourth from 168/5 with all-rounder Dary Mitchell and goalkeeper Tom Blundell in the crease.
It is worth mentioning here that England have an undisputed 2-0 lead in the three-match test series against New Zealand.
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