Williamson and Nicholls dig in as New Zealand resistance frustrates England

Lighthearted harrumphs, admittedly, they nevertheless spoke to the pride that underpins cricket in New Zealand and the collective drive from the bottom up that saw the men’s national team climb the mountain and claim the inaugural World Test Championship title in Southampton two years ago.

The ICC mace was on display at the New Zealand Cricket Museum on the third day at the Basin and, out on a field, a good deal of local pride was too. Overnight rain had turned the ground’s grass banks into mudslides but the two sets of supporters were undeterred, sitting transfixed by a gripping arm-wrestle out in the middle.

For the first time as England captain, Ben Stokes had the chance to enforce the follow-on and took it. New Zealand had finally been bowled out for 209 in the morning – a deficit of 226 runs – after Stuart Broad had snuffed out some bludgeoning tail-end work from Tim Southee, 73, to finish with figures of four for 61.

But any thoughts of two days off were thwarted by a characterful response from New Zealand, reaching 202 for three at stumps and just 24 runs behind. Half-centuries from Tom Latham, 83, and Devon Conway, 61, laid the foundation for this, and though a wobble came after tea, Jack Leach and Joe Root sharing three wickets in the space of nine overs, the hosts had unquestionably won the day.

The pushback began first thing when Southee rolled back the years to that six-hitting Test debut in Napier in 2008, resuming on 23 and crunching 50 from 31 balls, with Leach launched over the ropes three times in one over. Though not enough to prevent the follow-on, a 98-run stand with Tom Blundell, 38, had given Stokes food for thought.

Not that he pondered too long. And beyond England’s desire for fast cricket there was sound merit: with the surface turning brown after its emerald-green start, this was possibly the last day with something for the seamers before it flattened out. Not that it proved the case. The wind had changed direction from the previous day and with it the fortunes of New Zealand’s opening pair.

Over the next two and a half hours, as muggy cloud cover made way for sunshine, they offered diligent resistance. Latham, curiously overlooked for the captaincy last December despite nine Tests as a stand-in previously, waited for the chance to pull and cut predominantly, passing 5,000 Test runs along the way, while Conway drove languidly when the seamers went full. He is so easy on the eye.

England’s seamers could not claim to be cooked after their first innings exploits, and, in fairness, edges were either beaten or found along the way. But none went to hand and both Broad and Anderson were seemingly vexed by the damp run-up areas. The Barmy Army trumpeter, back playing after New Zealand Cricket kindly paid for repairs to his damaged instrument between Test matches, tried to rouse the travelling supporters.

At 3pm, with Latham and Conway both homing in on their half-centuries, one local punter shouted “Come on Ben, bring yourself on!”. Stokes keeps his overs to an absolute minimum these days – that left knee still a problem – and held off from taking up the suggestion until an hour later when New Zealand resumed on 128-1 after tea.

What followed was pretty haphazard as, in a two-over burst that leaked 16 runs, Stokes sent down one wide over head height, was no-balled twice for exceeding his limit of short balls, and also over-stepped once. At the end of his first over he fell to the floor in his follow-through but after his second he had cause to turn elsewhere, with Leach finally providing the breakthrough he had been craving.