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England
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New Zealand
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| Match Drawn | ||
Last updated: 19th May 2008
MATCH DRAWN. SERIES LEVEL 0-0 An ultimately frustrating Test match. There were some hugely impressive individual performances - McCullum, Sidebottom, Vaughan, Vettori, Oram - but ultimately the weather has beaten us all. Join us at Old Trafford from Friday for the second match in this npower series.
Over 72 Sidebottom 0-0 269-6 - For the first time in the game, Bucknor's light meter is a welcome sight. The light is deemed to have broken the threshold, and it's hand shakes all round. We'll never know just what the reading was on Bucknor's meter, but it's certainly a common-sense decision. Nothing to be gained by carrying on here.
Over 71 Anderson 4-0-0-W-0-0 269-6 - At least there's something for the crowd to enjoy here. I get the impression that Anderson and McCullum aren't best buddies. McCullum swats the first ball of the over to the square-leg fence, and the next one beats the outside edge. So 1-1. WICKET! 2-1 to Anderson. McCullum goes for a drive again, and this time nicks it. Simple catch for Ambrose, and Anderson's delighted with that. Daniel Vettori's the new batsman, and survives an optimistic shout for lbw. Probably pitched outside leg, and might well have swung past the leg stump in any case.
Over 70 Sidebottom 0-0-0-0-4-0 265-5 - Big lbw shout against Flynn, but Taufel reckons it's going over the top. Hawk-eye reckons it's clipping the top of the stumps, but I'm inclined to agree with the umpire on this one. Flynn gets four from a thick outside edge that goes straight into the ground and between the slips and gully.
Over 69 Anderson 0-4-0-0-4-0 261-5 - McCullum might just provide some entertainment before the handshakes. He smashes Anderson over cover twice, first off the front foot then off the back. Both are cracking shots, and that bruised arm doesn't seem to be troubling him unduly.
Over 68 Sidebottom W-0-1-0-0-0 253-5 - WICKET! Hundred and out for Oram, who is done by a beauty from Sidebottom. It jags back past the inside edge and clips the top of off stump. Cracking delivery, but Sidebottom is quick to congratulate Oram for his superb efforts here. Good sportsmanship from the bowler, and nice to see. The game may be dead, but New Zealand are still prepared to send McCullum out there. He's got an arm guard on now, and might just get a bit of short stuff to play with. Sure enough, the first ball is short, but McCullum goes under it no problem. He gets a single from the next ball to restart his innings and Flynn continues to blunt the England attack.
Over 67 Anderson 0-0-0-0-0-0 252-4 - Anderson shares the new ball and bowls a maiden. Not a very good one, though. Lots of balls down the legside.
Over 66 Sidebottom 4-0-0-0-4-4 252-4 - Oram equal to the task, slapping the first ball from a rather stiff-looking Sidebottom through the covers for four. He repeats the dose off the front foot through mid-off. Lovely-looking shot, and he's just a hit away now. And he gets there in cracking style with another thumping back-foot punch through the covers. He was scratchy at the start of his innings, almost chipped one straight to midwicket, but he's played with increasing assurance and his last 50 runs of this century (120 balls, 15x4s, 2x6s) have been a joy to watch. No nervous nineties either: one over took care of them.
NEW BALL One final obstacle for Oram to overcome if he wants a century: Sidebottom with a new ball in his hand.
Over 65 Pietersen 0-0-2-0-0-0 240-4 - Flynn gets two for a sweep to long-leg. The second run might have been dicy had Monty picked up cleanly, but he didn't.
Over 64 Panesar 0-1-0-4-0-0 238-4 - Oram closing on that century now. A powerful cut shot gets him four more to leave him just 11 runs short. If common sense has any place in the game, his hundred will be the last action of it.
Over 63 Pietersen 0-0-6-4-0-0 233-4 - Pietersen is back into the attack, and that's a fairly clear indication that Vaughan and England accept that this one's gone now. Oram still has something to play for, though, and launches a huge drive back over the bowler and scatters the members in front of the Pavilion. He sweeps the next ball for four more, and Pietersen then has a big shout for lbw, but Oram got a healthy inside edge. Vaughan is chatting with Taufel, and let's hope he's asking when the earliest we can abandon this game is.
Over 62 Panesar 1-0-0-0-0-1 223-4 - Oram almost falls in desperately unlucky fashion. He clips the ball hard towards square-leg, but Ian Bell at short-leg gets in the way. The ball almost sticks in the breadbasket but bounces out at the last moment.
Over 61 Broad 0-1-0-0-4-4 221-4 - This is cracking batting from Oram, who obviously now feels the game is safe. He's right as well. First he pulls Broad through midwicket and then cuts him expertly through backward-point. Hundred partnership comes up. Let's just get Oram to his century, call this one off, and head up to Manchester.
Over 60 Panesar 0-0-4-1-1-0 212-4 - Panesar returns, and Oram hits him over the top. Despite Anderson's superb effort on the long-off boundary, Oram gets four. With the draw now inevitable, the only point of interest is whether Oram can get a Lord's hundred.
Over 59 Broad 0-0nb-4-0-0-1-0 206-4 - Broad given a chance straight after Tea, and he almost immediately oversteps. Oram then crunches one through cover off the back foot before pulling to deep square-leg. Starting to look in better form now.
Over 58 Anderson 0-0-0-0-0-1 200-4 - Oram works the final ball of the first over of the session into the legside for a single to bring up New Zealand's 200. Neil Ferguson wants to know why the captains don't engineer a Twenty20-style conclusion to this game to give the fans something to watch. Simple answer: there are two Tests left after this.
TEA England, as the famous quote goes, had two chances of winning this morning: slim and none. And slim has just left town. Flynn's defiance and Oram's counter-attack have ensured that New Zealand will go to Old Trafford all-square. It's at times like this when you wish the game's administrators would show some common sense and allow the two captains to shake hands and move on in situations like this. But 'common sense' and 'cricket administrators' have rarely been best of friends. McCullum, incidentally, is on the outfield taking some throwdowns during the break. He's wearing an arm guard, which he didn't when he batted earlier, and appears to be fine now. He'll presumably return when - or if - England break this partnership.
Over 57 Panesar 0-0-0-1-0-0 199-4 - The Pietersen experiment is over, and Panesar changes ends for an over before Tea. But it's safely negotiated, and a draw is a racing certainty now.
Over 56 Anderson 1-0-1-1-0-2 198-4 - Oram skies an attempted pull shot. The ball goes almost straight up in the air but drops safely at square-leg. He gets one for that, and a couple of faintly risky quick singles keep the socreboard ticking. Flynn growing in confidence here, and gets two for a good-looking pull shot in front of square. It actually flicked short-leg Cook's trousers on the way past, so if we were being particularly harsh we could call it a chance. But that would just be silly.
Over 55 Pietersen 0-1-0-0-2-2 193-4 - Oram collects a single before a flurry of runs from Flynn. A powerful cut shot and a nurdle to long-leg each bring two runs for the left-hander.
Over 54 Anderson 0-4-0-0-1-0 188-4 - Oram crunches a short ball from Anderson to the point boundary to get through to a crucial half-century (67 balls, 6x4s, 1x6) - his first, incidentally, in the second innings of a Test match. He takes a sharp single from the fifth ball of the over, getting home safely despite Anderson fielding smartly in his follow-through.
Over 53 Pietersen 2-0-0-1-0-0 183-4 - Pietersen continues, and Oram picks him off for a couple and then a single. He's just four away from a half-century now.
Over 52 Anderson 0-1-0-1-0-0 180-4 - These two batsmen have taken the sting out of the game now. A couple of singles from Anderson's over and just a hint that England might be going through the motions a touch as we approach Tea.
Over 51 Pietersen 0-0-0-0-0-1 178-4 - Vaughan decides the time has come to play his joker. Pietersen is thrown the ball, and he's a fair option at this stage. He does bowl plenty of rubbish, but gives the ball a real tweak. Might just buy a wicket here. He does manage to get some turn, but his line is a fraction wide. Flynn cuts the final ball of the over out to the cover sweeper for a single.
Over 50 Anderson 0-0-0-1lb-0-4 177-4 - Oram is growing in confidence here, and clips the returning Anderson through square-leg for four. The lead is up to 135 and the overs are starting to run out for Vaughan.
Over 49 Sidebottom 0-2-0-0-0-4 172-4 - Oram gets two runs from a thick outside edge wide of point. All along the ground and perfectly safe. He gets four more with a drive through point and that brings up the 50 partnership. They've scored vital runs and eaten up crucial time and have probably now done enough to prevent any final-session traumas for the visitors.
Over 48 Panesar 0-0-0-0-0-4b 166-4 - The last ball of another fine Panesar over grips and turns a mile from way outside off stump. It flies down the legside and gives Ambrose no chance.
Over 47 Sidebottom 4-0-0-0-0-0 162-4 - Close. Very close. Oram chases one outside off stump and gets a thick edge that flashes just over Collingwood at second slip and away for four. News on McCullum, and it's good. There's no break, just severe bruising, and he will bat again if required.
Over 46 Panesar 0-0-0-0-0-0 158-4 - Very odd field with Flynn on strike. There's a slip in, with a bat-pad man on each side of the wicket. So far, so orthodox. But Pietersen is standing about eight yards behind Bell on almost the exact same line. Flynn prods and blocks his way through a maiden over from Panesar, who is enjoying his work again.
Over 45 Sidebottom 0-0-1-0-0-4 158-4 - Three slips and a gully are ready and waiting as another swinging delivery from Sidebottom passes the outside edge, Flynn's this time. Interesting field from Vaughan - he's basically offering the debutant Flynn an easy single on the offside because they want to bowl at Oram. Flynn takes one from the third ball of the over, and Oram scores some points - and more importantly runs - with a drive through the covers from the final ball of the over. It's not been a vintage innings from Oram, but he is scoring runs and taking New Zealand closer to safety.
Over 44 Panesar 0-2-0-0-0-0 153-4 - Oram goes after Panesar again, but doesn't get hold of it as he aims a big drive. Anderson at long-off is interested, but the ball drops safe.
Over 43 Sidebottom 0-0-0-0-0-1 151-4 - Oram takes a quick single from the final ball of the over, but it's never really on. Anderson fumbles at cover, otherwise that would have been interesting.
Over 42 Panesar 0-0-0-0-0-0 150-4 - Another good over from Monty, a maiden over to Flynn. But the left-handed debutant looks a compact and organised batsman. He'll take some shifting.
Over 41 Sidebottom 0-0-1-1-2lb-0 150-4 - A couple of quick singles before a tight lbw shout against Oram. Sidebottom's generally been moving the ball away from Oram but brings this one back at the left-hander. It's straight enough but going just over the top of middle stump. Bucknor has a think before rightly shaking his head. Oram completes two leg-byes, and looks like a man in need of a DRINK.
Over 40 Panesar 6-0-1-0-0-0 146-4 - Oram seems to have decided he's got no chance at Sidebottom's end so might as well try and get some runs off Panesar. He clubs a slog-sweep over midwicket for the full count before aiming a big drive over mid-on. He doesn't get hold of it at all, but with the fielder set quite deep does manage to get a single. New Zealand's lead is into three figures now - another psychological barrier.
Over 39 Sidebottom 0-3-1-0-1-0 139-4 - Straight away Sidebottom swings one past the outside edge. Oram tries to work the next ball through square-leg and gets a leading edge just out of Bell's reach at midwicket. Three runs to Oram, who will be grateful to be off strike. Flynn works the very next ball to leg for a single, so Oram will have to take on Sidebottom again. And again he's beaten. He manages to get bat on the fifth ball and is pleased to scamper a single and get up the other end. Sidebottom and Oram exchange grins - everyone is well aware of what's going on.
Over 38 Panesar 0-0-3-4-0-0 134-4 - Oram skips down the track and hits Panesar over mid-off. Not properly timed, so Broad will reel that in, but three runs to the big all-rounder. Panesar then drags one down to Flynn, who has been patiently waiting for something to attack and rocks back to cut this one away very nicely to the backward-point boundary. Now Sidebottom has Oram in his sights...
Over 37 Sidebottom 0-0-0-0-0-0 127-4 - Sure enough, Sidebottom is into the attack but it's Flynn not Oram on strike and he plays out a maiden.
Over 36 Panesar 4-0-0-0-0-0 127-4 - Panesar drifts a bit straight, and Oram clips it nicely through midwicket for a boundary. Just about the first bad ball Panesar's bowled today.
Over 35 Broad 0-0-1-0-0-0 123-4 - Still Broad at this stage, and Oram gets a single from a defensive punch into the covers. I reckon this'll be Broad's last over. Not because he's bowled badly - far from it - but because Oram's in and Sidebottom's itching to get at him. McCullum, we hear, has gone off for an x-ray on that arm. Let's hope for good news - it'll be a huge blow for New Zealand and this series if he's suffered anything more than a nassty bruise.
Over 34 Panesar 0-0-0-0-1-0 122-4 - As Panesar wheels away, it's unsurprising to see Sidebottom readying himself for a bowl. Oram's been very honest about the trouble he has against Sidebottom. Oram gets himself off the mark with a flick into the legside.
Over 33 Broad 0-0-0-1lb-0-0 121-4 - An excellent bouncer from Broad strikes McCullum a painful blow on the forearm. An impressive egg develops instantly, and there's a long delay for treatment. There's a big lump on his forearm, and his problem seems to be gripping the bat. In fact, he's going to have to retire hurt. He's a tough cookie is McCullum, so he must be in trouble. Jacob Oram is the new batsman, and he'll cop plenty of short stuff as well. He gets a leg-bye trying to work the ball off his hip, but New Zealanders will be more concerned with McCullum's wellbeing. If fit enough, he can return to the crease at the fall of any wicket. Meanwhile, New Zealand's lead is just 79 runs with 65 overs still remaining in the day.
Over 32 Panesar 0-0-0-0-0-0 120-4 - Flynn's pretty tentative against Panesar, but he manages to get through the over. Three maidens for Monty since lunch.
Over 31 Broad 1-0-0-0-0-1lb 120-4 - McCullum, as he so often does, gets right across his crease and tucks Broad away through square-leg for a single. Broad pushes a couple of balls across the left-handed Flynn before swinging one back. It crashes into the pads, but isn't doing quite enough. Canny bowling, though. Flynn looks fairly organised and assured against the seamers. A leg-bye means Flynn'll be on strike against Panesar.
Over 30 Panesar 0-0-0-0-0-0 118-4 - Flynn looks far from comfortable against Panesar. One tentative defensive shot balloons off inside edge and pad to safety. He gets through the over, but Monty smells blood.
Over 29 Broad 2-0-0-W-3-0 118-4 - First runs of the afternoon for How, clipping Broad neatly through midwicket for two runs. WICKET! But he'll get no more. Broad goes wide on the crease, and the angle seems to confuse How. He looks to work the ball to leg and can only get a leading edge to Cook at third slip, who shows Strauss how to take a head-height catch. Clever bowling from Broad. Debutant Daniel Flynn is the new batsman, and he's immediately off the mark with a controlled shot to third-man. David Young asks what's on the menu for lunch today. Don't start all that again, Dave. I'm still trying to come to terms with the repercussions and recriminations of doughnutgate.
Over 28 Panesar 0-0-0-0-0-0 113-3 - Back-to-back maidens to start the session as New Zealand bid to take enough time out of the day to avoid an embarrassing defeat.
Over 27 Broad 0-0-0-0-0-0 113-3 - Broad starts the afternoon's proceedings with a quiet maiden over. Guilty of bowling a touch wide to How, there. But then, the ball he bowled that should have seen How dismiseed was pretty wide as well.
LUNCH Interesting. England have done just about enough to keep things interesting. Three wickets - should have been four - and a lid on the runs means that New Zealand are a nett 71-3 and some way yet from saving this game. But New Zealand's middle order is far stronger than their top order, and it will still need a monumental collapse to give England a chance of chasing down a target this evening.
Over 26 Panesar 0-1-1-1-0-0 113-3 - Three singles from the final over of the session. The England fielders, charitable as ever, seem to have plenty of words of encouragement and advice for New Zealand's plucky wicketkeeper. Great stuff.
Over 25 Broad 0-0-0-0-0-0 110-3 - Another good over from Broad, keeping McCullum honest despite his trademark hopping round the crease. There will be time for one more over from Monty before the lunch break.
Over 24 Panesar 0-0-0-0-1-0 110-3 - This is a good contest. McCullum gets a leading edge that just drops short of Cook in the covers before missing an attempted sweep. Ambrose has the bails off but McCullum kept his back foot down. McCullum gets away with a quick single, and How survives a big lbw shout from Monty - is there any other kind? How was back and across his stumps, looking to work the ball through midwicket. Height and line are both factors and, though Hawk-eye reckons it's hitting the top of leg, Taufel is well within his rights to turn that one down.
Over 23 Broad 3-0-0-0-0-0 109-3 - McCullum thumps a drive through the covers, but doesn't quite time it and Panesar reels it in. Broad then beats How comprehensively with one that jags back past the inside edge. Just for fun, Broad then beats him on the other side with an outswinger. Top bowling from the youngster.
Over 22 Panesar 1-0-0-4-0-1 106-3 - How pushes a single to deep point before McCullum gets off the mark with a booming drive back over Monty's head and almost all the way for six. An hour of McCullum, and England won't win: it's that simple. He keeps the strike with a single on the legside from the final ball of the over.
Over 21 Broad 0-0-1-0-0-0 100-3 - Brendon McCullum is the new batsman, but there's an interesting footnote to the Taylor dismissal. While the appeal from England was undoubtedly for lbw, the ball did fly to Collingwood at slip. So one way or the other, it's out. Not sure which has actually been given at the moment. How works to leg for a single to bring up New Zealand's 100 before McCullum - who only knows one way to play the game - has a big drive at Broad and misses.
Over 20 Panesar 0-4-3-0-0-W 99-3 - Panesar is into the attack. He has had no luck in this Test, and this could just be his day. Not yet, though, as How sweeps him nicely through square-leg for four and adds three more with a defter sweep to fine-leg. WICKET! But Panesar does strike, and now England are in business. Taylor goes lbw and, inevitably, it's far less clear cut than several appeals that have been rejected. The ball is full and certainly straight enough as Taylor squeezes ball between bat and boot. Possibly just boot first, but even with replays it's hard to be sure. But Simon Taufel was convinced, and that's all that really matters. But Taylor can probably count himself a bit unlucky, and certainly doesn't look too happy as he makes his way from the field.
Over 19 Broad 4-0-0-1-0-0 92-2 - Runs are starting to come for New Zealand now, and that obviously massively boosts their chances. How gets four with a nice-looking drive through the covers. He just opens the face to place the ball square of the cover fielder. Worth noting that Strauss has now taken off the sunglasses he was wearing when he shelled that sitter. How tries to leave the ball outside the off stump but the ball comes off the bottom edge and squirts out to gully for a single.
Over 18 Anderson 4-0-4-0-0-0 87-2 - Taylor gets a couple of classy boundaries, hte first driven through cover and the second clipped neatly off his pads. He's an attractive batsman to watch when he picks the right ball to attack. Both of those were.
Over 17 Broad 0-0-4-0-0-0 79-2 - How just needs to regain focus here after being given a life by England. He has a big swing at a wide one from Broad and makes no contact before flashing a drive off the outside edge to the third-man fence. That takes him to 50 (98 balls, 7x4s) and perhaps now his concentration will return.
Over 16 Anderson 0-0-0-0-0-0 75-2 - Excellent maiden over from Anderson, swinging a couple past Taylor's outside edge. England's bowlers are certainly doing enough to give the home side a real chance here. The fielders need to do their bit as well, though.
Over 15 Broad 0-0-0-0-0-0 75-2 - Stuart Broad gets his first bowl of the morning. Drop! And he should have had a wicket in his first over. How drives loosely at a ball outside the off stump, and gets an edge that goes through to Strauss at head height, who gets both hands to the ball in front of his face but somehow manages to deck it. He's juggled a couple of catches in this match, and his luck has finally run out. How's a real fighter, and giving him a life may just be the moment any chance of an England victory disappeared.
Over 14 Anderson 0-0-0-0-0-0 75-2 - Taylor shows that he can bat like a Test-match batsman, playing out a maiden over and even leaving the ball a couple of times.
Over 13 Sidebottom 0-1-0-0-0-2 75-2 - Taylor plays around his pad to a swinging ball from Sidebottom. Dangerous tactic, but in this occasion he gets the bat to the ball and collects a single to Kevin Pietersen on the square-leg boundary. How does the same thing, but gets the ball more towards midwicket and collects two runs. New Zealand now, effectively, 33-2 and far from safe.
Over 12 Anderson 0-0-4-0-0-0 72-2 - Anderson is looking to get the ball full in the search for swing, but on this occasion just overdoes it. How leans into a pleasing cover-drive and gets four good runs. Shot of the morning, no question, and How's looking pretty good out there. England can plan how to remove the stubborn opener over a DRINK.
Over 11 Sidebottom 2-2-0-0-0-1 68-2 - Bit of luck for How this time, as he chips the ball in the air to midwicket but finds safety and gets two. The next ball swings late and almost sneaks through How, who just jabs his bat down on it in time and gets a couple more to deep square-leg. How defends the last ball of the over to mid-off and gets through for a well-judged single.
Over 10 Anderson 4-0-0-4-0-0 63-2 - Chance! Swing for Anderson as well, and Taylor makes a late decision to try and leave the ball. Too late as it happens, and the ball catches the toe of the bat and flies at head height and perfectly between Paul Collingwood and Alastair Cook at second and third slip. Four runs, but things are happening. Taylor gets a more convincing boundary with a crisp drive through cover-point, but then has a horrible swish at one outside the off stump. No footwork, and the sort of nonsense that got him in trouble in the first innings. He's off and running here, but England will fancy getting him.
Over 9 Sidebottom W-2-0-0-0-1 55-2 - WICKET! New Zealand changed the ball yesterday, and immediately Chris Martin in particular started bowling quite brilliantly. England try the same trick, and the early evidence is encouraging. Having jettisoned a ball that wasn't swinging, Sidebottom promptly swings the first delivery with the new one into Marshall's pads and traps him in front of all three. Ross Taylor is the new batsman, and in the first innings he batted like a man who'd just made a life-changing sum of money playing ultimately meaningless beer matches in India. Here, he gets off the mark nicely with a clip off his legs for a couple. A thick inside edge from Taylor gets a single and he'll keep the strike. This ball change might just delay Monty's introduction. All three England seamers will be keen to have a go with this apparently more helpful cherry.
Over 8 Anderson 0-0-0-4-0-0 52-1 - How gets in a mess trying to play a pull shot. Anderson gives him a second chance, and this time the batsman wins the battle, crunching it through square-leg and bisecting two fielders stationed on the boundary.
Over 7 Sidebottom 0-1-0-0-0-0 48-1 - How gets a thick edge to gully and looks sure to get four. But Anderson covers a huge amount of distance from backward-point before diving full-length to haul the ball in. Brilliant fielding - especially from a quick bowler - and it saves three runs. The last ball of the over bounces sharply at Marshall from a good length, but he just about adjusts well enough to get on top of it.
Over 6 Anderson 1-W-0-0-0-0 47-1 - WICKET! To widespread surprise, a wicket falls. Nothing particularly noteworthy about the delivery, just a regulation length ball. But Redmond is trapped on the crease, fending at the ball and edging to Andrew Strauss at first slip. Not for the first time in this match, he has a little juggle before holding on. James Marshall is the new batsman, and his twin brother Hamish is in the crowd. Unless they've switched. Seriously - who'd know? They must be the most identical twins in the world. Marshall works to leg and begins to set off for a single, but Ian Bell fields smartly at short-leg and throws down the stumps. Marshall only just gets back. Good work from Bell, and a successful over for Anderson. 'Optimistic Tim' reckons this could stll be a classic if England pick up four wickets before lunch. One down, Tim. Chris Hewetson, meanwhile, wants to know how many overs are scheduled for the day. Apologies, Chris - an oversight on my part not to mention that. There are 98 overs today, and those extra eight could yet prove crucial if Optimistic Tim is right.
Over 5 Sidebottom 0-0-0-0-2-1 46-0 - Finally some action, as How works a straight ball from Sidebottom behind square-leg for a couple of runs. We're spoilt for entertainment as How pushes a single to cover to keep the strike. The batsmen are, understandably, looking to refocus their efforts, but the concern has been the lack of movement from the bowlers. Very little happening this morning.
Over 4 Anderson 0-0-0-0-0-0 43-0 - Three non-threatening maiden overs in a row. This might not be the most gripping day's cricket.
Over 3 Sidebottom 0-0-0-0-0-0 43-0 - Tidy over from Sidebottom, but not much in the way of menace. Jamie How comfortably plays out a maiden, and I suspect we'll see Monty before too long.
Over 2 Anderson 0-0-0-0-0-0 43-0 - James Anderson starts proceedings from the Nursery End. He does find some swing, but the only person it's inconveniencing is Tim Ambrose, because the movement only starts after passing Redmond. The keeper adjusts well enough to take the ball in, and Anderson starts his day with a maiden.
Over 1 Sidebottom 0-0-3-0-0-0 43-0 - Ryan Sidebottom bowls the first over of the day from the Pavilion End, but worryingly for England there's no swing. Aaron Redmond gets his first runs of the morning, guiding to third-man for three to take New Zealand into credit. Every email we've had so far is tipping a draw. Hard to argue.
PITCH REPORT It's obviously not a genuine fifth-day pitch given the time we've lost. It's still a good deck, but it's got a tinge of green and a couple of Panesar's deliveries last night did disturb the surface. But New Zealand will have to bat horrifically to get themselves in trouble here. Do you think there's any chance of a positive result? As always, let us know your thoughts via the FEEDBACK icon.
WELCOME To a chilly Lord's for the final day of this opening Test of the series. A draw looks almost inevitable, unless New Zealand throw in an Adelaide. Monty Panesar is probably the key man for England, but his effectiveness has been severely reduced by the umpires apparently deciding that Monty's bowling to a different lbw law.