uk A further 640 runs are needed to beat 143 and 18 for 2 (Bethell 9*, Root 0*, Southee 1-4, Henry 1-14). New Zealand 347 and 453 (Williamson 156, Young 60, Mitchell 60, Bethell 3-72)
However, the “comedy” was probably the result of Ollie Pope, replacing Stokes as captain, refusing to allow England to take the second new ball until 13.4 overs after it was due, and Harry Brook taking 1.4 of the balls he had bowled until the ball was delivered. I probably underestimated the scene it took up. In the middle.
Brook had bowled 14 overs in a Test before this match and eight overs in England’s previous tour of New Zealand, where he claimed his only wicket early last year. Williamson was not far behind and bowled 6 overs during the 2023 Ashes. In the first delivery of this short spell, Mitchell Santner showed his comical side by poking it away from the face, and laughed some more later after firing four long balls for a six.
Brook delivered the new ball twice, one of which he cleared cover for four before Tom Blundell was dismissed from the attack.
England’s seamers were undoubtedly tired after their team was bowled out for just 143 in 36 overs in the first innings and they were manly without Stokes.
There was nothing fun to be seen about England having lost both openers by stumps for just 18 runs on the board and staring at defeat with 640 more runs needed.
Williamson, who reached 50 just before the end of the second day and with his side already 340 points ahead, continued in the extended afternoon session after the match was called off due to rain before lunchtime. He started his 33rd Test century (and seventh at Seddon Park). A thunderous six-century hit the ground and a 150-century came with a loft drive over extra cover from Bethell.
Bethell stepped in to finish off Stokes’ over and returned to play a bigger role in the attack after the tea break, with Williamson making the most of the opportunity to score him and off-spinner Shoaib Bashir.
England also took their chances against Williamson. He survived a close lbw decision on umpire Brydon Carse’s call and a replay on 73 showed the ball was too close to clip the bails atop leg stump. He was also dropped by Pope on 86 when an attempted pull of Stokes went into his gloves, but the wicketkeeper could not hold on as he leapt a long way down the leg side. Then on 106, Williamson was penalized for second slip when Brook incorrectly anticipated Bashir’s shot and inadvertently created space for the ball to slip through.
But Williamson expertly marshalled the innings as New Zealand were 136 for three. He and Ravindra added 50 runs in the first 19 overs, with the latter showing greater caution than before in the series when he unnecessarily chased the ball dangerously outside the stumps.
Facing some targeted verbal attacks from England’s bowlers, Ravindra started hitting a few shots in the mid-afternoon. This included four shots off short balls from Stokes that left the England skipper feeling pain in the hamstring he injured in the Hundred contest. , which in that case led to a two-month sideline. However, Ravindra could not keep up with Williamson and score a breakthrough score. He dropped into the lead with a 44 ahead of Matthew Potts.
Williamson was next man up, his top edge sweep deputizing for Bashir, who ran deep behind square leg towards defender Rehan Ahmed.
Mitchell added 60 off 84 before hauling out to Potts to give Bethell their first, while Glenn Phillips fell cheaply before Blundell and Santner added 63 runs for the eighth wicket. Santner blasted five sixes for 49 off just 38 balls, but what the home crowd wanted to see was the retired Tim Southee, who cheered loudly as he got out after Santner hit Joe Root for a hundred point.
Desperate to see Southee score two sixes to take his score to 100 in the final innings with the bat, they were disappointed when he holed out against Bethell with just two runs to his name.
Southee was not finished, however, bowling Ben Duckett in the first over before Matt Henry removed Zak Crawley for his sixth in the series, pinning him lbw and leaving England rather uninteresting.
Valkerie Baynes is the executive editor of women’s cricket at ESPNcricinfo.
