England Bowled Out for 140 as NZ Seamers Dominate

Not much to write home about with the bat for England apart from Harry Brook and some useful resistance from the last-wicket pair. The home side found themselves wanting against the moving ball, with New Zealand's seamers asking questions throughout the day. What started off as a slowish surface came to life after the rain break, and England's quicks will be itching to have a crack and finish the day on a high. As for the Kiwi batting unit, it is about backing up the excellent work done by the seamers and laying the foundation for a substantial first-innings advantage.

England rolled over for 140 - It got a touch frustrating for New Zealand towards the end as the last-wicket pair hung around longer than they would have liked, but the visitors have completed the clean-up job. Kyle Jamieson holds the ball aloft as he walks off the park. A job well done by the Kiwis after opting to bowl first was made all the more impressive by the fact that they were without Matt Henry for most of the day due to a back issue.

W

Overs39.4

Score140 - 10

Nathan Smith to Shoaib Bashir, OUT! CAUGHT! England are bowled out at 140 inside 40 overs. Right in the channel from Smith around off, shaping away from the batter. Shoaib Bashir pokes at it and gets an outside edge that goes into those safe hands of Kane Williamson at third slip. Kane makes no mistake.

0

Overs39.1

Score138 - 9

Nathan Smith to Shoaib Bashir, TWO BYES! Good length, down the leg side, Shoaib Bashir comes inside the line, looking to flick but misses. The NZ keeper, Tom Blundell, fails to gather this as well and the batters run two as the ball rolls to the fine leg region.

0

Overs38.6

Score136 - 9

Will O'Rourke to Josh Tongue, Proper pacer's setup to the tailender. Short one followed by a fuller delivery, curving back into the batter. Josh Tongue pushes at the ball but gets an inside edge that deflects onto his right hip before rolling back to the keeper.

0

Overs38.1

Score136 - 9

Will O'Rourke to Josh Tongue, Will bowls it on a length, drifting down the leg side. Josh Tongue misses out on the flick and gets hit on his front pad. A gentle appeal for LBW but the umpire shrugs it away.

0

Overs36.6

Score132 - 9

Will O'Rourke to Josh Tongue, Will bowls it on a good length, on middle and off. Josh pushes this to the left of short mid on for another dot. Another maiden for Will O'Rourke.

4

Overs35.4

Score130 - 9

Kyle Jamieson to Shoaib Bashir, FOUR! Not that convincing but England won't mind one bit. Short and around off, Shoaib Bashir pokes at it away from his body and gets an outside edge that flies through the gap between second slip and gully for four runs.

4

Overs34.6

Score126 - 9

Will O'Rourke to Josh Tongue, FOUR! Tongue is refusing to go down without a fight. Back of a length, around off, Josh Tongue hops up on his toes and punches this through the covers region for a boundary here.

W

Overs33.3

Score118 - 9

Kyle Jamieson to Ollie Robinson, OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! New Zealand get the review right and Kyle Jamieson completes a five-wicket haul, his 6th in Test cricket. Back of a length, around off, shaping back into the batter. Ollie Robinson hangs back to tap it down. The ball sneaks under his bat and isn't far from the off stump as well. The keeper, Tom Blundell, gathers this low to his left and appeals confidently, but doesn't get much support from others around him. He manages to convince Tom Latham, who takes a late call to send this upstairs. There is a clear spike on UltraEdge when the ball is near the toe end of the bat. The on-field decision will have to be overturned. England are now 9 down for 118.

We are all set for the third session to begin. The two umpires and players have made their way out to the middle. Ollie Robinson is on strike. Kyle Jamieson is ready at the top of his mark. Let's play...

3.31 pm GMT - The dark clouds have passed, and the skies are now a welcome shade of blue. More promising signs as the covers come off. And there you go, we have the resumption time. Play will resume at 3:51 pm GMT.

3.12 pm GMT - Good news! The rain has subsided, and the sun has made an appearance. Still work to do for the ground staff, but given the way those dark clouds had gathered and the intensity of the rain not too long ago, one feared the worst. Stick around for further updates.

Kyle stars as NZ eye total control - Kyle Jamieson spearheaded the clinical bowling performance in the absence of Matt Henry, who did not take the field in the second session due to a back spasm, with an exceptional four-wicket haul. He has received excellent support from Nathan Smith and Will O'Rourke, who captured two wickets apiece to reward the Kiwis for their disciplined teamwork. With England completely on the ropes, New Zealand will be eager to wrap up the innings swiftly once play resumes, should the weather allow. The rain has now arrived, and it is a heavy downpour too. We could be in for quite a lengthy delay.