Live Test Match Blogging / Ed Hawkins / 08 June 2008 / Leave a Comment

Well, England rattled through New Zealand on the morning of the fourth day and Ed Hawkins watched it all for you. Read his diary and reaction to the Test series victory here

12.30
Man of the match has gone to James Anderson. England's man of the series was Andrew Strauss and Daniel Vettori got the man of the series gong for the Kiwis. All that is left to do now is work out what to do for the rest of the day. From a social point of view I suppose that the consequences of a Test match ending a day early are frightening. There are literally millions of people with nothing to do. Crime, infidelity and people going to craft fairs must soar. It's another strong argument why Test cricket should do all it can to fight of that young upstart Twenty20. So I'm off to get up to some mischief. I'll be back for the South Africa series later in the summer. All the best.

12.20 Series analysis
The immediate aftermath of a Test series victory is normally not the best time for reflection. Best to wait to allow everything that has happened to sink in. But forget that, England's 2-0 win over New Zealand should be digested quickly for the players and punters alike with South Africa here next (the first test of four begins at Lord's on July 10.
So what have we learnt about England in this series? Well, we know that they have a potent and varied bowling attack. Ryan Sidebottom and James Anderson have further cemented their places, meaning Matthew Hoggard may only play Test cricket again if there is an injury or horrendous loss of form.
Steve Harmison's international career is probably over, too. Stuart Broad is an exciting player with the potential to be a genuine all-rounder. And while on the subject of all-rounders, how will England fit Andrew Flintoff into this team? After all, you're not supposed to change a winning one.
The answer, inevitably, leads us to the batting, which has been exposed by a New Zealand attack which is pedestrian at best. Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood's places have to be in doubt for the South Africa series. Dropping one of them for Flintoff could be an option, although that would mean the big man batting at No 6. And that may only weaken England's batting.
What is clear, though is that if NZ's bowlers were too hot to handle at times, we haven't see anything yet. South Africa will arrive here with a far more dangerous pace attack (Steyn, Ntini, Nel) which should be good to enough to win at least one Test.
So enjoy the celebrations while they last England, there are tougher times ahead.

12.05 England win by an innings and nine runs
Well, that didn't take long did it? It was a result that was never in doubt since England skittled the Kiwis in their first dig. Plenty of hugging and back-slapping among the England team, which is fair enough. They take the series 2-0. Let's wait for the presentation to see who gets man of the match. And we'll have an analysis of the series for you and look ahead to the South Africa series, too. Don't go anywhere.

12.00 NZ 225-9
'Fivefer'. That's an annoying cricket buzz word isn't it? I always thought 'fivefer' was a one of the characters in Watership Down. I say character, I mean rabbit. And a cartoon one at that. It would be much better if the next time a bowler takes a five-wciket haul the commentator says he's got a 'rabbit'. Sidebottom has another (Ian O'Brien) to give him six. A 'sixer'. Or, for those of you who went to cubs, 'the bloke who the cub leader fancied so gave him extra kudos'. Probably a bit of a mouthful that, though.

11.55 NZ 221-8
The end is nigh. Kyle Mills has fallen to Sidebottom, his fifth wicket. The England bowler pointed him to the dressing room after that dismissal which may result in a fine. Good. That's what I say. Sidebottom, if you'll pardon the pun, has been an arse in this game. Too much backchat, too much posturing, too much aggression. Just bowl pal, yeah?

11.35 NZ 205-7
Jacob Oram is not a bloke I would want next to me in the trenches. In training, he would have been brilliant; charging at those sacks stuffed with straw with a high-pitched scream and a war face which would make grown men weep, slashing and stabbing at the dummy with his bayonet with such ferocity that he would have to be pulled off by ten men. No, make that 20. But when the bullets really start flying, Jacob goes missing. He's got his war face on at the moment for this phoney war. Shame he could not grin and bear it when his team needed this kind of knock at Old Trafford. Vettori has gone now. Cue more blitzing from Jacob. What a big man.

11.20 NZ 197-5
Jacob Oram has played a few shots this morning. Interesting to see if he gets a score here to go with his ton at Lord's. Both would have come at times when the pressure was off. That, coupled with his windy performance at Old Trafford, would mark Oram down as a player of suspect temperament if you ask me. There are 15 overs until England get the new ball, which makes Ryan Sidebottom's dismissal of Gareth Hopkins a bonus. NZ were as short as [18] to lay before that wicket fell.

11.10 NZ 182-5
So Dip's confirmation that he is from Jaipur confirms this blog as one of international standing. For the Old Trafford Test, Philip Parker got in touch from St Petersburg so I thought I'd keep a league table in terms of mileage from London for our readers.Obviously Dip is in front at the mo, but it would be interesting to collate the total distance that this column has reached so email me where you are hawkeyeview@hotmail.co.uk...
1 Dip (Jaipur) 4210 miles
2 Philip (St Petersburg)

10.45 NZ 177-5
Morning sports fans. Well, this might not last very long at all today. Or England could be frustrated. It would be quite good if NZ could put up a bit of resistance, so we can get our teeth stuck in to something. No matter, we'll try to have as much fun as possible. Dip has emailed, confirming that he is from Jaipur, which was the big unanswered question of yesterday. I asked him a few questions about the IPL, topical considering the announcement about a Champions League. "Yes i've seen some matches of IPL at Jaipur as well as in Delhi. (In fact SMS Stadium,Jaipur is at walking distance from my home) Electric atmosphere at ground in most of the matches although people were more interested in cheerleaders than game." I hear you Dip, I hear you.

17.30 NZ 177-5 CLOSE
That's it for today. England should wrap up victory tomorrow. They are just [1.04] to claim a 2-0 series victory. I doubt whether they have been shorter than that this Test. I'll be here, same time, same place with all the action, quizzes and quips so join me around 10.30am-ish.

19.25 NZ 169-5
Daniel Flynn has fallen on 49, just shy of his maiden Test century. It was a shame he didn't get it. You may recall that it was Flynn who had his teeth knocked out at Old Trafford and he has been in and out of the dentist's chair ever since. The mental battle he must have fought after that trauma and being out for a duck in the first innings must have been considerable. However, he looks a well-organised batsman, has plenty of shots and he may not need many more innings to establish himself.

18.50 NZ 152-4
The Sky commentators are suggesting that the wicket of McCullum - bowled by than man Anderson off an inside edge - is a "massive" wicket. They are right from the point of view that only he could really threaten England in this match, given how quickly he can score. The match odds market does not agree though. The Kiwis remain at [17] and briefly you could have backed them at a ludicrous [10]. That was even after McCullum was dismissed. Perhaps that was some leftovers from way back.

18.33 NZ 134-3
New Zealand's price has dipped to [17.0] thanks to this partnership between Flynn and McCullum, which is worth 76 runs. I suppose that is far enough. And if you reckon that they will continue to prosper it is worth taking that now and laying off later, although such a trading option requires plenty of timing, not to mention discipline. However, it is doubtful whether New Zealand really should be as 'short'. Even if they were to score 400, England would still need only 159, a very gettable score if batting is getting easier and if their chase at Old Trafford is anything to go by. One thing is for sure, this match cannot be a draw.

18.10 NZ 113-3
Brendon McCullum is batting way outside his crease, the benefit of which makes it very difficult to get him out leg before. England have had three big shouts in the last 20 minutes against Mac and Ryan Sidebottom also dropped a sharp caught and bowled chance from the right-hander. 'Why do batsmen not bat out of their crease all o f the time?' Well, thanks for asking. It depends on the pitch. On a swinger like this batsmen are trying to negate the late movement by getting down the wicket before it starts to bend. However, on a quicker wicket the ploy would most likely result in knocking your block off.

17.35 NZ 88-3
Controlled stuff from McCullum so far against Monty, who is aiming for the footmarks outside off stump to get some turn. Just the feeling now that England are having to put in some work. They have hardly broekn a sweat with the ball up until now. Sidebottom is still getting swing but his control has not been good enough so they may have to turn to Mr Anderson again. Amazingly, there could still be another two hours to play today, although the light might not allow that. For the record, England are [1.07].

17.12 NZ 75-3
Monty Panesar has been brought on for his first bowl in the Test. The reasoning behind this move is that Brendon McCullum is looking quite good and Michael Vaughan will be concerned that he could blast the Kiwis too close for comfort. Panesar has dismissed Mac more times (6) than any other bowler in the world.

17.02 NZ 72-3
Here's a press release from the ECB about a potentially dramatic to cricket the way we know it. "The inaugural Champions League tournament, involving the domestic Twenty20 finalists from England, Australia, South Africa and the IPL, will take place over a 10-day period in late September and early October with $5million on offer for the winners." Well, how about that? Apparently it is likely to take place in India. It was always on the cards, of course, but that is some pot for the winning team. In a way, I really hope that little old Glamorgan make it to big stage. It would rather rain on the chips of the ICC hoping for glitz and glamour when Robert Croft and co turn up from the Valleys. In your best sing-song accent, all together now. 'Ooooh, look at all these people. I 'aven't see so many since it was wear a boob tube and get in free night down the Mumbles'.

16.45 NZ 58-3Euro 2008 beings at 17.00 with Switzerland taking on the Czech Republic. It appears to me to be a very open tournament and one which, I suppose, we should all be able to enjoy a bit more because England are not involved. We won't have to put up with the misery of being knocked out on penalties after having hopes briefly, and irrationally, raised just because we managed to beat some no-mark country 3-0 thanks to a penalty, own goal and deflected shot in the group stages. Nor will the national grid be threatened with blow out when everyone puts the kettle on for a brew at half-time. Nor will we have to put up with John Motson creaming his pants every time it looks as though England, might, just might, pass the halfway line thanks to consecutive passes. By the way, if you want a bet Czech Rep [25.0] and Croatia [15.5] look to be the value to me, although bear in mind the Croats will not have Scott Carson in the opposition goal to help them out. Ross Taylor has just been given out leg before to Broad to bring you back to cricket-related matters.

16.10 NZ 45-2 TEA
Fremantle Doctor came nowhere. Tsk! Horseracing isn't what is used to be. Greville Starkey, Lester Piggott. They don't make jockeys like that anymore. And if they do, they don't give them as interesting names. Dancing Brave, Nashwan. They don't make horses like that anymore. And if they do, they give them rubbish names. New Appraoch! What sort of name is that? No, no. The magic's gone for me. When I was growing up there was something enchanting and mysterious about the sport. Mind you, back then I thought clothes grew with you and the goalie for Liverpool was called the Blue Squabbler.

15.55 NZ 33-2
Jamie How is the man to fall, edging Sidebottom to Alastair Cook at slip. When Cook pouched that one he had the look of someone quite deranged. I suppose he's just pleased to contribute.

15.45 NZ 33-1
The Derby will be off in 15 minutes or so. Doctor Fremantle's price has dipped down to [9.6] so we can all walk around with a cocky swagger that we got the value, even if it doesn't win. I will switch over briefly to watch the race and have chosen "c'mon my cocker!" as my phrase for encouragement for the lovely horsey. This is best not shouted too loud, however, as the neighbours may get the wrong impression.

15.20 NZ 21-1
That shambolic mess Redmond has gone, trying an expansive drive to be caught behind by Ambrose off Broad. Such a shot beggars belief when the ball is moving. It is so odd to see a New Zealand opening batsmen unable to cope with the new ball. It's not as if the ball doesn't swing in New Zealand after all. Brendon McCullum is in now, another who appears unaccustomed to swing. He may as well try to whack the cover off it in this situation. By backing his tremendous eye he'll probably score twice as many as if he tried to hang in there.

15.10 NZ 14-0
Here's an odd market move. Before play began, New Zealand were [28]. They were [19] a couple of minutes ago. If someone can explain that logic to me, feel free at hawkeyeview@hotmail.co.uk And it can't be because England may have to bat again. If by some spectacular piece of trend bucking New Zealand get 350 in their second innings, it would still be more that a [19] shot that England were knocked over cheaply.

15.00 NZ 13-0
New Zealand have been bowled out for 123 and 114 in their last two innings. The law of averages suggests they should make England bat again or at the very least make them work a little harder for this victory. Just a word on Aaron Redmond, who was billed as being "well-organised" before this series began. I just wonder where that phrase came from. Certainly they were not talking about his techniquie, which has been quite appaling for an opening batsman. Nor were they referring to his presentation. The guy looks as though he has just climbed out of a skip. His shirt is too big. His trousers are flapping around at his ankles because he hasn't tucked them into his pads correctly. And, worse of all, some of his hair is sticking out of the top of his helmet. The guy looks like a half-wit.

14.43 NZ 123
Fittingly, Anderson has finished the innings off with his seventh wicket. The Kiwis are 241 runs behind and the news is that Michael Vaughan has enforced the follow-on. This game could be all over today considering we could play on until 7.30pm. That's a piece of info for the notebook, by the way. When there is poor weather around, as there was this morning, it is wise not to get carried away with prices about the draw. People often forget that time can be made up. Another nugget for the jotter is what happened to the draw price when the follow-on was announced. It jumped from [9.4] to [11].

14.36 NZ 123-9
Blimey, anyone would think I knew what I was talking about. Broad has struck twice in three balls. First he got that edge we were talking about from Mills and then he bowled Iain O'Brien.

14.35 NZ 123-7
Michael Vaughan has become tired of Sidebottom's inability to control this swing so he has turned to Stuart Broad. He is not as big a mover of the ball as Sidebottom, which could make dangerous in these conditions. If he continually goes for the top of off stump it should deviate enough to get an edge.

14.25 NZ 119-7
The ball is absolutely boomeranging. Far more than yesterday. It is worth mentioning that when the ball starts swinging so much more than previously, it disrupts bowlers slightly because they have to change the lines and lengths that they have been used to. That is one of the reasons why Anderson and Sidebottom have struggled to get the ball consistently in the right area.

14.08 NZ 109-7
By the way, the target to beat the follow on for NZ is 165.

14.03 NZ 109-7
Sidebottom has struck and spolied Anderson's dream of taking all 10 wickets. Daniel Vettori was seduced into flirting with one as Sidebottom finally got one in the correct area, and Strauss snaffled a nice catch at slip. It is hard not to think that New Zealan's hopes of fighting their way back in this first innings have gone with Vettori's dismissal. Kyle Mills is in now. He is no mug with the bat in placid conditions but one would have thought he will struggle with the ball moving so much.

13.55 NZ 104-6
Okay, so he's only bowled two overs but Anderson, I'm afraid, is living up to his reputation. He has made the batsman play only twice and has generally bowled far too wide. Ryan Sidebottom is just as guilty.

13.40 NZ 96-6
It will be interesting to see how Jimmy Anderson fares today. In the past he has struggled for consistency. Bad performances have followed good ones which would suggest expectancy has not sat well with him mentally. Let's not forget that he came into the England one-day side for the World Cup in South Africa having rarely played for Lancashire and was more used to turning out for Burnley. He started brilliantly but never punched on when more of the same was expected. Thanks to his six wickets yesterday and with talk of taking all 10, people are presume he will be as dangerous. It's swinging for him, though, which will help.

13.30 PLAY TO START IN 10 MINUTES
The England players are warming up on the field so it looks as though we're about to get some action, which is a relief. The match odds market, understandably, has been pretty quiet. England are [1.28], New Zealand [28] and the draw, which hasn't budged a great deal, is [5.1].

12.55 START DELAYED
So the Derby will, er, kick off in just about three hours. My sources tell me that Doctor Fremantle is the one to be on. Our four-legged hero is available to back at [10.5]. What a juicy price, gosh I hope it wins. There are two other very solid reasons for selecting the Doc. Firstly, there are some cricketing connections. The Fremantle Doctor is the wind which blows in from the ocean in Perth, giving some much-needed help to swing bowlers at the WACA and cooling the sweltering players in the process. Secondly, it will run in the same colours as Dancing Brave. What a horse that was. They don't make them like that anymore. Ooooh, I'm getting all wistful just thinking about it. Sniff.

12.25 START DELAYED
Some good news from Trent Bridge. The rain has stopped. The covers are off. And we should have play by 13.20. Phew.

12.05 START DELAYED
There will be an official inspection in 10 minutes. Meanwhile, Dip has been in touch via email. "Answer to your first question of the day is: Anderson is the odd one among three because the other two are spin bowlers and he is a fast bowler. Am I right?" You are, Dip. I would also have accepted that Anderson should never be mentioned in the same breath as those two greats. And I suppose that Laker is the only one that is dead, although to hear Anderson interview sometimes we can't be sure. By the way Dip, having seen your email address I must ask whether you are a Jaipur resident?

11.30 NZ 96-6 START DELAYED
There are still a few umbrellas up around the ground. It is a shame that Anderson's charge for all 10 has been halted by rain because cricket is competing against some seriously good sport elsewhere today. And it would need something like a 10-wicket haul to even make the back pages on Derby day and with Euro 2008 starting. I suppose this blog is fighting for your attention too, so I will be providing some tips for for both events later in the day.

11.05 NZ 96-6 START DELAYED
There is some drizzle at present folks. But don't fret. Notts have one of those fancy hover covers which provide the best protection from the wet stuff as groundsman Steve Birks explained. "It's is one big cover that is large enough for the whole of the square, with the two sheets extending out to cover 120ft each," he said. "It used to be five separate covers that we had to fetch individually from the boundary edge." The forecast is for showers today, although days four and five are clear. Unsurprisingly, the draw price [5.4] has dipped slightly.

10.55 NZ 96-6 START DELAYED
It was the Jimmy Anderson show yesterday when he took all six of the New Zealand wickets to fall. We should expect a repeat because as usual, the conditions at Trent Bridge are perfect for swing bowling. That means talk of Anderson taking all ten has increased. If he did manage such a feat he would join Jim Laker and Anilk Kumble as the only players in Test history to have done it. Mmmmm, Laker,Kumble, Anderson. Spot the odd one out. No matter, that is four wickets away. As usual you can email me at hawkeyeview@hotmail.co.uk with your thoughts.

17.45 NZ 96-6 CLOSE
England end day two well in charge. And tomorrow will all be about James Anderson, seeing whether he can take the remaining four wickets for all 10 in the innings. Come back tomorrow morning for more fun and frolics from around 10.30.

17.10 NZ 96-6 BAD LIGHT STOPPED PLAY
New Zealand have been offered the light and have taken it. England will not be too bothered. If they do come back tonight, James Anderson, their six-wicket hero, will be refreshed to have another go at the visitors. Here's an annoying thought: the players have gone off, the ground is full and yet there are four giant floodlights (part of the £8.2m redevelopment spend) just standing rather forlornly around the ground like the bespectacled unpoular girl at the school disco, being ignored and just hoping to be turned on.

17.00 NZ 93-6
New Zealand are in all sorts of trouble as Oram departs. And it's Anderson again. All six for him. No feet movement from Oram and he just edged rather pathetically behind. Don't try to touch it up, Jacob, hit the thing. Daniel Vettori is the new batsman. If he goes cheapy NZ will be in danger of following on today. Unsurprisingly, the value has gone on the match odds market. England are as skinny as [1.2] with the draw [5.3] and the Kiwis [23].

16.40 NZ 77-7
So Oram is in now. England will look to snare him early by getting a couple of short balls up towards his throat - remember how awful he looked against the chin music in Manchester - so he is reluctant to get on the front foot, then pitch it up hoping for some tentative play to get him leg before or caught behind the wicket.

16.35 NZ 77-5
I'm going to write this really quickly so another wicket doesn't fall while typing. How ct Ambrose b Anderson 40. That's five wickets for Anderson. He's swinging it both ways at close to 90mph. Seriously tough to combat as a batsman. Doesn't matter who you are.

16.20 NZ 62-4
Ross Taylor has gone. The Kiwi has paid the price for being too attacking outside off stump. A similar innings to Michael Vaughan's actually. Both wanted to play the drive. Both connected nicely a couple of times. Both eventually made mistakes on the shot. Anderson was the man to claim him...and as I write (doesn't that happen often, have you noticed?) Daniel Flynn has been trapped in front for a duck. Anderson the wicket-taker again and it looks as though that ball change worked. England [1.46] now.

16.10 NZ 61-2
Another inane fact for you. 'Smearing a small amount of dog faeces on an insect bite will relieve the itching and swelling'. What a tremendous pointer. Get a nasty infection and smell of poo. Thanks very much.

15.40 New Zealand 57-2 TEA
England have had the ball changed. Such a move has been a feature of the series - at Lord's the hosts switched it and Sidebottom claimed a wicket with the first ball. It might work again after the break. If this sounds confusing please stay with me ... the new ball looks newer than the previous ball which was the original new ball. It seems to be swinging a bit more, too. Let's see what happens after the break.

15.30 New Zealand 56-2
England have lost their way a little bit. Just how much is perhaps highlighted by the fact that Paul Collingwood is bowling, who, despite the swing, looks pretty innocuous. England really do seem desperate to allow Colly as many chances as possible to show why he should be a Test player. There was a brief shower a couple of minutes ago, humidity is on the rise and there's plenty of cloud cover. Maybe it should be swinging more.

15.05 New Zealand 30-2
Rome is the answer to the city name which can be found on each continent. It is a tremendously useless fact but not as irrelevant as some out there. Like this one. 'In the weightlessness of space a frozen pea will explode if it comes in contact with Pepsi'. One has to ask, what sort of moron would have to be to have discovered that? Why would a pea be in space? And what are the chances that it would frozen? Next time you're at a dinner party, just drop that into conversation. You'll be asked to leave.

14.40 New Zealand 14-2
Brendon McCullum has had his stumps rearranged like the front room of a feng shui consultant after the knife collector who hired his services was furious at the job he did. Even more contrived. However, the ball from Anderson which ended Mac's spell at the crease was almost identical to the one which did for Redmond. Mind you,it was an awful shot from McCullum. With How and Taylor at the wicket, NZ have their two best batsman in terms of technique. But this will be a tough test with the ball bending.

14.26 New Zealand 2-1
Aaron Redmond has had his stumps rearranged like the front room of a knife collector who has hired a feng shui consultant. Contrived. Brendon McCullum in now and he has to be vulnerable with James Anderson swinging it terrifically. The one he got Redmond with came in and then went away. Mac is [4.2] for top Kiwi bat and that doesn't look much of a price. Ross Taylor [4] would be my wager given his form and the fact that he's protected from this new ball.

14.10 England 364
Poor old Monty has just been given out caught off a bat-pad chance. Clearly he didn't hit it. But he looked absolutely crestfallen and had a look of bemsement as if someone had asked him whether he knew which city-name could be found on every continent. If you want to put him out of his misery, email me the answer to that at hawkeyeview@hotmail.co.uk

14.05 England 363-9
As if to prove my point at the ridiculousness of that draw price, it has drifted out to [2.74] following the loss of Stuart Broad, who has been bowled by Chris Martin. By the way, hasn't he been absolutely rubbish? This is the surface that he would have been desperate to have a bowl on. Interesting. I wonder if he has felt extra pressure to perform in swinging conditions and lost rhythm, line and length as a result.

13.58 England 361-8
We constantly discuss the vagaries of the draw price on this blog, so bear with me why I get this off my chest. It has dipped to [2.46] following England's resurgence this morning. Why? England are clearly dominant , New Zealand demoralised. England have a far more impressive bowling line up and NZ must bat last on this surface. If there is one bet you have for the rest of this Test, make it a lay of the draw at [2.58]

13.45 England 350-8
Finally, Broad has his half-century, which should please Beaver. "Are the sky team goin to refer to Broad's dad everytime he plays any sort of shot that looks decent?" That will probably be it for the dad references today, unless Stu, upon getting out, smashes his stumps to smithereens and then abuses some of the crowd on the way back to the pavilion.

13.05 England 341-8 LUNCH
Broad is still waiting for his first Test half-century. He looked very nervous, playing out 20 consecutive dot balls I think so don't expect him to back to pavilion and stuff his face - it'll probably come back up. Gooders has been on the email asking whether dad Chris - not Gooders's dad, but Stuart's - ever got a 50 at Trent Bridge. "Maybe in 1988 but otherwise I don't think he could have done." Correct. He got 54 against West Indies.

13.05 England 341-8 LUNCH
Broad is still waiting for his first Test half-century. He looked very nervous, playing out 20 consecutive dot balls I think, so don't expect him to get back to pavilion and stuff his face - it'll probably come back up. Gooders has been on the email asking whether dad Chris - not Gooders's dad, but Stuart's - ever got a 50 at Trent Bridge. "Maybe in 1988 but otherwise I don't think he could have done." Correct. He got 54 against West Indies.

12.48 England 338-8
James Anderson has gone, a few moments after we talked him up. The market has been interesting this morning. NZ's price had drifted 6.1 points to [10] just before Anderson was out. So that is the value of a 65-run eighth-wicket partnership in terms of odds. Stuart Broad needs one for his 50. He bats a lot like his dad, tall and upright, biffing it off the back foot.He doesn't seem to have the temperament of Broad senior, either. Didn't Chris refuse to go after being given out leg before in Pakistan once? Email me hawkeyeview@hotmail.co.uk

12.25 England 325-7
When someone of the quality of James Anderson is making batting look so easy, it is hard not to come to the conclusion that the difficulties of the swinging conditions have been overhyped. After all, Anderson averages only 13 in Tests and New Zealand still have a relatively new ball and their bowlers are rested up. However, this situation is not that unusual. When the bowling team have let the batting team off the hook, they easily become demoralised and negative.The zip goes. So does the passion. And tailenders often thrive in such circumstances. "Yeah, yeah" cries Anderson nonchantly for a single, as if he's an old pro with 20 Test tons to his name.

11.55 England 304-7
Demoralising for the Kiwis. Just think: they had England not just on the ropes, but falling through them, at 80-odd for five. Broad and Anderson have put on 44 together now. This is reflected in their price, which has drifted to [5.2].

11.40 England 293-7
Mum has embarrassed Stuey. The umpires have just given him a telling off for a logo on his thermals. Tut, tut. Broad and Anderson look reasonably comfortable so far, which is obviously good news for England backers. However, the neutrals will find all this a bit 'phoney war' at present. Not much is really happening. If Anderson was out we might see Broad and new man Sidebottom swing the bat a bit.

11.20 England 285-7
I wonder if Stuart Broad, the baby of the England team, was made to wear those thermals by his mother when he left the house this morning. "Put them on Stuart, it's going to be cold today". "Oh but mum, I'll look stupid and no-one else is wearing them."

10.55 England 273-7
Morning all. We're back for more betting action at Trent Bridge. This match is nicely poised after a topsy-turvy day yesterday when England and New Zealand traded favouritism. England, according to the match odds, are in the box seat. And Brendon McCullum appears to agree having just listened to his interview. With conditions overcast, it should swing, making it potentially a good day for bowlers. England already have a decent score on the board and if they can get to 300, the Kiwis might start to feel even more daunted.

18.10 England 273-7 CLOSE
New Zealand would have probably grabbed with both hands this scoreline at the start of the day. However, life doesn't work like that. Having reduced England to 86 for five, they will feel disappointed. If England can get to 300 their favouritism is justified. They already have far more than the average first innings match score in Championship cricket this season and more than the previous two first digs in Tests on this ground. England [1.9], New Zealand [3.9], draw [4.4].

17.55 England 262-7
Mmmmmm Ambrosia. Or rather not. The wee fellow has gone, caught behind off his favourite cut shot. New Zealand's price has come down to [3.75].

17.40 England 247-6
KP has gone. A big wicket for New Zealand because of the threat he posed in terms of quick runs tomorrow. The match odds market had reacted as predicted, with the New Zealand price settling at around [4.4]. Incidentally the draw price was available to back at [3.6] when the new ball was taken and when that wicket fell the lay price shot up to [4.2]. It's another example of making the new ball work for you.

17.30 England 244-5
New Zealand have taken the new ball so it would be reasonable to expect at least one wicket within the next few overs. If the Kiwis were able to pick up KP, for example, their price [5.4] might dip under the five mark. It won't shrink so much if Ambrose went, of course. Early indications are that the ball is swinging. With ten overs left tonight, a couple of breakthroughs would give New Zealand hope of bowling England out for under 300.

17.05 England 232-5
Rather wonderfully Kevin Pietersen's century was greeted by a shot of Prince Phillip looking towards the sky, appearing to discuss the cloud formations with an official while KP over-indulged in celebration. I suppose Phil might dislike the fact that someone in a position of power in this country is only pretending to be English. After all, it's not as if he gets on with most of his German family is it?

16.55 England 218-5
Cherrene has made a salient point regarding the arrogance of Kevin Pietersen, who has just gone to 91. "It must be very hard not to get cocky when people are commenting on what you're doing all of the time. If it was happening to me I think I'd have a bit of an ego. 'There's Cherrene getting out of bed, putting on her socks with a lovely technique'. Eat your heart out, Pietersen."

16.35 England 196-5
New Zealand have been disciplined since tea with their lines, lengths and fielding. KP has managed only six runs and England's run rate for the day has dropped below three. As timing goes for the Kiwis it is absolutely spot on with the new ball due in about an hour. A couple of wickets with the cherry and they will be in command. And you never know, they may even make favouritism on the match odds market.

16.17 England 188-5
An update on the fraudulent emails which have flooded into this blog's email since it began. Mr Carrey has been on urging me to contact him URGANTLY (sic), Adamo Kiadogo's message is entitled 'Treat as private and confidential' so I suppose I'll keep it to myself and Dr Usma Bello wants me to provide my bank account details for a donation to his research lab in Africa to help cure the insomnia which is making farmers too tired to tend to their crops. Hence people are starving.

15.47 England 180-5 TEA
While we are all wowed by Pietersen's ability - three figures look will within his grasp with a composed, classy and current 71 - let's have a little laugh at his expense. There is a story that does the rounds about Pietersen, being particualrly petulant as a young man at Nottinghamshire. It was a county match and he had scored well in both innings but his team-mates had not matched him. While in the dressing room waiting for the final innings of the match to begin with the opposition needing a paltry total to chase for victory, KP blew his top. "Right, I'm fed up carrying you lot, I'm not coming out to field". Chris Cairns, the giant Kiwi all-rounder, responded in a calm manner. "Kevin, can I have a word in private". "Of course, Cairnsy." So KP and Cairns went off to a secluded part of the dressing room, at which point Cairns grabbed KP by the collar and pinned him against the wall. "If you don't come out to field I'll chop your balls off!" growled Cairns. KP went out to field.

15.20 England 161-5
England are going along steadily enough - the KP/Ambrose axis is worth 75 runs - but by no means are they in the driving seat. Which is why it is odd to see England back as [2.02]favourites and New Zealand [3.4]. Forget the form of the two sides and the respective quality of the players for a moment and ask yourself: should a team who have lost half their wickets for 161 be favourites? I doubt it.

15.03 England 146-5
Fifty for Kevin Pietersen. And the way he went to his half-century was of interest. Big stride down the wicket against Daniel Vettori and a cross-batted swipe with his bat right in front of him. Normal KP you will say. Exactly. In this series he has chopped and changed his technique because of the pressure which a poor run of scores brings. He has been in two minds against spin recently as to whether to play out in front of his pad or behind it. His dismissals at Lord's and Old Trafford betrayed this uncertainty when he was doing on or the other. So it is a relief for England to see he has decided to stick with what he knows and what has made him successful.

14.55 England 131-5
Gooders has been on the email with this little gem. "I seem to remember KP always gets out in the 40s in Trent Bridge Test Matches. Maybe that's the result of a hang-up he may have about getting back to the dressing room to check on his kit, following his spell playing there for Notts. He was so popular with his teammates that they once threw all his kit of the Trent Bridge balcony." You are indeed correct, sir. His Test scores on his old stomping ground are 45, 23, 41, 6, 13 and 19.

14.27 England 124-5
Ambrose and KP is the key partnership for England. The wee man needs to stay with the big man for a good hour and a half, which should enable England to post something in the region of 280. That's a competitive total in these conditions.

14.20 England 109-5
One has to question the wisdom of Paul Collingwood retaining his place in England's team. And that is not after-timing. In our last blog for the second Test we led a witch-hunt for who should be dropped from England's top six and Colly was the man voted off. That is an aside, however. When a batsman is so painfully out of form, his bat coming down at all the wrong angles, his feet going nowhere and by his own admission he is struggling for runs, why would a team risk playing him? There would have been no harm for England to say 'Paul, you're out of nick. Go away and find some with Durham for a couple of weeks' and bring in Owais Shah. You wouldn't get a football manager picking a key player for a big game when he knows he is out of sorts. If Edwin van der Saar is not seeing the ball in a cup semi-final and tells his manager that, Sir Alex Ferguson would drop him. Why? Because the team comes first.

13.58 England 91-5
It may not come as the greatest shock to discover that Collingwood is the man out. And for a duck, too. NZ jollies now at [2.42]. Gosh, it's all happening. On less important matters, the answer to our quiz - which is the longest word in the English dictionary which has most letters in alphabetical order? - is ALMOST. There was a clue in a previous post which the eagle-eyed Tom picked upon.

13.50 England 85-4
This could be the game right here. The loss of Strauss immediately after lunch has exposed England's weak lower middle order. Ian Bell, with only 45 runs in the series, is in now and is no man for a crisis. He often scores his runs when most of the hard work has been done. If he was to go cheaply, poor old Paul Collingwood would be in and we all know what terrible touch he is in at the moment . . . and as I write Bell has gone leg before. Awful shot, playing across the line to a straight one of only his third ball. NZ approaching favouritsim at [3].

13.45 England 84-3
Play has resumed. I nipped out for a sandwich at lunch. On my way I passed the local school, which had a sign addressed to the general public. "Please do not leave nuts lying around because we have a child with a severe nut allergy." Thought I'd share that with you. Andrew Strauss has gone. Another expansive drive. Big edge and caught at slip. England [2], NZ [4.4] and the draw [3.7].

13.00 England 84-2 LUNCH
England can claim that as their session. They have scored at a good rate - 3.62 runs per over -in conditions which were helpful to bowlers. The ball swung, as expected, prodigiously early on and New Zealand will have been disappointed not to have taken more wickets. Indeed there are encouraging signs for England after the lunch break. Andrew Strauss' good form looks to be holding and even Kevin Pietersen looks in reasonable nick. We'll have an analysis of his technique when they come back after their scoff.

12.53 England 76-2
Before all you chaps out there start packing your bags to head up to Nottingham, bad news. Statistics from the most recent census show the gender ratio in the East Midlands city is pretty even - 134,458 women to 132,530 men. This is a blow. I suppose the 6 women for every man ratio could have been true at one time but as soon as news got out, blokes just headed up there in droves. It's bit like seeing rain falling in a Test match and then backing the draw. The value has gone.

12.39 England 66-2
The Beaver has been on the email. "I hate that stat about Nottinghamshire's women to men ratio being ridiculously high. I never saw any ... but they tend to ignore me anyway." Of course,it could have something to do with your moniker, Beav. It certainly is worth investigating whether this ratio thing is a myth. Any thoughts please email hawkeyeview@hotmail.co.uk. Also, keep trying with your answers to today's quiz. Some of you are almost there...

12.21 England 64-2
England's run rate over the last ten overs is 4.30. It is an interesting switch in mindset from the first innings at Old Trafford when they were criticised for scoring too slowly and being negative. The problem is, they have been too positive this morning. Michael Vaughan's dismissal being the best example. He knew the ball was nipping back in but still tried an expansive drive. Had England played like this in Manchester then they might not have got in to such a muddle. Had they played today like they did in Manchester they might not be in such a muddle.

12.00 England 46-2
Michael Vaughan has been bowled by Iain Mills and New Zealand will be happy with this start. There would have been lots of pressure on them to take quick wickets after winning the toss and with plenty said about the ground's reputation for swing. Kevin Pietersen is in now and his form has been a conundrum. Talking about conundrums, time for our first quiz of the Test. Which is the longest word in the English dictionary which has most letters in alphabetical order? Email your answer to hawkeyeview@hotmail.co.uk

11.28 England 14-1
Nervous times for England. Alastair Cook has played on because of one that Kyle Mills got to move late and Michael Vaughan has just survived a terrific first ball from the same bowler. England were shot out for 198 on this ground last summer as India made use of the helpful conditions to secure victory. The average first match score is Championship cricket this term is 222. New Zealand's price has shrunk to [4.2].

11.13 England 12-0
First signs of swing. You may be interested to know that the average score for an opener in the County Championship matches this season at Trent Bridge is 15.6. That is how difficult it has been for batsmen. So if Andrew Strauss' brilliant run of form is going to end anywhere, it should end here. He averages only 23 on the ground, too.

11.00 England 0-0
The first market we should have a look at is the top England first-innings runscorer. These are the prices [5.1] Strauss, Vaughan, Pietersen, [5.5] Cook, [7] any other batsman, [7.4] Bell. It is hard to feel confident about backing Cook or Strauss, the two openers, because of the likelihood that the ball will bend early on. Vaughan is a little bit too close to that new ball, although he did score a century against India at Trent Bridge last summer. KP and Bell are both out of nick as is Collingwood, who would be the main hope for 'any other batsmen'. Doesn't make pretty reading does it? When there are such doubts over individuals it pays to look at the sum of those parts. England could struggle this morning, although if you must back a top bat, Vaughan may be the best of a bad bunch.

10.39 New Zealand have won the toss and will bowl
Good morning cricket fans. This is Nottingham. Home of Robin Hood, a disproportionate ratio of women to men and one of the worst cities in the UK for gun crime. All three could be linked. New Zealand have won the toss, which could possibly be the most important thing to happen in this match. Win it, win the game has been the saying this week because of Trent Bridge's swinging conditions. The Kiwis should be capable of early wickets. Unsurprisingly, their price dipped a point or so to [5.2] when Daniel Vettori called correctly. England, who are [1.85] are unchanged but New Zealand will have Brendon McCullum batting at No 3 with Gareth Hopkins coming in to keep wicket at the expense of James Marshall.

Ed Hawkins will be blogging throughout the day as the action unfolds at Trent Bridge. You can send all your betting-, and non betting-related questions to the man at hawkeyeview@hotmail.co.uk...

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