New Zealand in England 2013

May

4-6 v Derbyshire, Derby (11:00 BST)

9-12 v England Lions, Leicester (11:00 BST)

16-20 1st Test, Lord's (11:00 BST)

24-28 2nd Test, Headingley (11:00 BST)

31 1st ODI, Lord's (10:45 BST)

June

2 2nd ODI, Southampton (10:45 BST)

5 3rd ODI, Trent Bridge (d/n) (14:00 BST)

22 v Kent, Canterbury (Twenty20 - unless NZ reach the Champions Trophy final) (10:45 BST)

25 1st Twenty20 international, The Oval (d/n) (18:30 BST)

27 2nd Twenty20 international, The Oval (d/n) (18:30 BST)

NB Fixtures and start times are subject to change. Stopmeandslapme is not responsible for any changes that may be made.

 

Not exactly a rivetting start to the series, 160 runs at 2 an over, England's top 4 getting starts then getting out. With the prospect of much rain over the next 4 days this might well end in a draw.

 

No doubt Boycs is calling it "proper" test cricket!!

We will have a late order collapse to ensure that the nerves are somewhat frayed by Monday!!!

 

Got Root at 6/1 to topscore in the first innings, so far he's leading with 40

 

Bastard Bairstow beats it by 1 run then gets out

 

England bogged-down and going nowhere - Taylor showed them how to bat on here

England bowled too short as well.

Will need to do better against the Australians

 

Good session/bad session at the moment - if we can put two or three god sessions together we will be ok. If not.............

 

Thanks to brilliant work from Root & Trott, we're slightly ahead.

A fifty partnership (Bell & Broad?) on Day 4 and we'll be out of sight.

 

Got Root at 7/1 to topscore in the second innings, so far he's leading...

 

We are not in bad shape but a collapse this morning and NZ would be favourites for me. We need Belly to dig deep and produce something under pressure.

 

Yes - that worked well didn't it. Too much pressure for him???

 

Bell, Bairstow, Prior, Swann - 12 between them, still, I won my bet and this could be a real close run chase.

 

Wow - did not see that coming!!!!!!!!

 

I hope the Aussies saw it.

 

Topsy turvey, Prior and Swann score quickly and have taken England to a "safe" position. Congratualations to Root on his first century, he's turning out to be some player. Was too busy to put another bet on for him to be highest scorer in the innings, damn.

 

Learnt something new today:

BBC Test Match Special's Jonathan Agnew:

 

Outplayed the other day. Why is Prior not playing? We need to clear out the dead wood: Dernbach, Buttler, Morgan bring in Prior Bairstow and surely one of Onions, Tremlett, Finn, Broad is fit to play.

 

Buttler is way behind Prior in keeping and batting.

Why aint he playing?

 

The first of two T20 matches to finish off the New Zealanders tour. New Zealand with most of their first team, England resting all of their test players. The bizarre practice of picking foreigners continues with someone named Rankin wearing an England shirt presumably for the first time in his life. Bopara, one of the only English players to play in that match agaist India, must be finding it pretty difficult to motivate himself for this and his bowling was ordinary. New Zealand setting England a large target of 202.

 

Good effort to get within 5 runs of that total. Luke Wright would have been handy the other day, he should be in the ODI squad.