WELLINGTON: New Zealand are eyeing the prospect of a rare Test win after a follow-on as they came out with the bat on Sunday to look absorbed in the final two days of the second Test against England.
The Black Caps found some much-needed resilience to reach 202-3 in their second innings at stumps on day three in Wellington, closing within 24 of the tourists.
Openers Tom Latham and Dion Conway built half-centuries for their strong response after being asked to follow-on.
Kane Williamson was not out on 25, needing just four more runs to overtake Ross Taylor as New Zealand’s all-time leading Test run-scorer.
The former captain will resume Monday with Henry Nicholls (18 not out) and New Zealand’s Basin Reserves have slim hopes of leveling the two-match series on a pitch that is starting to offer turn and variable bounce.
Only England (twice) and India have achieved the feat of winning a Test after a follow-on.
Latham says his team is confident they can topple the tourists if they can pick up the pace on the fourth day.
“Absolutely, you always have to look at ways to win Test matches,” he said.
“We definitely know there is a lot of work to do to get to this point but whether it is 200 or 250 (target), you never know if enough is enough.
“We’ve seen with the wicket, whether it’s the old ball or the new ball, there’s a lot of twists and turns. It’s really pleasing to be close to par at this point.”
Aggressive approach
Victory for New Zealand looked a distant prospect when they were bowled out for 209 in their first innings in the morning session, 226 runs behind England’s declared 435-8.
Latham (83) and Conway (61) reduced England to 149 before the first wicket fell, unveiling the combative qualities that had been missing in a series dominated by England’s brilliant sevens bowling.
New Zealand’s footing in the game loosened when the two openers and Will Young (8) fell for 18 runs, all to spin, leaving them on 167-3 before the dismissals of Williamson and Nicholls. .
“It was important for me and Dev to set the tone,” Latham said.
“We lost two wickets but the work that Henry and Kane did at the back end of the session was really important. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?”
England assistant coach Paul Collingwood defended captain Ben Stokes’ decision to enforce the follow-on when the Black Caps could have been thrown out of the competition instead of getting them back on the field.
“The mantra of this team is to be aggressive,” Collingwood said.
“There was no doubt in Stokey’s mind, if we got the chance, we were going to go about things that way.
“As we’ve said before, we’re not afraid to lose and we want to put ourselves in a position to win games.”
Jack Leach was the pick of England’s attack, taking 2-59 from 31 overs, bowling Young on a textbook delivery to the left-arm spinner.
After a 267-run first Test victory at Mt Maunganui, England are still in a good position to win their seventh Test in a row and sweep the series 2-0.
The key will be to remove Williamson, who has been in less than his best form in the series, conceding 10 runs in the last three innings.
However, the 32-year-old had a generally uneventful start, taking some risks as he faced 81 balls to keep his side in the contest.
Four more runs will take him past the record of 7,683 runs held by long-time New Zealand teammate Taylor, who retired last year.
A brilliant end to the day contrasted with a lively first hour when New Zealand lost their last three first innings wickets for 71 runs in just 11.2 overs.
Seamer Stuart Broad took all three wickets with 4-61, his introduction halting New Zealand’s charge led by Tim Southee.
The New Zealand captain was dismissed for 73 after a 30-ball 50 on Sunday morning, his freewheeling score including six sixes, including three in a catch over.
