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Live Commentary: England vs. New Zealand - Second Test, day three - as it happened

Find out how day three of the second Test between England and New Zealand at Headingley unfolded with Sports Mole's text updates.
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England and New Zealand returned for the third day of their Test encounter at Headingley this morning with the home side on 336-7.

They lost those remaining wickets with the score on 354, but visiting New Zealand failed to take advantage of that when they were bowled out for just 174 runs.

Instead of enforcing the follow-on, England skipper Alastair Cook decided to bat again and he was unbeaten at the crease on 88 when stumps was called with the hosts on 116-1 - a lead of 296.

You can find out how the day unfolded with Sports Mole's text updates below.


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Morning all. So, having lost the first day to the elements, it was a positive day from an England point of view yesterday afternoon. With this effectively a four-day encounter, it should mean that England cannot lose this. They have a couple of wickets to play with this morning, which should allow Matt Prior and Graeme Swann to play some shots.

Of course, as mentioned in the introduction, the headlines were dominated by Joe Root yesterday and his sidekick Jonny Bairstow. The duo, in front of home Yorkshire crowd, made 104 and 64 respectively, which is a large reason why England are in command at the moment.

Talking about that century, 22-year-old Root said: "It was pretty special, very enjoyable and I'm sure I will remember it for a long time. But more importantly hopefully it can contribute to something further down the line in this game. Emotions took over and that was the result. I got lost in the moment a bit but you only get your first one once so I just tried to enjoy it."

However, like a typical batsman, Root was disappointed to have exposed the England tail when he got out to the new ball late in the day. Here's what he had to say on that: "I was disappointed to expose the new batters to the new ball, which is exactly what you don't want. We had just got a 100 partnership together and we knew the next 10 overs would be crucial so to get out at that point was very disappointing.

"But the guys batted extremely well to get another partnership together and hopefully we can continue that tomorrow and keep going."


With that knock from Root, you have to fear for Nick Compton's place in the England team. He failed to make an impression again yesterday and was dismissed for just one run. The 29-year-old has all the tools, but more often than not he has struggled to make an impression on the Test arena. If Kevin Pietersen returns from injury for the Ashes, Compton may very well drop out and Root will move up the order to open with skipper Alastair Cook - he opens for Yorkshire after all.

Let's get the New Zealand perspective, shall we? Here is how bowler Trent Boult viewed yesterday's action: "It's been a long day out on the field," he said. "I think we may have missed a bit of a trick not to get them nine down, but tomorrow morning we need to be patient and take those last three wickets, before making the most of a pretty flat wicket."

WEATHER WATCH! Thankfully, we have sunshine and lots of it in Leeds! There's barely a cloud in the sky, which means that we should get a full day of action. The forecast is also saying that it should get up to around 20 degrees Celsius as well. About time!

Right then, the Kiwis have just appeared on the field and they have now been joined by Prior and Swann, who receive a great reception from the home crowd. Expect these two to play a few adventurous shots.

Positive start to proceedings for England, who score six runs during the opening over of the day. However, four of those came from loose bowling by Boult, who saw one delivery to Swann swing viciously down the leg side and beyond the reach of wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum for four.

WICKET! PRIOR (39) C TAYLOR B SOUTHEE

The swing does for Prior, who is caught out by a decent delivery from Tim Southee. The England wicketkeeper attempts to lash the ball down the ground, but he can only edge it to the slips, where Ross Taylor keeps his cool to hold. That's the first tick in the box for the Kiwis this morning. Steven Finn next in.

That over from Southee will give the likes of James Anderson some major confidence when England bowl. The New Zealander was getting the ball to swing with ease.

Swann survives a big scare as Boult swings the ball crashing into his pads. It's a major appeal from the bowler, but the umpire is having none of it. The replays show that it was close, but the ball was just doing a little too much. Just the one run from that over.

Another lbw appeal against Swann, but this time it was clear that Southee's bouncer was too high. The England batsman also found the first boundary of the morning with an edged shot through the slips.

WICKET! FINN (6) B BOULT

The ball before, Finn gets on the front foot and drives Boult straight back past the bowler for four. He tries the same thing next time around, but sees his off-stump knocked out of the ground. Great stuff from Boult and he has a four-for. James Anderson in next, so don't expect England to be batting much longer!

WICKET! ANDERSON (0) C & B BOULT

Well, that didn't take long, did it?! Anderson waves his bat at a swinger and only succeeds in lifting the ball back towards Boult. There's still plenty for the bowler to do though and he gets down to remove Anderson for a duck. Excellent work from Boult, who deserves his five-for. England's innings lasted just 25 minutes this morning, it seems as though they were keen to bowl.

With the ball showing major signs of swing, 354 from 99 overs is a decent score for England. Having bowled brilliantly at Lord's last week, Anderson and Stuart Broad will be confident of taking a number of New Zealand wickets before the day is out - maybe even claiming all 10.

Anderson of course needs just three wickets to go beyond the great Fred Trueman and into third on the England wicket-taking list. The Lancashire man currently has 305 wickets to his name.

Right, a quick turnaround and the England fielders have appeared. Cook is currently stood in the middle of his players and is passing out a few final orders while Peter Fulton and Hamish Rutherford come to the crease. It's going to be a big hour before lunch. Anderson, incidentally, will open the bowling.

Good start from Anderson with a maiden. It would be fair to say that Fulton is not the most confident of batsmen, particularly in England. He attempted to play a couple of those deliveries, but got nowhere near them. He's still in though and from a New Zealand point of view, that is all that matters.

A run apiece for Rutherford and Fulton as Broad sends down a few looseners. It's encouraging signs for England because both of their bowlers have got the ball to swing quite dramatically.

The Kiwis get their first boundary of the match, albeit a fortunate one. Anderson's delivery catches out Rutherford, but he gets lucky when the ball clips the toe-end of his bat before skidding away for four. The tourists will be happy with their start.

Slightly expensive over from Broad, who seemed to struggle to get the length right with those six balls. The best moment came from Fulton when he met a delivery that was crashing into his middle stump with a low shot that raced away to the rope.

A relatively quiet over from Anderson, with just one run coming from it. Having looked a little nervy earlier on, the New Zealand openers seem to have settled in now. If they can survive until lunch, that will put them into a good position in this Test match.

Rutherford and Fulton scamper down the wicket with some smart running to claim just a single from that Broad over. The England bowler is finding a great line at the moment, but credit to Fulton in particular because he is dealing with that threat with some real assurance.

Another maiden to add to the collection for Anderson. It's interesting that between him and Cook, they are working extremely hard on the ball. They want even more swing and one side is now pretty shiny.

Broad is trying hard to bring lbw into play with two deliveries that struck Fulton on the pads. Height is an issue though and the opener is still at the crease. He also scored a four with a lovely shot down the ground to move onto 12. He looks extremely confident right now.

Rutherford moves on to 15 with two fours in that over. That prompts Anderson, who bowled far too short there, to ask the umpire to change the ball - he believes that it is out of shape. The umpire is having none of it though and Anderson is told to carry on. The out of form Finn will now try his luck and replace Broad.

Seven off the over for Fulton and but for some good fielding from Root at fine-leg, it would have been eight. Finn is really struggling for line and length at the moment. He is in desperate need of a wicket - any sort will do! Meanwhile, the England bowling attack have got their way with the ball and it will now be changed.

Here's Jonathan Agnew talking about Finn on BBC Sport: "It looks like Steven Finn has gone back to his full run, he's all the way back to the sponsor's logo. It's a bit of a shame as he bowled quite well off a shorter run in New Zealand."

Anderson is not amused, to put it mildly. The change of ball has not had an immediate effect. Rutherford and Fulton are also running very well between the wicket and are picking up twos when only a single looks to be on. Nine from the over and it may time to give Anderson a bit of a rest.

More stubborn stuff from Fulton and another four follows as well from the Finn over. The New Zealand openers now have 23 runs each to their names and do not look to be in a hurry to give up their wickets. England are in desperate need of a wicket because they are not even causing problems right now. Anderson will continue.

Almost the breakthrough for England and Anderson in that over as Fulton is tempted to slash at a bouncer. He gets it all wrong though and almost drags the ball onto his stumps, but gets lucky. He will argue he deserves it because he has struggled in England so far. He now has 28 runs to his name, which is his highest score of the tour.

WICKET! FULTON (28) C & B FINN

All that hard work from Fulton and then he simply gives his wicket away. Again he's tempted into playing a bouncer, this time from Finn and his luck is out. The ball pops up into the air, giving the England bowler the easiest of catches. England and Finn needed that. Kane Williamson is next in.

Williamson fails to get off the mark during the remainder of the over and it is a wicket-maiden from Finn. He all of sudden looks a dangerous bowler again - amazing what one wicket can do. Up the other end, Broad has replaced Anderson.

An early single from Rutherford puts Williamson on strike, but he again fails to get on the scoreboard. To be fair to him though it is good bowling from Broad, who offered the New Zealand batsman very little. England would love another wicket before lunch, which will be called in 15 minutes.

Confidence is now flowing through Finn following that wicket. He's just sent down a peach of a ball, which leaves Williamson playing at thin air. It's been a nervy start for the New Zealand number three, who is still without a run from 10 deliveries.

A beautiful stroke down the ground gets Williamson off the mark during that Broad over. He looks a real class act who could potentially frustrate the England bowling attack this afternoon. Rutherford is also still around, having gone about his business quietly on 27.

WICKET! RUTHERFORD (27) C BELL B FINN

What a silly shot to play just three minutes before lunch. Rutherford could have comfortably left that wide one from Finn, but he swipes at the ball, only to find the hands of a grateful Ian Bell. Having started so well, Rutherford will be mad with himself. Ross Taylor will come in and probably face one ball!

LUNCH: The umpires are obviously feeling peckish and call for the lunch break. That last ball from Finn was a beauty and Taylor did very well to get his hands out of the way. Had he not have acted so swiftly, he could well have been caught in the slips.

So, after a session that was largely dominated by the New Zealand batsmen, you'd have to say that England are arguably on top now thanks to those two wickets from Finn. It's vitally important for New Zealand that Williamson and Taylor hang around for a while upon their return. They could well do that because they are the sort of players that are capable of scoring quick runs.

Like the players, we are also going to take a short break. Be sure to come back at around 1.30pm for coverage of the afternoon session.

Afternoon! The players should be back with us around 1.40pm. The England dressing room is bound to be the happier of the two following those late wickets. The cups of tea and biscuits would have tasted that little bit nicer!

Finn took both of those wickets and here is what former England skipper Michael Vaughan had to say about 'The Watford Wall' over on BBC Sport: "Great start by Finn, at 6ft 7ins he gets steep bounce and is the quickest bowler in the team. That wicket should give him confidence, but Peter Fulton did all the work for him there with a poor shot - when you've got in, you've got to make it count."

Here we go then - the players are filtering back. New Zealand, with Williamson (4) and Taylor (0) at the crease, trail by 292 runs and are two wickets down.

A couple for Williamson as Broad gets off to a decent start for England. He kept a couple of those deliveries low, which left the New Zealander to pull away his bat at the final moment. Finn will now bowl from the other end.

A mixed over from Finn, who went for three runs. He also fell over as he released the fourth ball, prompting Ian Botham to describe him as "Bambi on ice". He then ended it by bouncing the ball into Taylor's chest. The batsman didn't flinch, but that must have hurt!

The message in the New Zealand dressing room to Taylor and Williamson must have been not to get out early because they are playing cautiously right now - which isn't like these two. They are normally players who play some exciting shots, but we are yet to see much of that.

WICKET! TAYLOR (6) B FINN

And just as I say that, Taylor is heading back to hutch. Moments earlier he drove one for four, but when he tried to match that effort with another from a Finn bouncer, he played the ball onto his stumps. Big wicket for England and Finn now has three to his name. Dean Brownlie comes in for the Kiwis.

Finn ends the over with two 88mph deliveries to Brownlie, who defends well. It's amazing what one wicket can do for a bowler's confidence. Finn started the day looking average at best, but now it appears that he will take a wicket each time he gets the ball in his hands.

A maiden for Broad and England are well on top at the moment. The two New Zealand batsmen look a little tentative, as if they fear a collapse coming. They cannot afford to lose another wicket really. However, with the way that Finn has been bowling, you wouldn't back against it happening.

Anything Broad can do Finn can do...It's a maiden for England's in-form bowler and the hosts really have New Zealand tied up. They need a boundary or two because the score is not exactly ticking over at this moment in time.

A run apiece for Williamson and Brownlie as New Zealand end a sequence of two overs without scoring. Neither were great shots though and there was element of good fortune about both. They are still in though and for the tourists that is the most important fact.

Another solid over from Finn, with two runs going to Williamson. Credit must go to the New Zealand batsmen there because they showed great pace between the stumps to make that happen. There's a change in the bowling for England now and a cheer goes up as Graeme Swann is giving his first chance. There is sense of anticipation in the air.

WICKET! BROWNLIE (2) B SWANN

What a ball from Swann. In just his ninth over of the series, the spin-bowler finds the rough, which bamboozles Brownlie. He attempts to leave it but that proves to be a big mistake as Swann takes out his off-stump. Great decision from Cook to change his bowlers as well. The Kiwis, who now have Martin Guptill in, are in a spot of bother.

Finn really is bowling well at the moment. He has figures of 3-23 right now and the New Zealand batting duo are finding it hard to get major runs during his overs. Guptill did manage to get away then though and has one run on the board.

WICKET! GUPTILL (1) B SWANN

That is a carbon copy from Swann - unbelievable bowling. He lands the ball in that same spot of rough and it crashes into Guptill's off-stump. 10 balls and two wickets - you can't argue with that from the England spinner. In comes captain McCullum for the New Zealand, who must make 205 runs to avoid the follow-on. At this rate, it's not looking likely.

WICKET! WILLIAMSON (13) LBW SWANN

Is there a better spin-bowler in world cricket than Swann right now? I doubt it. It's peach of a delivery that catches Williamson on the pad. The umpire says no, but Swann, Cook and Prior are adamant and appeal. Replays show that the ball is hitting leg stump and Williamson is off. In comes Tim Southee and he will be up against Finn, who now has the ball in hand.

Southee is off the mark with a four, although he knew very little about it. Finn bounced one down the track, which clipped the edge of Southee's bat and squirmed beyond the reach of wicketkeeper Prior. New Zealand won't care one jot though - they will take any runs that they can get at the moment.

Swann gets hit for his first boundary when he leaves one short for McCullum, who doesn't need a second invitation. There's another strong appeal from the spin-bowler against the New Zealand skipper later in the over, but the umpire is having none of it and England decide not to refer the decision.

Slightly more expensive from Finn as the Kiwis get six more runs on the board during that over. Southee only knows how to play one way and he is not hanging around out there. He is currently on 10 from just seven balls. Remember, New Zealand need 205 to avoid the follow-on.

The 100 comes up for New Zealand off the Swann over, but McCullum and Southee fail to add further runs. It's more good bowling from the spinner - he really is causing all sorts of problems at this moment in time.

After those flurry of Swann wickets, the New Zealand pair have actually settled down a little bit. You know what you are going to get with McCullum and Southee. They are two players who will take a risk, but they are good at doing so. More often that not it pays off for them, particularly McCullum.

Expensive from Swann, who went for 10 runs there. Having said that, he didn't bowl particularly badly. On two occasions Southee edged behind and got lucky - he also got seven runs in the process.

WICKET! SOUTHEE (19) LBW BROAD

Broad follows up his fine form at Lord's last week with another wicket here, although it took a little while to confirm. He appeals for lbw as Southee powers down the track for a single. After a consultation with Cook, England decide to appeal. The third umpire has to have several looks at it because it is tight as to whether it hit the bat or pad first. The final angle shows that it was just pad and with the ball going on to hit halfway up middle stump, the umpire's original decision is overturned. Southee returns to the dressing room with 19, which brings Doug Bracewell to the crease.

The remainder of that Broad over and the next one from Swann passed without incident, while New Zealand were only able to add one more run to their total. At the moment they trail by 234, but the follow-on target of 205 is probably the one that they are aiming for.

A couple of runs in that over for New Zealand as Broad rarely threatens. To be fair to the seamer, the ball is not doing too much at the moment. That is why Swann is so important to England - he is capable of taking wickets when the pacers are down on their luck.

WICKET! BRACEWELL (1) C BELL B SWANN

And there is one of those Swann wickets that I spoke of! He spins one down, which clips Bracewell's pad. There is no chance of an lbw shout, but the ball comes off the pad and then loops up off the bat and into the hands of a diving Bell. The left-handed Neil Wagner is now in for New Zealand, who will surely be made to follow-on by their hosts.

WICKET! McCULLUM (20) C PRIOR B BROAD

Swann passes the ball to Broad and the first thing he does is send captain McCullum back to the dressing room. It's a pacey delivery from the bowler which tempts McCullum into playing. He can only edge it though and it's the easiest of catches for Prior. Boult comes in and he is proper number 11!

Boult gets lucky as he clips one towards Bell, but the pace is too strong for the England fielder and he can only get fingertips on the ball. Great over from Broad though and talk has now turned towards whether England will make the Kiwis follow-on or not.

New Zealand are not going down in this innings without a fight it would seem. Boult looks to attack Swann and ends up smashing one over the rope for his side's first six of the match. To be fair to Swann, even he sees the funny side, although he may not have done had England not been in control of proceedings.

And they continue to battle on. This time it's Broad who suffers and he is sent for a rather expensive 19 runs, which includes three fours from Wagner. New Zealand's intentions are obvious to everyone - slog away!

This is getting a little bit silly now! Boult hits Swann for two sixes and a four as New Zealand pick up 35 runs from their last two overs. They are getting closer and closer to that follow-on target - that could be the difference between them drawing and losing this match. Cook turns to Anderson to try and find that final wicket.

WICKET! WAGNER (27) B ANDERSON

That's that then. Anderson was brought on to get rid of the wagging tail and he has done so by taking out Wagner's middle stump. Will England bat? Or are they enforcing the follow-on? Early suggestions are that they may look to bat New Zealand out of the game.

And that is what they have done. England will come out and bat, but not before tea, which is being taken now I believe. That makes sense because it had been due to be held at 4pm and it makes little sense to send the players out for just 10 minutes.

We will also take a quick break of around 15 minutes, so be sure to return with us at around 4.10pm to see whether Cook's decision to bat again was a good one or not.

Welcome back. The players are actually back a little earlier than what was expected. So, it is over to Cook and Compton - can they take the game away from New Zealand? They lead by 180.

It's a run apiece for Cook and Compton as England get off to a steady start. There's also a late appeal from Boult as he feels that Cook has been trapped lbw but the umpire is having none of it. Subsequent replays show that it was the correct decision.

Compton is in dire need of some runs at the moment but he almost gives away his wicket early again. Southee's bouncer causes him a problem and the England batsman is so close to dragging the ball onto his own stumps. He's still in though and that is the most important thing for his Ashes chances.

It's a maiden for Boult, who has been impressive on this tour. At the age of 23, he looks to have a bright future in the game. His team need him to start taking wickets here though.

Another maiden, this time from Southee to Compton. The more I think about it, I'm not sure that it was the right decision for England to bat again. The weather is meant to be poor over the next couple of days and with the way that New Zealand had been batting, the last thing that they would have wanted to do was return to the crease. Anyway, Wagner comes into the attack for the Kiwis in place of Boult.

That's an expensive first outing for Wagner, who goes for nine, which included two fours from Cook. The first was trademark Cook as he cut the ball away to the rope. He already looks to be in good form.

More good shot selection from Cook as he punches one down the off-side for three runs. He's certainly taking command at the moment. As it stands, his side are 198 runs in front. What's a realistic target they are aiming for? 300? 350 maybe? I can't see New Zealand reaching either of those totals.

A nightmare over for Wagner as Cook sends the first two deliveries for four with cover drives. The bowler then tries something different by going down the leg-side, but only succeeds in sending the ball to the boundary himself! 13 in total came off that over.

Cook really is taking the game to New Zealand. Two more fours, albeit one was lucky when he managed to edge the ball through the slips and to the rope. He now has 36 off 35 deliveries - very un-Cook-like!

While Cook is scoring runs for fun, Compton up the other end is not finding it so easy. He fails to add to his three so far during those six deliveries from Southee. Speaking on Sky Sports, former England captain Michael Atherton believes that he may "want it too much". Also, bad news for New Zealand because Boult has gone off injured with a side problem. For a bowler, that is a bad injury and he won't bowl again today.

Kane Williamson comes into the attack for New Zealand and brings some spin to the encounter. It slows Cook down, that's for sure, but he was still able to add three more runs to the England score, which means that he will be on strike during the next over.

The fifty comes up for England and it's all down to Cook, who scored four runs during that over from Wagner. He's now just seven runs short of his half-century having faced just 47 balls. Someone should tell him that it isn't a one-day international!

Four more runs for England off the bowling of Williamson, but on this occasion it is Compton who does the damage. He's finally seen some of the strike and plays two very good shots, both of which he is able to run two from. That should help his confidence a little bit.

Just the one run from Cook this time around. To be fair to Wagner, that was very good bowling. He seems to have found a better line, instead of earlier on when he was gifting the England skipper runs. It's not as if Cook needs an invitation either.

Good stuff from Williamson. He's no Swann, but he is getting the ball to spin out of the rough a little bit, which has put both Cook and Compton on the back foot. Between him and Wagner, they have slowed England down a little bit.

Another maiden, this time from Wagner. As I mentioned a few minutes ago, he is bowling much better right now. However, he is up against Compton at the moment, rather than Cook, who was knocking him all around the ground earlier on.

Talking of Cook, he's back in the groove against Williamson and he edges closer to his half-century. The skipper is now unbeaten on 49, having found the boundary on eight occasions. Positive stuff from 'chef'.

HALF-CENTURY! What a stylish way for Cook to go beyond 50. He swipes a wide delivery from Wagner for four, much to the delight of the home crowd. He's guiding England towards a target that New Zealand will simply have no chance of reaching. If this continues, England may declare first thing tomorrow morning.

18 overs gone and England are cruising at the moment. The latest over sees Cook add four more from Williamson. It would be good for Compton to see more action now because he needs to get among the runs. He will come up against Bracewell, who has been called into the attack by McCullum.

A good start from Bracewell, who keeps Cook on the back foot with a string of full deliveries. It's actually a maiden for the medium-pacer. England's lead now stands at 252. Meanwhile, Williamson is preparing to bowl to Compton.

WICKET! COMPTON (7) C RUTHERFORD B WILLIAMSON

Oh dear - that could cost Compton his place in the side for the Ashes later this summer. There was no real pressure riding on him this afternoon and yet he's failed to procedure. It's a bog-standard delivery from Williamson, but it clips the edge of Compton's bat, loops up off the pad and into the hands of Rutherford. Just seven runs from 45 balls shows just how much he struggled. Jonathan Trott is in next.

More good work from Bracewell, who records his second successive maiden against Cook. Now it's time for Trott, who will face Williamson.

Trott gets off the mark with a punched drive through mid-wicket. He then follows that up with a similar shot from the final ball of the over from Williamson to ensure that he will be on strike during the next over.

It's the first runs that Bracewell has conceded. Trott gets off strike early with a single and then it is over to Cook, who adds five more to take his individual total for the innings to 62. Trott has only faced 11 balls, but he looks so much more confident and assured than Compton did.

Just one run from Cook is all that he can muster from Williamson's over. The youngster has bowled really well so far, particularly when you consider that he is only a part-time bowler. Like Boult, he has a big future in international cricket ahead of him.

Out of four overs bowled, Bracewell has three maidens - that's a great return. This time around it is Trott who struggles against his line and length and therefore he is forced to defend all six of the New Zealander's deliveries.

Only a single from Cook is possible during Williamson's latest spell. However, his shot would have gone for four but for a superb stop by Wagner. He's a big unit, but he managed to throw himself to his right to stop the ball one-handed, before drilling to ball back into McCullum.

It looked as though it was going to be another tight over from Bracewell and then Trott produces a well-timed drive which rolls through mid-on and to the boundary rope. That moves him on to eight for the innings.

Three more runs for England and Cook, but the main highlight in that over came when a supporter got onto the pitch. He managed to do a full lap of the pitch and leap back into the crowd before seven security staff could catch him! You shouldn't laugh at that sort of thing, but that was highly amusing!

A couple more runs come off an over from Bracewell, who still has only shipped 12 runs from his six overs. Talk is starting to turn to when Cook and England may declare. It seems that a lot of people feel that the hosts will look to gain a lead of around 450 runs, which should be achievable by tomorrow lunchtime. That would give them a day and a half (weather permitting) to take 10 New Zealand wickets.

Cook adds another to his and England's score from the Williamson spin. The run-rate is currently at 3.1 and it is dropping all the time. That is not good when you are looking to set a massive total quickly. Cook started like a house on fire, but his runs have dried up in recent overs.

A point that has just been made by David 'Bumble' Lloyd on Sky Sports: "Keep an eye on England's run-rate. It was 4.5 an over at one stage but now it's well down (3.0), and still going down. I think run-rate is really important when you are trying to force a victory. Run the other team ragged."

Southee is back in the New Zealand attack and returns with a maiden. It's all gone a little flat if the truth be told. At least coming in England have some exciting players - Bell, Root, Bairstow and Prior are all capable of scoring quick runs.

And it's another maiden from Williamson. England should really be sending out a message, but it looks a little slow and sluggish. Trott has eight runs from 44 balls - in normal Test conditions that would be okay. However, England want quick runs to give them enough time to bowl out the Kiwis. If the weather forecast is right, they may also be hampered by the rain so the more time that they can give themselves the better.

Finally, some runs! Well, only two - but it's something! Cook gets them thanks to a couple of singles off the bowling of Southee. The England run rate has now dropped under three though.

A run apiece for Cook and Trott moves England onto 97-1. There is just far too much defensive play though, particularly from Trott. If this was the first innings, then great. But it isn't. What England would give for a boundary.

A boundary! About time! It's Cook who claims it with a nice drive through the covers. It was a poor delivery from Southee and it was punished by the England skipper. It brings up the 100 for the home team and stretches their lead to 281.

And then that is followed up by a maiden over from Williamson, who was bowling at Trott. I'm a big fan of Trott, but there is a time and a place for him. During the last 10 overs, England's run-rate has been 1.90, which is quite simply too slow.

Cook gets an early single from Wagner, who is then able to force Trott into defence mode again. Some supporters on Twitter are starting to say that they wouldn't be disappointed to see Trott get out, just so that they can see some attack-minded players come to the crease. How often do you hear that?

While Trott may be frustrating in this scenario, Cook is still doing a decent job at the other end. He has slowed down a little bit, but five from that Wagner over is a respectable return. His shot for four was a particular highlight as he managed to flick the ball off his legs and away to the rope.

Two more for Cook, who has come to life again in recent overs. Here's a tweet from John Etheridge of The Sun that sums this innings up though: "Compton and Trott have scored 16 between them in 109 balls. Hardly hammering home England's advantage. Cook playing well, though."

Trott facing Southee and guess what? It was a maiden! The England batsman has scored just nine runs from 65 deliveries. We will have one more over today and that will be bowled by Williamson.

STUMPS: That's your lot after what was a productive final over. Cook scored five, while even Trott managed to run two to take him into double figures. The pair will return tomorrow with Cook 12 short of his century and England leading by 296 runs.

That's all we have time for from Headingley. Thanks for joining us today and be sure to return tomorrow at 10.30am as England go about trying to win the series 2-0. Until then, goodbye.

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