Summary

  1. Eng 71-3published at 21 overs

    A mistimed drive on the up from Ben Duckett sees Nathan Smith scampering across the leg side and diving attempting to claim a caught-and-bowled chance.

    Duckett, not completely in control of things it has to be said, hooks a bouncer next ball for four.

    Smith's fifth ball sees Harry Brook pulling his bottom hand off the handle of the bat as he fends one away.

  2. Eng 64-3published at 20 overs

    A top-edge four over the wicketkeeper's head for Ben Duckett.

    The England opener attempts to whip a ball which climbs into him from Will O'Rourke into the leg side, but it flies over the head of Tom Latham.

    Duckett does not seem in the remotest bit fazed. It's now how, it's how many, as the saying goes.

    Fourth ball of the over, Duckett nearly drags on with a filthy hack and looks a little perturbed to have missed out on a ball he could have potentially scored from.

  3. Eng 59-3published at 19 overs

    I can see your layer dilemma, Stephan. Although with the sun now drifting in and out from the behind the clouds I'd be tempted to stick rather than twist.

    Nathan Smith, full of confidence after two wickets before lunch, continues round the wicket to the left-handed Ben Duckett.

    Duckett dabs into the off side to pinch the strike.

  4. How's stat?!published at 01:00 Greenwich Mean Time

    Ben Jones
    CricViz analyst

    Conditions have been much harder for batting today. PitchViz gives today's surface an 8/10 rating (higher = tougher for batting), while yesterday was just 5/10. England are on the back foot here.

  5. Eng 58-3published at 18 overs

    Will O'Rourke is bounding in with purpose.

    He bangs his second delivery in short to Harry Brook, who climbs with the bounce and carves it over point for four. A confident stroke. A bit more pace on might be to England's liking here.

    O'Rouke finishes with a yorker, dug out by Brook.

  6. Postpublished at 00:57 Greenwich Mean Time

    Stephan Shemilt
    BBC Sport chief cricket reporter in Christchurch

    Chilly at Hagley. I'm weighing up a third layer, jacket over hoodie, but worried it might be too early in the day. Where would I go after tea?

  7. Eng 54-3published at 17 overs

    Nathan Smith continues. He has a slight mullet and trimmed moustache - the classic calling cards of folk from a certain generation from that neck of the woods.

    The New Zealander's fourth delivery is a brisk bouncer which has Ben Duckett bobbing and weaving.

    Duckett's miscues a bit of a thrash at the final ball of Smith's over but he gets away with it.

  8. Postpublished at 00:50 Greenwich Mean Time

    Stephan Shemilt
    BBC Sport chief cricket reporter in Christchurch

    Before we spoke, I was warned that Will O'Rourke is a man of few words, which always fills a journalist with dread. How can you do an interview if the interviewee doesn't say much?

    I needn't have worried. He was a lovely guy; honest and funny. There's not a hint of Englishness about him. He left the UK when he was five and said he was "always a Kiwi".

    A very good bowler, I'm not sure the home crowd has much faith in his batting. There was very warm applause for a solid forward defence.

  9. Eng 53-3published at 16 overs

    A solid over to start from Will O'Rourke, who is getting plenty of verbal encouragement from the New Zealand cordon, which is safely negotiated by Ben Duckett and Harry Brook.

    Brook over balances as he attempts to work O'Rourke's penultimate delivery off his legs and there's a flicker of an appeal. The pace of the final ball of the tall seamer's over catches Brook by surprise as it flies off the shoulder of his bat, but short of the fielder at point.

  10. New Zealand's 'pretty quiet dude' O'Rourkepublished at 00:46 Greenwich Mean Time

    Will O'RourkeImage source, Getty Images

    Our very own Stephan Shemilt caught up with Will O'Rourke earlier this week, when they spoke about the New Zealander's English roots - he was both in Surrey.

    Describing himself as a "pretty quiet dude", O'Rourke is 6ft 4in and bowls with his shirt permanently untucked. There is a passing resemblance to Morne Morkel, a regular scourge of England batters.

    "I'm a little bit unorthodox," O'Rourke told BBC Sport. "I fall away quite a bit. I've got a tall release and angle it back into the right-hander. Maybe I bring something a little bit different."

    Read more on O'Rourke here.

  11. Postpublished at 00:46 Greenwich Mean Time

    Will O'Rourke into the attack for New Zealand.

  12. Postpublished at 00:45 Greenwich Mean Time

    Yes, if you missed it.

    Sri Lanka were bowled out for 42 by South Africa in Durban - the lowest Test total in the history of their men's team.

    Replying to South Africa's first innings 191, Sri Lanka were all out after 13.5 overs on day two of the first Test.

    Marco Jansen returned career-best Test figures of 7-13 from 6.5 overs, with Gerald Coetzee (2-18) and Kagiso Rabada (1-10) claiming the other wickets.

    Sri Lanka's men's previous lowest Test innings was 71 against Pakistan in Kandy in 1994. On only eight occasions has a team been bowled out for fewer than 42 runs in men's Test cricket.

    You can read more about that in our report...

  13. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 00:44 Greenwich Mean Time

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    Good news is we passed the Sri Lanka total already.

    Ed in Wimborne

  14. Eng 45-3published at 15 overs

    Harry Brook scratches his guard, gives the pitch a tap then shadow bats a few defensive shots.

    Nathan Smith catches the edge of his bat with the first of three balls remaining in his over but Brook has played it with soft hands and it skids through to third slip.

    Brook stoutly defends the next two.

  15. How's stat?!published at 00:42 Greenwich Mean Time

    Andy Zaltzman
    Test Match Special statistician

    RootImage source, Getty Images

    In Joe Root's first innings of series (including two one-off Tests v Ireland), he now averages 67.3.

    But in New Zealand, his first innings of series have been 4 in 2012-13, 0 in 2017-18, 2 in 2019-20, 14 in 2022-23, and 0 this time.

    In Australia, 2 in 2013-14, 15 in 2017-18, 0 in 2021-22. Total - 37 in 8 innings.

    In his first innings of series in England, he's scored 1596 at 79.8 in 23 innings (6x100, 6 other 50+).

    In his first innings of series in Asia, 1044 in 9 innings, ave 116, 3 double hundreds, one other century, and 85 in UAE v Pakistan in 2015-16. Very strange.

  16. Postpublished at 00:41 Greenwich Mean Time

    New Zealand's players are just having had a quick conflab before heading out on to the field at the Hagley Oval. Harry Brook is walking out to the middle with Ben Duckett.

  17. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 00:40 Greenwich Mean Time

    #bbccricket, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (standard network charges apply)

    Charlie: Bethell is certainly a talent and is likely going to have a successful England career in at least one format. But we can all sense how today is going to go from this point, not just for him but for England in general. Will be waking up to New Zealand batting for sure.

  18. Postpublished at 00:37 Greenwich Mean Time

    A quick look at the forecast for the afternoon session in Christchurch and it appears to be more of the same. Cloudy and overcast, although there is a little bit of blue sky peeping through now.

    It's certainly going to be a test for England's batters. They just need to hang in there, you feel.

  19. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 00:35 Greenwich Mean Time

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    Thomas Knights: Optimism is gone, England in dire trouble. Woeful session.

    Jam Barrell: How to bowl straight. By New Zealand.

    Kevin Ticehurst: The collapse is on then.

  20. 'Bowling length was England's problem'published at 00:29 Greenwich Mean Time

    Steven Finn
    Former England fast bowler on TNT Sports

    Ben Stokes shows frustrationImage source, Getty Images

    If we look back to day one, England won the toss and opted to bowl first because the average first innings total here is 289. The pitch was very green and they gave themselves the opportunity to find that lateral movement that you can see from the back of a length.

    It was the length that was the same problem here. New Zealand were able to leave balls outside of the off stump, Brydon Carse came into the attack, started a touch wide and it just meant both teams sussed each other out like boxers. New Zealand were able to get through that first storm relatively easily.

    England were bowling a touch short, they were slipping slightly with their front feet and when you’re a bowler, you want your centre of gravity to be still.