Boult, from the Football Stand End, finds Cook in cautious mode, defending assuredly as Boult slants the ball towards his pads. A maiden over, before play is held up while McCullum has to take his left boot off before pulling a protective strapping up over his knee.

Vic Marks
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

"It's been old-fashioned Test cricket since England have been batting. Lyth's looking for every run-scoring opportunity, but the bowlers have been more or less on target."

Image source, AFP

Tim Southee back into the attack after that one over of pre-prandial spin from Craig. Lyth straight-drives, Cook has to get out of the way and they complete a well-run two as captain Brendon McCullum gives chase to the boundary.

Meanwhile, Kiwi keeper Luke Ronchi takes a painful blow on his right hand leaping to take one down the leg side, and this could be a dangerous situation for New Zealand. They only have another three recognised wicketkeepers in their XI...

Vic Marks
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

"The men that matter will have been impressed by Lyth in this innings. He's looked compact, he's left the ball well, and his instincts are positive and aggressive."

Warm applause from the Yorkie crowd as Lyth gets England under way after the interval with a fluent cut for four. A single off the fifth ball of the left-armer's over gives Cook only one ball to have a bash at the record... and he defends it, as some mediaeval knights, carrying a few flagons of beer (it should be mead if they're being historically accurate), take their seats after lunch.

Image source, Getty Images

Trent Boult to take the opening over to Adam Lyth. But stand by on Cook-watch. (Does a watched Cook ever boil?)

Vic Marks
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

"You don't want these landmarks to loiter for too long. You want to get them out of the way."

BBC Radio Test Match Special

Comedian and TV presenter Dom Joly on Test Match Special: "I once pushed a pram down some stairs and I am not proud of it and the Guardian said it was a marvellous reworking of Eisenstein's Potemkin, no it wasn't, it was just a stupid joke."

I'm sure you'll be able to listen again to the Dom Joly interview via the TMS podcast page very soon... the Michael Parkinson interview from yesterday is already there.

Thanks, James. I wonder how Captain Cook has spent the lunch interval - I know how he's said he doesn't notice milestones, but I can't believe he's not aware that at the moment he's on 8,896 Test runs - just four behind his friend and lifelong mentor Graham Gooch's 8,900 at the top of the England run-scoring charts. (For the purposes of comparison, Goochie is currently 13th in the all-time list for all countries,, external 365 behind 12th-placed Graeme Smith.

Right, the players are coming back out, time for me to hand over to Mark Mitchener...

BBC Radio Test Match Special

Comedian and TV presenter Dom Joly on Test Match Special: "I think if there was a real problem with Alastair Cook you would sense that, but I don't think there's much dissension. I'm all for Alastair Cook, even though I don't think he makes the greatest captaincy choices."

Martin, Hull: If it becomes another talking point of whether Lyth should be selected for the Ashes series I would merely point out that had the England setup shown a modicum of common sense, the topic of conversation may not be needed. It was a stupid thing to have Trott opening when we had Lyth in the wings. Lyth should have played all three Tests against West Indies in April.

BBC Radio Test Match Special

Comedian and TV presenter Dom Joly on Test Match Special: "If money was no option, I would be the Mick Jagger of the cricket world. I would just cruise the Caribbean in my own boat watching football and cricket."

BBC Pakistan correspondent Shaimaa Khalil: "The Pakistani cricket authorities say Sunday's third and final one-day international against Zimbabwe will go ahead despite an explosion close to the stadium where the two teams were playing on Friday. The police initially claimed the explosion had been caused by an electric transformer. Soon after, the Information Minister confirmed it was a suicide attack in which a police officer died, and six others wounded, when he tried to stop the bomber."

Mike Bell, Ashford: Luke Ronchi isn't the only Luke ever to play Test cricket. I can clearly remember FS Trueman addressing several batters as "Luke Out".

Joan Wood: Can you explain why Fred Trueman's statue is in a Skipton car park and not Headingley?

Chris: Yesterday I was thinking about this & wondered whether you could put together an XI made up entirely of wicketkeepers (both full time & part time) bearing in mind you need four or five that could bowl as well. My bowling wicketkeepers would be Dhoni, Trescothick, Dravid, AB de Villiers & Kieswetter.

Harry Woolley: On Monday everyone was praising Cook's captaincy. Oh how fickle England supporters can be...

Benjamin: That was an exhibition of English opening batting. Cook leaving (and thus batting) as well as I have ever seen him do so.

The Cookie Monsters are out in full force today.

Well, we thought this would be a good day for batting, and it's proved that way so far.

New Zealand, with two wickets left, began in enterprising fashion with the bat, adding 53 runs in a wildly entertaining slog-fest, before Stuart Broad wrapped up the innings and completed his 13th Test five-for.

With a total of 350 on the board, New Zealand would have had high hopes of putting England under pressure with the ball, but England's openers began in excellent fashion, mixing resolute defence with some well-judged shots.

New Zealand didn't bowl badly, but they just couldn't tempt the batsmen into a rash shot, and Alastair Cook is now just five runs short of beating Graham Gooch's all-time England Test run-scoring record.

BBC Radio Test Match Special

Now on TMS, Aggers' lunchtime "View from the Boundary" guest today is comedian and TV presenter Dom Joly.

Michael Vaughan
Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special

"It's been really good cricket - New Zealand continued their enterprising batting early on. England were poor with the ball, but their batting's been excellent. New Zealand have been probing away on off stump, but Lyth and Cook have shown some good application."