James Taylor
Ex-England batsman on Test Match Special

That is the Ben Stokes England have been missing.

Eng 138-3published at 24.2 overs

24.2 overs

Brutal.

Boult is trying anything and everything to find a wicket and Stokes just languidly skips down the pitch to batter him back over his head for a huge six.

And here comes that shuffle - Trent Boult is coming back into the attack...

James Taylor
Ex-England batsman on Test Match Special

New Zealand have got to try something - they've got to keep shuffling their bowling attack.

Tidy stuff from Santner, conceding just two runs off his sixth over.

But no real threat to Morgan and Stokes, who can afford plenty of these overs and still be well ahead of the rate.

Morgan trots one to get off strike and then Stokes goes to work.

The all-rounder scythes a punchy cover drive away for four and then makes it back-to-back boundaries, pulling a short, slow one away through mid-wicket.

Morgan dropped on 40published at 22.1 overs

22.1 overs

Have they got Morgan? No! Henry Nicholls has it then shells it.

It's banged in by Southee and Morgan tries to flat-bat pull it in front of square, but can only miscue to mid-wicket.

Nicholls dives to his left and looks to have snaffled it but the ball pops out as his elbows hit the floor.

A very difficult chance and a great effort but New Zealand really needed that to be taken.

Santner strays down the leg side and Stokes flicks it fine for four before working it to deep mid-wicket to move onto 20.

Morgan picks up another single to move onto 40.

Southee recalls Santner to the attack. Can the left-arm spinner spark anything?

Cheers Matt, lovely stuff.

Tim Southee is also returning, sending down a tight over that brings just one from the first four balls.

Oof, Stokes then crumbles as he swings, misses and is hit on the back leg.

He's alright to continue soon enough though but picks out the fielder with a clattering drive to the last.

He has got a bit of pace has Ferguson to be fair. The bouncer wasn't great but now he switches to round the wicket and bowls his two fastest deliveries. The first is 89mph but the second gets over the magic 90mph barrier. There's another to finish from the paceman. Better.

Anyway. Jack Skelton is back to take you to the end of this chase. So long.

Rubbish from Lockie Ferguson. He tries a bouncer but it isn't too quick and isn't well directed. Stokes rolls his wrists and helps the ball fine down to fine leg four four.

There's almost a comical mix-up as Mark Chapman and Lockie Ferguson nearly go for one of those relay fielding efforts while Ferguson is still stood behind the boundary rope.

Colin de Grandhomme doesn't look to have much to threaten Stokes or Morgan. The former takes a couple of strides down the pitch to the bowler who is bowling in the low 70s mph before calmly picking out the deep off-side fielder. Morgan picks out the same man moments later. Six from the over for these two. That's more than enough. The required rate is below four.

There's something therapeutic about watching someone with a sponsor-less bat. The man in question, Ben Stokes, looks to be sensibly playing himself in. He gets right in behind a forward defensive as the sun begins to set on the North Island.

Wow. Eoin Morgan is just hitting everything to the boundary.

He hardly touches this one but his back-foot punch comes right out of the middle and rattles for another four.

Ben Stokes takes a bit of time to settle himself. He adjusts his pads, trousers and box before De Grandhomme trundles in again.

Short from the bowler. Stokes loves it there. He pulls and pulls hard. Even though England's all-rounder doesn't quite time it, the ball goes for four.

Jeremy Coney
Ex-New Zealand captain on Test Match Special

Ben Stokes would have been gone there! He lost his bat diving in to that dusty bit near the crease.

Image source, Getty Images

Crikey. It's all happening.

Eoin Morgan blocks the ball down to his feet but doesn't know where it has gone and Ben Stokes calls him through for a single in any case. There's a race on between Stokes and bowler Colin de Grandhomme and it seems the Kiwi is winning it. De Grandhomme kicks the ball at the stumps and had he hit I think Stokes would have been short of his ground. In fact Stokes would definitely have been out because he drops his bat when making the dive. In the end there's no wicket, one run and a muddy Ben Stokes.

Ian Hale: Just got home from the very same gig as Chris and went to check the live text only to see his message from earlier in the evening [see message at 30 overs in NZ innings]! Clearly I'm not the only cricket-loving Frightened Rabbit fan living in DC! Who knew?

Bairstow had looked in fine touch. He's thrown that start away and all of a sudden England will be a little wary.

Ben Stokes is the new batsman, a batsman who for well-documented reasons has had one bat in international cricket in five months.