- Second Test, day three: New Zealand 553; England 473-5
- Ollie Pope hits 145; Joe Root unbeaten on 163
As Joe Root and Ollie Pope peeled off a pair of sublime centuries on the third day at Trent Bridge, pushing England towards parity with New Zealand by stumps, Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum could have been forgiven for flouting the smoking policy in the old pavilion and sparking up a couple of Romeo y Julietas.
The big call at the start of their alliance as captain and head coach came at the top of the order. Root was restored to his favourite position at No 4, while Pope was asked to slot in one place above, despite having never having done so previously in first-class cricket and after a winter of technical confusion. Many an onlooker wondered whether England’s new-found mantra of positivity was trying a bit too hard.
