England were hesitant against Bruce Martin. Much vaunted batsmen were seemingly unable to hit down the ground.
Brendon McCullum teased them by having his mid-on and off hovering but both Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell clothed catches. I’m amazed they can’t hit downwind against a chap in his second Test.
Turn up for the books: New Zealand spinner Bruce Martin (right) dismissed both Kevin Pietersen (below left) and Ian Bell (below right)
Just to keep Mickey Arthur happy here’s my Wellness Report, day two. Had a quiet one. Did Mail crossword and beginner’s Sudoku which took three hours.
Inadvertently tuned into an adult channel on TV, went to early bingo at the Rialto and went to bed with a cup of cocoa. Felt terrible today but am still digging in.
Taking the mickey: Bumble has another 'wellness report' for Australia coach Mickey Arthur (left)Our sweep, five dollars each, centred on how many runs Jonathan Trott would get yesterday. I went a tad high by saying he would reach 273 but Mike Atherton was spot on by predicting he wouldn’t add to his score.
The miserable sod pocketed the dough and then declined to get the coffees in. Is he Nasser in disguise?
When Matt Prior was first picked he knew he had to get better and he went away and did just that. He averages 44 at No7 with a strike-rate of 63, and has scored 25 50s and six hundreds. This is Gilchristesque! He’s right up there with MS Dhoni and AB De Villiers as the best keeper-batsman in the world. Which one would you pick?
Matt Prior AB de Villiers MS DhoniWhat we are seeing is an excellent Test pitch which you can score runs on if you work hard, as the century-makers did, and which is starting offer a little bit for the bowlers.
We can get a bit impatient at times for wickets but Stuart Broad was rewarded for keeping at it. He looked in a really good rhythm yesterday.
More... Broad burst leaves New Zealand in trouble after Prior's sucker-punch builds big score for in-command England Pleased Prior says late Broad burst has given England impetus for victory Stricken Swann set for early summer return after successful operation on injured elbow I axed stars because I want Australia to be Manchester United of cricket, says Arthur (but would Fergie have done the same?)
