England close in on victory as Chris Woakes takes charge against New Zealand
- First Test day three: New Zealand 348, 155-6; England 499
- Veteran shares the wickets with Carse to stifle Black Caps’ fightback
There are Australian cricket supporters in Christchurch this week and not, word has it, to escape the sense of crisis that has engulfed their team back home. Apparently they were so taken by their experience during the 2-0 series win for their side earlier this year, a return visit was swiftly booked afterwards.
And who could blame them? As the red weed of franchise T20 continues its spread and a slightly dystopian landscape forms, this first Test between New Zealand and England has offered a decent counterpoint (even if there have admittedly been some depressingly small Test crowds in South Africa and Antigua this past week).