Ravindra puts New Zealand in dominant position after England fail to take advantage

Ravindra puts New Zealand in dominant position after England fail to take advantage

Things can change quickly in cricket. Just as England thought a reset had occurred with the win at Lord’s, only for a late night in Chelsea and defeat at the Oval to put paid to that notion, so the nature of the pitch lurched significantly on a gripping third day here.

Gone was the road on which the ball repeatedly raced across the parched outfield during the first two days and in its place – influenced by a slight drop in temperature and cloud cover – was a more capricious strip of earth. It offered lateral movement and inconsistent bounce, and led to 11 wickets falling.

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