England vs New Zealand LIVE: Cricket score and updates from final day of third Test as start delayed by rain

06/27/2022

Day five start delayed by rain

Some bad news from Headingley, the rain is coming down in Leeds and the scheudled 11am start will be delayed. The forecast isn’t great and we may even struggle to get any play in before lunch…

Jack Leach: “Brendon McCullum is instilling a lot of belief in myself and others”

Jack Leach is just one of the players who has had a new lease of life under Brendon McCullum’s ‘Baz Ball’ and after taking his first-ever match 10-fer in Test cricket, the spinner discussed what it’s like working under the New Zealander.

Sophie Ecclestone: ‘It’s exciting to be playing Test cricket again, I would love to see more’

Headingley isn’t the only ground where England are playing Test cricket today. While the men’s team go for victory against New Zealand, the women’s side are starting their Test match against South Africa.

Rich Edwards has caught up with left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone to get her thoughts after a rollercoaster winter as she prepares for an opportunity to play Test cricket.

Read the full story below:

Sophie Ecclestone: ‘It’s exciting to be playing Tests again, I would love more’

The England bowler hopes the format can flourish ahead of this week’s Test match against South Africa at Taunton

Covid-19: England draft in Sam Billings during third New Zealand Test as Ben Foakes tests positive

England wicketkeeper Ben Foakes has tested positive for Covid-19, with Kent’s Sam Billings taking his place for the remainder of the Headingley Test.

Foakes did not take the field on the third afternoon against New Zealand after complaining of back pain, but later returned a positive test after a check up at the team hotel in Leeds.

Jonny Bairstow deputised with the gloves during the tourists’ second innings but Billings, who made his Test debut in the final match of the Ashes, has been drafted to take over for the rest of the match.

A statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board read: “Ben Foakes was unable to keep wicket on day three of the Third LV= Insurance Test at Headingley suffering from back stiffness. On a further medical assessment yesterday evening, he subsequently tested positive after administering an LFT Covid-19 test.

“Details of his return to the England set-up will be announced in due course. However, it is hoped he will be fit for the LV= Insurance Test against India starting next Friday at Edgbaston.”

England’s Ben Foakes replaced by Sam Billings after positive Covid-19 test

Foakes did not take the field on the third afternoon against New Zealand after complaining of back pain

Jack Leach enjoying life in ‘extremely positive’ England set-up

Jack Leach praised captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum for giving the confidence boost he needed to drive England’s victory push on another heady day at Headingley.

The Somerset spinner had not played a Test match on home soil since the summer of 2019 until England’s new leadership team put their faith in him at the start of the New Zealand series.

He then suffered a concussion while fielding on the very first morning at Lord’s, a misfortune that could have cost him his place after Matt Parkinson was drafted in as an emergency replacement for that match.

But Stokes and McCullum have held the line, picking him at Trent Bridge and again at Leeds, trusting him at key moments of the game and insisting on the kind of attacking fields that maximise his wicket-taking potential rather than minimise risk.

The rewards have come rolling in over the past four days, with Leach taking the first 10-wicket match of his Test career with five in each innings.

Jack Leach enjoying life in ‘extremely positive’ England set-up

Leach’s first 10-wicket Test match haul and half-centuries from Ollie Pope and Joe Root have left England on course for a 3-0 series win

England on course for New Zealand series whitewash after Jack Leach career-best figures

Jack Leach completed a career-best 10-wicket match at Headingley to set England on course for another fearless run chase and a series whitewash over New Zealand.

The left-arm spinner followed up his first-innings haul of 5-100 with even better figures of 5-66 as New Zealand set their hosts a target of 296 on day four of the third and final Test.

Ordinarily that would look like a huge ask but, having chased down 277 at Lord’s and 299 at Trent Bridge, England went about their business with a flourish to reach 183-2 at stumps.

Ollie Pope stroked a fluent 81 not out as he continued to grow into his new role at No 3 and Joe Root was at his unflappable best with an unbeaten 55. A sense of inevitability settled over proceedings as they piled on 132 together, leaving an apparent victory lap on day five.

Yorkshire have thrown their doors open to spectators for free, replicating Nottinghamshire’s successful initiative last week, and will hope to fill the stands for a triumphant conclusion to a gripping month-long contest.

England on course for New Zealand whitewash after Jack Leach career-best figures

Day 4 – New Zealand 329 & 326; England 360 and 183-2 – 113 more to win: Spinner Leach took 10 wickets in a Test match for the first time- before England motored towards victory at Headingley

England vs New Zealand

Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the final day of the third Test between England and New Zealand at Headingley.

Another topsy-turvy Test has come down to the final day as England look to complete a third successive impressive fourth-innings run chase and seal a series clean sweep.

Day four was a rollercoaster as a wicketless morning session put New Zealand in control but England hit back after lunch to be left 296 to win, before Ollie Pope and Joe Root shone in the chase – an unbeaten third-wicket stand of 132 leaving another 113 runs needed for victory with eight wickets in hand.

Stick with us as we run you through all the final-day action for Headingley.

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