Summary

Have your say on England men this summer

Live Reporting

by Timothy Abraham

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    Jacob Bethell isn’t a Test standard number three. He’d be better deployed as a seven or eight Moeen Ali type batting all-rounder, it would balance the team better.

    Liam S, Derbyshire

    My hot take is that when Ben Stokes comes back, he should bat at three and Jordan Cox should stay at seven with Jacob Bethell making way. I fear that his lack of experience will catch up with him and he doesn’t have anything close to Cox’s run scoring history.

    Gus, Oxford

    Joe Root's had a horrible morning with the captaincy and has seen the top order throw away wickets on a good pitch, and needs to dig them out of a hole. So in other words, he's right back where he's used to!

    Josh, Cheadle Hulme

  2. Eng 88-2

    Classic Joe Root. The England batter is absorbing a bit of pressure, and rotating the strike when he needs to.

    England's run-rate is 4.40.

  3. Jeremy Coney
    Former New Zealand captain on BBC Test Match Special

    New Zealand won't want Emilio Gay to feel comfortable on that front foot. He loves to get there so you don't want to offer drives.

  4. Eng 83-2

    Nice to see George Lohmann's name crop up.

    He is most well known for having the lowest Test bowling average in cricket history.

    Lohmann took 112 wickets at an average of just 10.75.

    Back at The Oval, Emilio Gay picks up another boundary with a clip through mid-wicket off Nathan Smith.

  5. How's stat?!

    Ben Jones
    CricViz analyst

    Jacob Bethell now averages 8.75 in the first innings of Tests.

    Only two men have batted as often in the top seven and averaged less for England: George Lohmann and Matthew Hoggard.

  6. Eng 79-2

    Emilio Gay has judged length pretty well today.

    He opens the face again and guides a ball from Will O'Rourke through third for four.

  7. How's stat?!

    Ben Jones
    CricViz analyst

    Joe Root captaining the side on day 2 vs New ZealandGetty Images

    Joe Root's record:

    • As captain: 46.44 average, 14 centuries
    • Not as captain: 53.77 average, 27 centuries

  8. Eng 74-2

    Joe Root into the fray. Batting as England captain for the first time since 2022.

    Root is off the mark at the first time of asking with a deft guide through the vacant third region

  9. Jeremy Coney
    Former New Zealand captain on BBC Test Match Special

    Nathan Smith's just nipped that away slightly, the wobble ball. The batsman doesn't know which way it's going to go. Smith's done the business.

    Jacob Bethell's a good batsman, he has that aspect of time to play the ball, that's always a feature of top quality players.

  10. wicket

    WICKET

    Bethell c †Blundell b Smith 9 (Eng 68-2)

    New Zealand team celebrate getting another wicket, Bethell out.Getty Images

    Uh oh.

    There's been a lot of playing, missing and defending so someone was bound to nick off under leaden skies.

    Jacob Bethell was looking in pretty good touch but is drawn into playing a delivery from Nathan Smith which climbs a little and edges it attempting to defend.

    Tom Blundell takes a smart catch to his left.

  11. Phil Tufnell
    Former England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

    Nathan Smith's another of those New Zealand cricketers that bats nicely down the order, another valuable cricketer that they produce.

  12. Eng 68-1

    Emilio Gay also has Guyanese heritage and there was a polite enquiry by West Indies but he's been firmly focused on playing for England.

    Nathan Smith continues after drinks.

  13. England 68-1 at drinks

    Drinks at The Oval.

    Emilio Gay has played international cricket before turning out for England having represented Italy in three T20 internationals.

    His mother is Italian in case you are wondering.

    Gay is from Bedford which, of course, has a sizable Italian population.

  14. Phil Tufnell
    Former England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

    Emilio Gay is quite nonchalant about the short ball as you have to be as an opener.

  15. Eng 68-1

    Graceful from Emilio Gay who steers a short-ish delivery from Will O'Rourke wide of gully for four.

    Nicely done.

  16. Eng 64-1

    Thanks for the information, David.

    I've fact checked that and, incredibly, you aren't making it up.

    Good news for lefties everywhere.

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    Re 14:25. There is a 'Leftorium' style shop in Disney Springs, Florida.

    David, York

    I remember West Indies had a lot of left-handers on the 2000 tour: Hinds, Gayle, Chanderpaul, Adams (capt) and Jacobs wicketkeeper. They lost the series 3-1.

    Mark, Carmarthen

    Whilst we are on the topic of left handers, why does there seem to be so many more left-handed batters than bowlers? I can remember Curran and Sidebottom in addition to one Test for Hull in my time and that is it.

    Charlie, Southampton

  18. Eng 64-1

    Nathan Smith is purposeful on his way to the crease.

    Jacob Bethell manages to negotiate a maiden.

  19. How's stat?!

    Ben Jones
    CricViz analyst

    Emilio Gay is yet to face a ball that would have hit his stumps this innings.

  20. Eng 64-1

    Will O'Rourke is bustling in.

    Emilio Gay, to his credit, appears to have put the foolhardy call for a single to run out Ben Duckett behind him.

    The Durham left-hander has shown reasonably good judgment of when to leave O'Rourke and when to defend him.

    There's a leading edge off the final ball of the over but it stays low.

    A second maiden for the Kiwi seamer.