Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[Iranus]

Three quick wickets and now suddenly there is a chance that New Zealand may take the lead for first innings. England is now at 527/8, and are trailing by 26 runs against New Zealand. In all probability, the match will end up as a draw, but it will be interesting to see who will get the lead. Michael Bracewell has picked up two crucial wickets, and it validates the decision by the New Zealand selectors to include him instead of Ajaz Patel in the playing XI. The only chance for a result will occur if the England bowlers are somehow able to bowl out New Zealand by today.

BTW, Jack Leach is not that bad with the bat. Will he be able to add some 20-30 extra runs along with James Anderson?

It was actually really amazing to say that England could not take a lead. Now New Zealand has scored 104 runs for 2 wickets. I think they are in a good position right now to set a big score. And let's not kid ourselves because we all know that this match is going to end in a draw. I really thought that England would be able to take the lead in this match.

Young is batting really well right now for New Zealand and New Zealand recently lost a wicket. Nicholls is new to the crease and they are in a rebuilding state in this innings right now.

[BALIK]

New Zealand's player is batting well enough. They lost the first wicket by 4 runs. And in the second wicket partnership, they scored 100 runs. Devon Conway returned to the dressing room after collecting 52 runs. However, Henry Nicholls was out after collecting only 3 runs. At the moment, New Zealand's collection 128/3. This match seems to be a draw.

[Mahdirakib]

New Zealand's player is batting well enough. They lost the first wicket by 4 runs. And in the second wicket partnership, they scored 100 runs. Devon Conway returned to the dressing room after collecting 52 runs. However, Henry Nicholls was out after collecting only 3 runs. At the moment, New Zealand's collection 128/3. This match seems to be a draw.

Kiwis has already lost their first 4 wickets. Now Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell batting in the pitch. This match will end as a draw if they can make a strong partnership like the first innings. The result of the match will be different if they fail to do that and get out quickly. Seems like the pitch is helping the bowlers now. We have seen the fall of 9 wickets today. The draw isn't guaranteed yet.

[LittleBitFunny]

New Zealand's player is batting well enough. They lost the first wicket by 4 runs. And in the second wicket partnership, they scored 100 runs. Devon Conway returned to the dressing room after collecting 52 runs. However, Henry Nicholls was out after collecting only 3 runs. At the moment, New Zealand's collection 128/3. This match seems to be a draw.

Kiwis has already lost their first 4 wickets. Now Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell batting in the pitch. This match will end as a draw if they can make a strong partnership like the first innings. The result of the match will be different if they fail to do that and get out quickly. Seems like the pitch is helping the bowlers now. We have seen the fall of 9 wickets today. The draw isn't guaranteed yet.

New Zealand lost their fifth wicket for 176 runs. At the moment their collection is 196/5. The match will be drawn if they do not lose any more wickets today and can survive at least 20 overs at the crease tomorrow.  New Zealand has already taken a lead of 210 runs. If they are able to take a lead of 300 then England will only play to draw. However, if the Kiwis lose two more wickets today, the match will be under England's control.

[laurenB7742]

England - New Zealand
Day-4

Our expectation was that the partnership between Joe Root and Foakes would be long. But it did not happen. At the start of the fourth day, Joe Root returned to the dressing room with 516 runs. He was able to collect 176 runs. And England lost two valuable wickets of Stuart Board and Foakes by just 11 runs. At the moment England has lost 8 wickets for 527 runs. England is still 26 runs behind. My doubt is whether the England players will be able to collect 26 runs.

England failed to take the lead by exceeding the target of 553 runs. England started the day at 473, and at the start of the fourth day, they lost 5 wickets for just for 66 runs. I didn't think England would start the fourth day so badly.
On the other hand, New Zealand lost the wicket of one of their key batsman Tom Latham early in their innings. Did the pitch turn from a batting-friendly pitch to a bowling pitch? It seems so. England may win this match if they do not bat responsibly with New Zealand batsmen.

The performance of the England players on the fourth day has disappointed us all. However, the pitch is now helping the bowlers a lot. New Zealand players are having a lot of trouble collecting runs. At the end of the fourth day New Zealand's collection 224/7. there are still experienced players like Darly Mitchell at the crease. However, my guess is that New Zealand will lose all their wickets in 10-15 overs tomorrow. And they will be able to deliver targets like 285. The last day is going to be exciting.

[boltz]

During this weekend , I've became a huge fan of Cricket and I will follow some games from time to time maybe even search for pitches in my country where I could play Cricket. The games require a lot of concentration , skill and most important a viable strategy that needs to be adapt after almost every hit. It may look simple at the first sight but more and more looking at the game , I've understood that its really a complex game and I love it.

[Sithara007]

At this point, New Zealand is leading by 238 runs. Quite surprising that there are so many twists and turns in such a short time. I don't know for how long Matt Henry will be able to give company to Daryl Mitchell. But if they could get the lead to somewhere around 300, then the maximum chances will be there for a draw. The problem with England is that in pitches that doesn't provide much support for the bowlers, only James Anderson is capable of taking wickets. Look at the figures for bowlers such as Jack Leach. They look horrendous.

[kro55]

At this point, New Zealand is leading by 238 runs. Quite surprising that there are so many twists and turns in such a short time. I don't know for how long Matt Henry will be able to give company to Daryl Mitchell. But if they could get the lead to somewhere around 300, then the maximum chances will be there for a draw. The problem with England is that in pitches that doesn't provide much support for the bowlers, only James Anderson is capable of taking wickets. Look at the figures for bowlers such as Jack Leach. They look horrendous.

It is very difficult to say what the condition of the pitch is. The first two days we saw a complete batting friendly pitch. But on the third and fourth day we saw that the batsmen had a lot of trouble collecting runs. Looking forward to seeing how the pitch will behave on the fourth day.
238 is Good enough collection. If New Zealand are able to score 60-70 runs today, it will definitely be a good target. But it is very difficult for them to collect 70 runs now. There is no other experienced batsman at the crease except Mitchell.

[JSRAW]

At this point, New Zealand is leading by 238 runs. Quite surprising that there are so many twists and turns in such a short time. I don't know for how long Matt Henry will be able to give company to Daryl Mitchell. But if they could get the lead to somewhere around 300, then the maximum chances will be there for a draw. The problem with England is that in pitches that doesn't provide much support for the bowlers, only James Anderson is capable of taking wickets. Look at the figures for bowlers such as Jack Leach. They look horrendous.

It is very difficult to say what the condition of the pitch is. The first two days we saw a complete batting friendly pitch. But on the third and fourth day we saw that the batsmen had a lot of trouble collecting runs. Looking forward to seeing how the pitch will behave on the fourth day.
238 is Good enough collection. If New Zealand are able to score 60-70 runs today, it will definitely be a good target. But it is very difficult for them to collect 70 runs now. There is no other experienced batsman at the crease except Mitchell.

Pitch has no demons and still terrific to bat on. Kiwis just didn't batted well for small period of time, 2 run out mixup and 1 injured player (Jamieson) made situation bit tough at some point.

NZ still managed to add valuable runs in the end. England followed short ball tactic which was useful today but at same time in last part of the inning they gave 30-ish extra run due to this.

England has 50-50 change in last inning despite 4 rpo, as pitch is good for batters and outfield is way too quick. Kiwis are 1 bowler short too (Jamieson).

[Iranus]

New Zealand managed to give a target of 299 runs. This is a good enough target. I would say New Zealand will either win the match or the match will be a draw. I don't see the possibility of England winning. It is very difficult to win by collecting 299 runs on the fifth day. Moreover, New Zealand's bowlers are very experienced. Let's see if New Zealand can win the match.

[Sithara007]

Looking at the scoring rate, it looks as if England is targeting a win. They are definitely not on the defensive mode. The current run rate is above 4 runs per over and both the pacers and the spinners are getting smashed all around the park. Their biggest disadvantage is that Joe Root got out early in the chase. Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes are batting as of now, and next will be Ben Foakes. But after that it is the tail. England needs another 160 runs to win, and they have 38 overs and 6 wickets in hand. IMO, the match is looking 50/50 as of now.

[Swordsoffreedom]

New Zealand managed to give a target of 299 runs. This is a good enough target. I would say New Zealand will either win the match or the match will be a draw. I don't see the possibility of England winning. It is very difficult to win by collecting 299 runs on the fifth day. Moreover, New Zealand's bowlers are very experienced. Let's see if New Zealand can win the match.

England is playing to win the match. They will probably win or lose, their batting looks like they don't want to draw the match. Crawly, Pope and Root did not play well. Maybe Bairstow and Stokes think this is an ODI match. Bairstow scored 43 off 48 balls and Stokes scored 25 off 33 balls. At the moment their run rate is 4.08. England will win this match if they do not lose wickets.

[JSRAW]

Excellent game of cricket, although it's flat wicket but you still need to be fearless to chase almost 300 runs in 70-ish overs.

I'm aware that this might be too early to say but it does look like Brendon Mccullum (along with Ben stokes) did managed to bring some sort of change in English cricket culture. This is the same outfit who used to think that drawing the match on the 5th day is their only option. So far I'm loving it!!

[LittleBitFunny]

New Zealand managed to give a target of 299 runs. This is a good enough target. I would say New Zealand will either win the match or the match will be a draw. I don't see the possibility of England winning. It is very difficult to win by collecting 299 runs on the fifth day. Moreover, New Zealand's bowlers are very experienced. Let's see if New Zealand can win the match.

England is playing to win the match. They will probably win or lose, their batting looks like they don't want to draw the match. Crawly, Pope and Root did not play well. Maybe Bairstow and Stokes think this is an ODI match. Bairstow scored 43 off 48 balls and Stokes scored 25 off 33 balls. At the moment their run rate is 4.08. England will win this match if they do not lose wickets.

What a brilliant innings by Jonny Bairstow. He is collecting 102 runs with just 77 balls. England now collects 219 runs. And England has scored 93 runs in the last 10 overs. Jonny Bairstow hit 5 over boundaries and 7 fours. The match is now completely under England's control. Only 79 runs are needed to win. It was unthinkable to me that England would win this match.

[ibuddy122505]

New Zealand managed to give a target of 299 runs. This is a good enough target. I would say New Zealand will either win the match or the match will be a draw. I don't see the possibility of England winning. It is very difficult to win by collecting 299 runs on the fifth day. Moreover, New Zealand's bowlers are very experienced. Let's see if New Zealand can win the match.

England is playing to win the match. They will probably win or lose, their batting looks like they don't want to draw the match. Crawly, Pope and Root did not play well. Maybe Bairstow and Stokes think this is an ODI match. Bairstow scored 43 off 48 balls and Stokes scored 25 off 33 balls. At the moment their run rate is 4.08. England will win this match if they do not lose wickets.

What a brilliant innings by Jonny Bairstow. He is collecting 102 runs with just 77 balls. England now collects 219 runs. And England has scored 93 runs in the last 10 overs. Jonny Bairstow hit 5 over boundaries and 7 fours. The match is now completely under England's control. Only 79 runs are needed to win. It was unthinkable to me that England would win this match.

Truly what a fantastic test we've watched. England playing an alternate brand of cricket as New Zealand bowlers looked helpless on a day 5 wickets which turn out fortune for England. Brutal innings from Bairstow and Stokes giving that finishing touch. A great attitude under new coach and captain. Congratulations England for incredible win.

[S A KHAIR]

New Zealand managed to give a target of 299 runs. This is a good enough target. I would say New Zealand will either win the match or the match will be a draw. I don't see the possibility of England winning. It is very difficult to win by collecting 299 runs on the fifth day. Moreover, New Zealand's bowlers are very experienced. Let's see if New Zealand can win the match.

England is playing to win the match. They will probably win or lose, their batting looks like they don't want to draw the match. Crawly, Pope and Root did not play well. Maybe Bairstow and Stokes think this is an ODI match. Bairstow scored 43 off 48 balls and Stokes scored 25 off 33 balls. At the moment their run rate is 4.08. England will win this match if they do not lose wickets.

What a brilliant innings by Jonny Bairstow. He is collecting 102 runs with just 77 balls. England now collects 219 runs. And England has scored 93 runs in the last 10 overs. Jonny Bairstow hit 5 over boundaries and 7 fours. The match is now completely under England's control. Only 79 runs are needed to win. It was unthinkable to me that England would win this match.

Truly what a fantastic test we've watched. England playing an alternate brand of cricket as New Zealand bowlers looked helpless on a day 5 wickets which turn out fortune for England. Brutal innings from Bairstow and Stokes giving that finishing touch. A great attitude under new coach and captain. Congratulations England for incredible win.

It was an unexpected result for England to win this match. England is certainly not a weak team. However, it is very challenging to win by batting for 299 runs on the last day. England won because of the devastating batting of Bairstow and Stokes. Seeing their batting today, I thought it was a T20 match being played wearing a white jersey.

[Mahdirakib]

Excellent game of cricket, although it's flat wicket but you still need to be fearless to chase almost 300 runs in 70-ish overs.
I'm aware that this might be too early to say but it does look like Brendon Mccullum (along with Ben stokes) did managed to bring some sort of change in English cricket culture. This is the same outfit who used to think that drawing the match on the 5th day is their only option. So far I'm loving it!!

Jonny Bairstow has played it like T20 style, and Ben Stokes has played it as a ODI style. They have made a partnership of 179 runs in just 121 balls. I haven't seen such great batting performance on the final two session in test cricket. England lost their first 4 wickets in just 93 runs. Most other team would try to make a draw from that situation. But Bairstow and Stokes has played played it differently with confidence. England has already confirmed the test series on their name with two wins.

[DanWalker]

Excellent game of cricket, although it's flat wicket but you still need to be fearless to chase almost 300 runs in 70-ish overs.
I'm aware that this might be too early to say but it does look like Brendon Mccullum (along with Ben stokes) did managed to bring some sort of change in English cricket culture. This is the same outfit who used to think that drawing the match on the 5th day is their only option. So far I'm loving it!!

Jonny Bairstow has played it like T20 style, and Ben Stokes has played it as a ODI style. They have made a partnership of 179 runs in just 121 balls. I haven't seen such great batting performance on the final two session in test cricket. England lost their first 4 wickets in just 93 runs. Most other team would try to make a draw from that situation. But Bairstow and Stokes has played played it differently with confidence. England has already confirmed the test series on their name with two wins.

It was a really great run chase by England. We basically saw t20-style cricket in the test match. And that was possible because of the pitch. England did really well to win this match in the last session of the last day and now they lead the series by 2-0. It was actually great to see that they had won in their land. And once the England batsman got set in the crease they did not look back. But obviously, I think the New Zealand bowlers could have done better. One more memorable run chase by England.

[Sithara007]

What an amazing match.. when the 5th day's play started, never in my wildest dreams I had imagined that England had a chance to win. And this is exactly how test matches need to be played. Such matches will make sure that the fans remain interested in the test format. On the other hand, look at the recent boring matches we had in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Even after 5 days of play, most of these matches ended up as draw. Two things need to be done for the survival of test cricket - 1. make sure that an outcome is reached by the 5th day 2. reduce the number of matches per year.

[romero121]

What an amazing match.. when the 5th day's play started, never in my wildest dreams I had imagined that England had a chance to win. And this is exactly how test matches need to be played. Such matches will make sure that the fans remain interested in the test format. On the other hand, look at the recent boring matches we had in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Even after 5 days of play, most of these matches ended up as draw. Two things need to be done for the survival of test cricket - 1. make sure that an outcome is reached by the 5th day 2. reduce the number of matches per year.

Really a big test match that gets remembered forever. The team took the risk and got the result. It looks like the team decided to go for it, if situation turns bad they could've got some plans. Jonny Bairstow and Benstokes played the best of test cricket scoring 136 in 92 balls and 75 in 70 balls. Without such scoring the match could've ended a draw. Jonny Bairstow awarded the player of the match, though he hadn't performed big in the first innings he took the team to a win in the second innings.