Twitter Reactions: New Zealand end Day 3 on struggling note as England carve path towards victory

England are on the cusp of registering a massive win against New Zealand as the latter are five wickets down on Day 3 in their chase of 394 runs. The Three Lions were dismissed just after the Tea break for a score of 374 runs on the board.

The vital runs came from the middle and the lower order as Ollie Pope kickstarted the proceedings on Day 3 with complete control. The batter scored 49 from 46 deliveries and carved a vital partnership of 62 runs for the fourth wicket with Joe Root. 

Soon after the dismissal of Pope, what followed was Root, young Harry Brook and Ben Foakes taking the onus to maintain the domination. The trio registered scores of 57, 54, and 51 runs respectively to get the side to 349/8 at Tea. Following the break, the English side was dismissed for 374 runs which essentially meant the Kiwis would be chasing a mammoth total of 394 runs in their second innings.

BlackCaps rattled in run chase on Day 3

In response to the massive total, the Kiwis required a decent head start to the innings in order to keep their hopes alive of chasing down the score. However, Stuart Broad’s masterclass was enough to rattle the rival side as he swiftly got four wickets. Ollie Robinson too got the scalp of Henry Nicholls to further dent the run chase.

Broad’s four-wicket haul on Day 3 meant that he, along with veteran red-ball specialist James Anderson, claimed the record for most Test wickets as teammates. The lethal duo have now taken 1002 wickets between them as they surpassed the long-standing record that was held by Australia greats McGrath and Warne (1001).

With a meagre 63 runs on the board and having lost five wickets, England will aim to continue their domination when they take the field on Day 4. On the other hand, the Kiwis will require a miracle from here if they are to chase down the massive total.

Here is how Netizens have reacted -