Lunch – England 459 for 8 (Stokes 78*, Carse 5*) lead New Zealand 348 (Williamson 93, Phillips 58*, Carse 4-64, Bashir 4-69) by 111 runsHarry Brook converted his overnight 132 into a free-styling knock of 171 from 197 balls, Ben Stokes notched his first half-century since July, and Gus Atkinson reprised his batting form from the summer, as England opted for a no-holds-barred approach to the third morning against New Zealand at Hagley Oval.By lunch, they had marched along to 459 for 8, an imposing lead of 111, with Stokes’ 78 from 138 balls putting him within reach of a century in the city of his birth – a feat last achieved as an England captain by Mike Atherton at Old Trafford, also against New Zealand in 1994.The most startling impetus came from Atkinson, however, who cracked four fours and two sixes in a 36-ball 48 before holing out to deep square leg to give Glenn Phillips his second catch of the innings.England had resumed on 319 for 5, a deficit of 29, but with six overs remaining until the second new ball, they chose not to stand on ceremony in overcast conditions similar to those in which New Zealand’s seamers had thrived on the second morning.Stokes had been the quieter partner in the first 97 runs of his sixth-wicket stand with Brook, but two wild slogs in the first over from Will O’Rourke – the second of which was pounded through midwicket – signalled England’s intentions for the morning.Brook landed two powerful drives for four to get his own innings moving again, but having survived four drops on the second day, he was gifted a fifth life on 147. Phillips – who had handed him his first reprieve on 18 before grabbing a screamer to dislodge Ollie Pope – made a mess of another relatively straightforward catch that bounced out of his grasp at gully.The new ball was Brook’s cue to take his innings into overdrive. A violent wipe through the covers off Tim Southee took him to 150 – only the third Englishman after Wally Hammond and Joe Root to reach that mark twice in New Zealand – and though he missed an attempted ramp one ball later, Southee’s 122kph outswingers were meat and drink to his carefree approach.An almighty smear for six, onto the pavilion roof at wide long-on, was followed by his 15th four off an open-faced glide. But just when it seemed there was no respite in prospect, Brook tried that tactic again against Matt Henry, and snicked off to Tom Blundell behind the stumps. He left the stage with an overseas Test average of 89.40, and exactly 500 runs at 100.00 in New Zealand alone.Chris Woakes didn’t hang around long, as Southee found his edge with a trademark outswinger that Tom Latham – the spiller of three chances on day two – scooped up low at second slip. But England have brought some rare batting depth to this Test, and Atkinson – a centurion against Sri Lanka in the summer – kept the runs flowing from No.9 with a rapid knock of 48 from 36.He brought up England’s 400 with a swivelled pull for six over square leg off Henry, and kept the blows raining down thereafter, with Stokes content to take a breather in his own belligerence … though not for long. As the interval approached, he reverted to the belligerent strokeplay with which he had launched the session, crisply pulling O’Rourke through midwicket.



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