Lunch – New Zealand 348 (Williamson 93, Phillips 58*, Carse 4-64, Bashir 4-69) and 254 (Mitchell 84, Carse 6-42) lead England 499 (Brook 171, Stokes 80, Pope 77, Henry 4-84) by 103 runsBrydon Carse claimed career-best figures of 6 for 42, and his maiden Test ten-for, to propel England ever closer to victory in the first Test against New Zealand. However, their final push was delayed in resolute fashion by Daryl Mitchell, whose deftly compiled 84 from 167 balls included a tenth-wicket stand of 45 with a steadfast Will O’Rourke, who finished on his own Test-best of 5 not out from 39 balls.While it lasted, it was a stand that had distant echoes of another remarkable tenth-wicket stand against England at Christchurch – Nathan Astle’s famous 222 onslaught alongside Chris Cairns in 2002 – while the retiring Tim Southee, who cracked two crowd-pleasing sixes in his 12-run appearance at No.10 – will doubtless recall his own last-wicket resistance on debut at Napier in 2008.On both occasions, England recovered their poise to secure comfortable wins, and given the bright skies and brown, true surface, it will still take something remarkable for New Zealand to turn this one around now. However, the frustration was plain, not least for England’s captain Ben Stokes, who suffered a worrying niggle while bowling his fifth over of the morning.New Zealand’s hopes had been slender as they resumed with a four-run lead and just four wickets left standing, but at least they were greeted by cloudless skies and a 49-over ball: two factors that persuaded Stokes to turn to an immediate short-ball ploy, hoping to lure an error or two with staggered slips and men in the deep for the pull.The ploy didn’t deliver the intended consequences, particularly for Stokes himself, who shouldered the burden with the first over of the day but pulled up in discomfort midway through his fifth. He immediately handed the rest of the over to Gus Atkinson, even though he stayed on the field through to the lunch break.Daryl Mitchell’s half-century kept New Zealand fighting•Phil Walter/Getty ImagesBy the time of that setback, however, New Zealand’s relatively serene progress had already been interrupted in Carse’s own fourth over. Nathan Smith had looked steady for his 21 runs, getting solidly into line to the short balls while picking off back-to-back boundaries when Carse strayed fuller in his opening over. However, he had no answer for the first ball of the day that truly misbehaved, as it kept a touch low and decked back into his shin at sharp pace, to draw a leg-sided lbw verdict.Four balls later, Carse had his second of the morning, and his fifth of the innings, to leave New Zealand deep in the mire at 192 for 8, a lead at that stage of just 41. Matt Henry was also done in by the fuller length, this time by a fast, inswinging delivery that thumped him in front of middle and leg. He took his leave with no thought of a review.Tim Southee, in his final Test series, arrived to a tumultuous ovation, and an expectant one too, for there wasn’t much doubt about how he’d be playing this particular situation. With 93 Test sixes to his name, and a maximum of five innings in which to post his century, he came out swinging and duly connected twice in three balls with two lusty blows over the leg-side off Atkinson. The same bowler, however, had smacked him on the helmet with his second ball, and brought the fun to an end with his 11th, as Joe Root at wide long-on held onto a fine tumbling take.With just the No.11 Will O’Rourke for company, Mitchell got away with a scuffed drive to long-off that Carse failed to sight in time, then – having nudged Chris Woakes off his pads to reach his half-century from 132 balls – he decided it was time to change up his tempo.He unfurled a well-timed lap for four through fine leg in Woakes’ next over, then a solid cut through point off Atkinson, and when Shoaib Bashir entered the attack, Mitchell reverse-swept him through deep third then drilled him over the long-off ropes with a trademark launch down the ground.With a previous Test-best of 2, O’Rourke was kept away from the strike as much as possible, although he surpassed that score in one blow, as he drove Bashir for three to the edge of the cover boundary. Two more boundaries in Woakes’ next over lifted the lead to three figures, but Carse returned to finish the job he had started. With his century in sight, Mitchell climbed into a drive down the ground, but picked out Woakes at long-off.Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket



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