ENG vs NZ: Ollie Robinson's twin blows tighten England's grip on rain-affected Day 3

After a flurry of wickets on the first two days of the opening Test between England and New Zealand, day 3 was completely marred by rain as only 9.4 overs were possible during the day’s play. Despite only a handful of overs being bowled, England further tightened their grip on the match, getting two more wickets and leaving New Zealand on 55/5 after 21.3 overs at stumps.

After the entire first session was washed out due to inclement weather, Rachin Ravindra joined overnight batter Devon Conway in the middle. A stop-start passage of play meant that Ravindra and Conway had to toil hard against a relentless English pace attack, which had its tail up.

The Kiwi duo tried their best to survive under challenging conditions with the ball moving all around under grey skies. However, the constant rain breaks impacted their rhythm a great deal, and Robinson eventually got the better of Ravindra (8 off 21) by dismantling his stumps with a delivery that stayed low.

Daryl Mitchell walked in at number six and also fell prey to Robinson (2/18) within just three deliveries of his innings, being trapped in front of the stumps. As a result, New Zealand were staring down the barrel having lost half their side on 53. 

England five wickets away from victory

England could smell victory with the conditions only getting tougher for New Zealand, and their bowlers being in great rhythm. However, a long shower of rain hampered their plans, washing out the majority of the second session, and players went into early tea.

There was no more play possible for the rest of the day as the umpires called early stumps. New Zealand finished the day’s play on 55/5 in 21.3 overs, chasing 254 runs with Tom Blundell (2* off 7) and Devon Conway (19* off 55) at the crease.