Jon Norman: talkSPORT commentator unpacks Day 3 of the second test between the Black Caps and England

The Black Caps have a whopping lead over England at stumps on Day three of the second cricket test at The Oval. 

Henry Nicholls is unbeaten on 119, helping New Zealand to 252 for three – a lead of 352 runs with seven second innings wickets in hand. 

Jon Norman, commentator for talkSPORT in England, joined Adam Cooper to recap the day. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talk z'b.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Well, what a night's our time day in UK time
for the black Caps on day three of the Second
Cricket Test at the Oval and unbeaten one hundred and
nineteen as Henry Nichols score ending the day helping New
Zealand through to two hundred and fifty two for three.
That's a lead of three hundred and fifty two runs,
not bad for the second innings. Let's head over to

(00:32):
the UK now Talk Sport editor John Norman as with us.
God to chat to you again, John, and jeez, the
England fans will probably be a bit stunt having I
watched on on a busy day three from a New
Zealand perspective.

Speaker 3 (00:44):
Yeah, absolutely, a good morning to you from the UK
on a day that felt like it was almost picture
perfect for New Zealand batters who are used to batting
the kind of sunshine that maybe the English counterparts aren't
quite as familiar. Whether it was a real toasting day,
toasty day at the Oval, days expected tomorrow and Sunday

(01:08):
as well, and certainly the New Zealanders looked at home
started the day ahead of the game, took out three
quick wickets, Matt Henry with a five. He's on the
honors board at the Oval now. They were frustrated for
an hour by lower order runs, thankful of courtesy of
Matt Fisher playing in his second Test match, and then

(01:31):
when they came out to bat they had a good
lead one hundred run lead which they would have taken
when they were one hundred and seven to four on
day one, and then despite the dismissals of Devon Conway
and Tom Latham early, they just settled into their work.
England will feil what could have been with Rasian Ravendra
dropped badly and he had a couple of chances along

(01:53):
the way, but in the end he was the only
other wicket to four, not before he'd put on what
one hundred and sixty eight with Henry Nichols, with Nichols
going past three figures shortly after Rahan was out and
Darren Mitchell settling in towards the back end of a
day that has just been completely dominated by New Zealand,
and if the matches in the balance at the start
of day three, certainly now the question is can England

(02:17):
save it. Can they get out of the Oval Test
with a draw or are we going to be heading
to Trent Bridge next week with a series very much alive?

Speaker 2 (02:27):
And well, yeah, Henry Nichols obviously filling that void of
Cain Williamson after his shock retirement. What were sort of
what was the perception and I guess hope from an
English perspective that it was probably a key chance to
capitalize on that massive change for New Zealand and this.

Speaker 3 (02:42):
Test well, yeah, I mean came Williamson is of course irreplaceable,
thirty three Test centuries an average of fifty four nearly
ten thousand tests runs. But in Henry Nichols, you know
you've got a guy that well he's got what ten
tests centuries before today, So that's more than Ben Duckett.

(03:04):
It's certainly more than a media gay playing in his
second Test. He's not hit a century. Jacob Beth has
only hit one. Obviously can't touch Joe Route at four.
But he's got more test centuries than Harry Brook at five.
So you know, he's not a bad guy to call
upon in not quite a crisis, but certainly when you've
got a big, big player departing to have someone of

(03:26):
the caliber and experience and also form. Nobody scored more
plunket shield runs than he did, so it was maybe
a defensive selection, but you cannot say it wasn't the
right decision to bring him in. It was an opportunity
for England today and they just didn't take it. But
to be honest with you, I don't think Henry Nichols

(03:48):
gave them a chance today. It was an almost perfect
century And of course he's still there. He could go
on tomorrow.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
Yeah, great, and I hope he does. Yes, made a
great statement. And John, just on the back of all
the off field stuff that happened in between these two tests,
how much needed is a win on the field for
this England cricket team in this very match, just to
get the public maybe back on side with them, who
might have found themselves but disgruntled with the constant issues

(04:15):
we're hearing about.

Speaker 3 (04:17):
Well, certainly Joe Roue, who left the captaincy four years ago,
you know, looking like a man who'd aged ten years
in the four years he captained, will have been reminded
of just how painful, drawn out and depressing it can
be leading this England cricket team and for all the
off field shenanigans evolving Bed Stokes, well, this Test match
has just shown everybody just how important he is, not

(04:40):
just in terms of captaincy, but in terms of balance,
because how do you replace Ben Stokes, Well, you have
to replace him with two players, one who combat and
want who can bowl. There's no all rounder anywhere near
his capabilities. And what that has meant is that England
have gone defensive. You know, they had to make wholesale
changes to their bowlers. They've brought in a batter, Jordan Cox,

(05:03):
to go at seven. And what it's meant They've looked
light with ball in hand. They've looked short of ideas.
They've looked like Joe Root's been short of options. That's
exactly what's happened. So they do say you never look
better than when you're out the side, and that's exactly
what's happened with Ben Stokes. And the story is he
may well be back exactly.

Speaker 2 (05:26):
Well you we'll see, all right, fascinating series is going
to play out of fascinating Test is going to pan
out hopefully over the next two days if it goes
for its duration. Great to catch up John appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (05:35):
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