da leao： Plays of the day from the third day at Trent Bridge
da betcris： Will Luke at Trent Bridge07-Jun-2008
A be-brimmed Michael Vaughan checks out the ball with Umpire Darrell Hair © Getty Images
Wide-brim sunhat wearer of the dayThere were plenty of Shreks, Green Giants and lifeguards paradingunselfconsciously around Trent Bridge today, but one of the fewsunhats was found on Michael Vaughan’s head. In fact, curiously, evenwith all the rain and gloomy conditions to have blighted this series,Vaughan has worn a hat throughout while his team-mates don thestandard England caps. It was easy, therefore, to spot him lurking atthe unlikely position of deep backward point towards the end of play,his fielding orders falling on deaf ears.Bowling change of the day
Ten overs into a day which was delayed by gloom, the spotlight waswell and truly on James Anderson. With six wickets to his name, therewas the enticing prospect that he might become only the third bowlerin history to take all ten in an innings. Unfortunately, his radar wasfor the most part lacking, as was Ryan Sidebottom’s at the other end.Into the attack strode Stuart Broad and, with his third ball, sent onea little wider of the off stump to lure Kyle Mills into slapping himstraight to Kevin Pietersen at backward point. Two balls later, Broadfound one to move off the seam to Iain O’Brien, knocking over his offstump – a delivery that would have accounted for far more accomplishedbatsmen – to complete a superb double-wicket maiden and, soon after,New Zealand were dismissed for 123 and forced to follow on.Tough chance of the dayBroad’s first ball in New Zealand’s second innings was wide yetspooned by How off a thick outside edge. Paul Collingwood leaptspectacularly high at second slip, somehow getting a hand on it, butnot enough of a hand. It was reminiscent of his gravity-defying leapat backward point to pluck a scorching Matthew Hayden drive, duringthe one-day series prior to the 2005 Ashes. Collingwood had anotherhalf-chance at second slip towards the end of New Zealand’s firstinnings when Gareth Hopkins edged Anderson just short.Snorter of the dayWhile Anderson and Sidebottom both struggled with theirlines, Broad rarely strayed from a probing off-stump line, anda length which had batsman unsure whether to lunge forward or creepbackwards. He saved his best for Brendon McCullum, though, the ball rearing upoff a length and leaving the batsman’s fishy waft outside the offstump. All of England begged Darrell Hair to raise his finger but theAustralian refused to oblige. In fact, Hair has been very much anot-outer since his return to top-flight umpiring in the second Testat Old Trafford, and has again officiated withShowmanship of the dayAt 33 for 2, out strode Ross Taylor to join McCullum – NewZealand’s two star batsmen. After stepping over the boundary rope, hemarched to the crease by shadowing a lofted drive, playing a savagepull and flashing several apparently wide balls through the covers.New Zealand were in dire straits, still trailing England by 208, butTaylor is no shrinking violet, even before reaching the crease. It wasa brief but entertaining insight into the mind of New Zealand’s youngdazzler who soon departed for an undazzling 14.Lucky misjudgement of the dayNew Zealand had slipped to 58 for 3. Only McCullum stood in England’sway, but a near-fatal misjudgement almost cost him his wicket on 20.Facing Anderson and expecting an outswinger, the bowler produced a bigindipper to which McCullum shouldered arms. The slips barely botheredappealing, racing forward in anticipatory expectation of Steve Bucknorraising his finger. Famously slow to lift his right arm, the playersand crowd waited and waited, while McCullum shuffled nervously withhis bat under his arm. But Bucknor remained unmoved, and New Zealandcontinued to defy England’s attack.
