68th over: New Zealand 206-6 (Mitchell 50, Smith 1) Daryl Mitchell goes to an extremely patient and important half century. Nathan Smith joins him and is off the mark with a clip to leg. The crowd are up and England sense this is the moment…

The players return to the middle in bright sunshine, apologies for the lack of updates during the lunch interval, I was collared by Daniel Norcross to talk cricket books on Test Match Special. La-di-dah.

Jofra Archer is going to start us off after lunch from the Stuart Broad End, England need some wickets pronto, otherwise things might get a wee bit grim. Laurence Booth and Nick Hoult penning an elegiac appendices to their Bazball book as we speak?

53rd over: New Zealand 161-3 (Ravindra 80, Mitchell 46) Tongue thunders in from the Stuey B End with his wardrobe shoulders and piston knees. Mitchell pulls out of his stance a couple of times in the over as someone is moving behind the bowler’s arm… I’m not casting nasturtiums but I do know that Timbo, Lester, Cupsies, Margate Pete and The Bear are sat somewhere near there. You tell me.

Ravindra whips a couple off his toes into the leg side. England’s nose getting perilously close to the dirt here at Trent Bridge.

51st over: New Zealand 158-3 (Ravindra 78, Mitchell 46) “Ali G? Dunno” writes Frank Stark “…but Mitchell seems to be working on his moves with a kind of circular crab dance to go with the Steve Smith semaphore each time he turns down a run.”

Mitchell is really knuckling down here, there is an almost performative nature to his defence at the moment but he is a very dangerous player and if he decides to open the shoulders could take this game well out of England’s reach in no time at all. Gulp.

Sure enough, as I type, Mitchell gets on the front foot and drives powerfully through cover for four. Gulp indeed.

42nd over: New Zealand 133-3 (Ravindra 68, Mitchell 31)

Shot! Ravindra slaps a short ball from Stokes to the boundary with a flourish. His bat sounds incredible.

“The heat is on McCullum and Key and I understand why” writes an empathetic Steve Hudson.

“Mistakes have been made, especially in the last 12 months. And coaches do have a shelf life and maybe Baz has reached the end of his. I do think that people forget very quickly how dreadful England looked in the few years running up to his appointment, and how brilliant, how exhilarating were the performances once he took over. For two years they were just about the most entertaining and successful England team I’ve ever seen. Please let’s remember the good times when we wish him away.”

41st over: New Zealand 127-3 (Ravindra 63, Mitchell 30) Archer is probing but there’s no breakthrough for England in the first half hour of play, Mitchell sees out a maiden.

John Starbuck twists the knife…

“Going by your Preamble, it appears that The Guardian doesn’t impose a curfew on OBO-writers’ drinking… yet.”

38th over: New Zealand 123-3 (Ravindra 61, Mitchell 28) Stokes is over the wicket to Ravindra, Trent Bridge shrouded in cloud and it is mercifully cooler than the last few days. A decent morning for bowling you’d think. Ravindra is watchful and Stokes peels off an accurate maiden.

Daryl Accone comes out playing his Sunday morning shots:

“Andy Bull’s piece asks whether the England and Wales Cricket Board can afford to fire McCullum given the compensation in his contract of £1-million or thereabouts. More pertinent is whether the board can afford not to sack him. Never in the field of Test cricket have so many owed so much pain to so few; indeed, to one person. Neither Puff the Magic Dragon nor Harry Potter, Baz rather should go down in the annals of coaching as a poor simulacrum of Ted Lasso.”

Preamble

Hello and welcome to day four of the deciding Test between England and New Zealand from Trent Bridge. It’s balmy and bright, the players are on the outfield going through their motions. I’m in the press box going through my emotions. Am I late starting this blog because I’m a wee bit dusty this morning. I couldn’t possible comment… but any typos are entirely deliberate, it’s all part of the process.

New Zealand lead by 204 runs with seven second innings wickets in hand.

It’s been said before but… BIG FIRST HOUR this morning*.

Please do get in touch, it would be nice to have some help you on board for what is a very big day in English cricket.

*For all of us