“I know their coach relatively well and I don’t think he’ll be shutting up shop" - Trent Boult expects Brendon McCullum to rally England on the final day for a win
New Zealand pacer Trent Boult fully expects England Test coach Brendon McCullum to instruct his team to attack on the final day of the second Test at Trent Bridge. The Blackcaps hold a lead of 238 runs with three wickets in hand at stumps on Day four.
The Tom Latham-led side gained a slender lead of 14 runs after the culmination of England's first innings. However, the side collapsed from 104-1 to 213-7 to bring the hosts back into the contest ahead of the final day.
Last year, England drew the first Test at Lord's. They played a defensive game on the final day while chasing a target of 273 to win the match. They ended up losing the second match at Edgebaston and lost the two-match series 1-0.
A fascinating final day in store!
New Zealand finish day four 224/7.
Scorecard & Videos: ms.spr.ly/6017b5gCh
🏴 #ENGvNZ 🇳🇿 https://t.co/8tSmdSkwmh
However, Trent Boult expects the new-look England under the regime of Brendon McCullum to go all out and seize the series before the final contest at Headingley, Leeds. Speaking to stuff.co.nz ahead of the final day's play, the left-arm pacer said:
“I know their coach relatively well and I don’t think he’ll be shutting up shop. It’s exciting to come here in the morning with all of those results on the table and the are boys very excited for it.”
He added:
“There was some hard work done throughout the last couple of days and I think the game is quite nicely poised.”
New Zealand had scored 553 in the first innings on the back of centuries from Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell. The Ben Stokes-led side responded well on a flat surface by recording 539 with the bat, which included Joe Root's 27th Test hundred.
"Any runs we get in the morning should make it very interesting" - Trent Boult
With a full day of play remaining in the contest, New Zealand will be keen to build a substantial lead while keeping an eye on the overs remaining for the day. Daryl Mitchell is currently unbeaten at the crease alongside Matt Henry. Kyle Jamieson, who missed the action on Day 4, is battling a back injury while Trent Boult will come in at No.11.
Excited for Day 5! Trent Boult speaks on the match situation after the 4th day at @TrentBridge 🏏 https://t.co/2V8ANv8zGW
Explaining that the plan is to extend the lead as much as possible on the final day, Boult said:
"Any runs we get in the morning should make it very interesting. So we’ll focus on extending the lead as much as we can and be excited to get the ball in our hands to hopefully bowl for a test win."
The two sides will return to battle later today (June 14), the final day of the second Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.