New Zealand bowling hero Trent Boult says the first hour of day four could be crucial to the outcome of the deciding third cricket Test against England.
The Black Caps will resume their second innings in Auckland on Monday with a 274-run lead and seven wickets in hand.
Boult was a key contributor to building that cushion, producing career-best first-class figures of 6-68 as England were bowled out for 204, 40 runs short of avoiding the follow-on.
Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum chose not to force England to bat again, a decision that didn’t pay early dividends as the home side lost wickets cheaply to be 3-35 at stumps.
“We’ve got to look to tomorrow morning and the first hour as being pretty important,” Boult said.
“I think we need to put a couple of partnerships together to see where that gets us.”
Hamish Rutherford was first to go when New Zealand batted, out for a duck after he fended a Stuart Broad delivery to Ian Bell in the gully.
Jimmy Anderson then bowled Kane Williamson for 1, before Broad trapped Ross Taylor leg-before for 3 to leave the Black Caps reeling at 3-8.
First-innings century-maker Peter Fulton and Dean Brownlie negotiated the remaining 15 overs and will resume on 14 and 13 respectively.
Boult was understandably delighted with his haul of wickets.
The 23-year-old Northern Districts left-armer was ably supported by fellow seamer Tim Southee, who finished with 3-44.
Both troubled the batsmen with the movement they managed to extract through the air.
“I’ve had days where I’ve bowled really well and haven’t picked up anything,” Boult said.
“To get six wickets was definitely pretty cool and hopefully the start of more to come.”
The England innings was held together by Matt Prior’s aggressive innings of 73.
The wicketkeeper joined Joe Root with England at 5-72 and the pair put on a 101-run partnership before Prior departed, caught at point off Neil Wagner.
After taking the second new ball, New Zealand mopped up the tail, the last four wickets going in the space of four runs and Root the last man out for 45.
England had begun the day on 2-50 and Prior said the tourists had simply not batted well enough.
He said credit had to be given to the New Zealand attack.
“I thought they bowled really well; they bowled really good areas,” he said.
“I know Trent ended up with the most wickets, but I thought Tim Southee bowled a couple of very good spells and hats off to them.”
The series is tied at 0-0 after the first two Tests were both affected by rain.