Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell thwart England in familiar fashion after bizarre breakthrough

Tea New Zealand 123 for 5 (Mitchell 25*) vs England

But then, in the final over of the session, Nicholls – who had been so becalmed that he had taken 71 deliveries to reach double figures – climbed into a fierce straight drive down the ground off Leach. The ball, however, crashed into the middle of Mitchell’s bat as he attempted to take evasive action at the non-striker’s end, and Alex Lees – commendably alert at mid-off – swallowed a head-high deflection with a hop. Nicholls was gone for 19 from 99 balls, and at 123 for 5, England had seized control after being asked to bowl first.

England’s promising match situation, however, could already have been a dominant one had two key lbw appeals gone their way earlier in the afternoon. The first came in the first half-hour of the session when Potts, from round the wicket, unleashed a huge inswinger to the left-handed Nicholls, who was on 4 at the time. England reviewed umpire Richard Kettleborough’s not-out decision, with the ball being shown to be hitting leg stump, but were left non-plussed when the third umpire, Aleem Dar, determined there had been an inside-edge prior to it hitting the pads, despite no clear evidence.

Three overs and a switch of ends later, Potts was back in the action with another big inswinger, this time to the right-handed Mitchell from over the wicket. Again, the on-field lbw appeal was turned down, but this time Stokes – perhaps wary of having already used up one review – declined to send the decision upstairs. This time the ball was shown to be hitting middle and leg, and Mitchell, on 8, also had a key reprieve.

And, having made back-to-back hundreds in the first two Tests, Mitchell took that life as his cue to up the ante, with two fours and a big straight six into the Football Stand in the space of six balls from Leach, who was already extracting more turn and bounce than he was able to produce in the whole of the Trent Bridge Test.

Mitchell arrived at the crease in the first hour of the afternoon when Overton, after an energetic but nervy first five-over spell, was thrown the ball for another burst. He duly struck with his third ball, as Conway – a man who is always liable to an inside-edged drive – threw his bat through a full-length delivery, and demolished his own stumps for 26.

Under the previous regime, Broad – who turns 36 on Friday – might well have been rested for this fixture, after back-to-back matches at Lord’s and Trent Bridge, and with the delayed fifth Test against India looming large at Edgbaston next week. However, with his sidekick James Anderson already out of contention with an ankle niggle, Broad’s importance as England’s senior seamer was plain to see, right from the moment of an exemplary and successful first over.

Broad had the left-handed Latham in his sights from the outset, as he hammered a good length from round the wicket in his now-habitual fashion. Latham left his first four balls, but after being drawn forward to block the fifth, he was caught perfectly in two minds by the coup de grace, a length ball on off stump that seamed just enough to take the edge and fly through to Joe Root at first slip.

It was another failure in this series for Latham, whose highest score in five outings is the 26 he made in the first innings at Trent Bridge. But New Zealand’s predicament could have been even worse one Broad delivery later, when Kane Williamson – taking back over from Latham as captain after missing the second Test with Covid – fenced down the leg side and inches past the diving wicketkeeper Ben Foakes, in what had been a deliberate ploy to tuck him up, seeing as Ollie Pope had just been posted at leg slip.

Overton’s first five-over spell was seen off for 17 – with a top speed at this stage in the region of 88mph. Broad, however, was now primed to return for his second spell, and once again, he struck the crucial blow with the final ball of his initial over. The key delivery this time was his fifth, a hooping late inswinger that crashed into Williamson’s thigh pad. His follow-up was back in the off-stump channel, but held its line this time, as Williamson dangled fractionally outside his eyeline and snicked a thin edge through to Foakes.