Tweet
Tea New Zealand 174 (Swann 4-42, Finn 3-36) trail England 354 (Root 104, Bairstow 64, Boult 5-57) by 180 runs
Martin Guptill was bowled by Graeme Swann in a spell which ripped through the New Zealand middle-order © Getty Images
It is routinely suggested that, when the ball does not swing, the England bowling attack looks toothless and one dimensional. But, on a day on which there was precious little movement available to James Anderson or Stuart Broad in the air or off the pitch, it was left to Steven Finn and Graeme Swann to show that England have a viable Plan B.
Swann cannot have the fondest memories of this ground. He had never previously taken a Test wicket here and, a year ago, was dropped for the second Test against South Africa. But in a spell of three wickets for one run in seven balls he not only dismantled the New Zealand middle-order but proved that he was back to his best after elbow surgery had forced him out of the Tests in New Zealand.
As so often before, Swann struck in his first over. Gaining a surprising amount of turn, Swann beat Dean Brownlie's somewhat loose drive with one that turned through the gate to hit the top of off stump. Four deliveries later, having set-up Martin Guptill with some flat deliveries, Swann tossed one up, drew the batsman forward and again turned one through the gate to hit the top of off stump.
Two deliveries later, Kane Williamson was out, too. Moving across his stumps to negate Swann much in the way demonstrated by Hashim Amla in 2012, Williamson was beaten playing across the line and was struck on the pad. While Marais Erasmus originally turned down the appeal, England utilised the review system and were rewarded.
It was the first of two decisions overturned after England reviews in the session. Tim Southee was originally given not out following a leg before appeal from Broad - the umpire quite reasonably unable to say whether ball had hit bat or pad first - reviews showed it had struck the pad first and was going on to hit leg stump.
Moments later Swann had Doug Bracewell taken at silly point, prodding forward to one that turned and took pad and bat, before Broad had Brendon McCullum, clearly struggling with a bad back after being forced back into service as a wicketkeeper, caught behind as he poked at one that seamed in a little.
It left Swann with the best figures - 4 for 42 - by an England spinner in a Test at Headingley since John Emburey took 5 for 82 against Australia in 1985 and New Zealand pondering over the wisdom of going into the game without a specialist spinner and with two left-arm seamers whose foot marks had provided rough for Swann to exploit.
But if Swann takes the plaudits, it was Finn who made the initial breakthrough. After New Zealand's openers had batted with fluency in reaching 55 without loss, Finn claimed the first three wickets in a sustained spell of hostile fast bowling.
After prompting an error from Peter Fulton, caught and bowled off the leading edge as he tried to work the ball into the leg side, Finn persuaded Hamish Rutherford to push at one angled across him which resulted in a sliced edge to gully and then persuaded Ross Taylor to play-on. It was due reward for a wonderfully sustained spell of bowling where Finn had cramped Taylor for room, struck him twice on the body and finally provoked the false stroke.
New Zealand's last pair of Neil Wagner and Trent Boult thrashed 52 runs in 27 balls - Wagner thrashed four fours in an over off Broad before Boult thumped Swann for a four and two successive sixes in the next over - but when Anderson returned to end the innings, New Zealand had conceded a first innings lead of 180.
Perhaps surprisingly given the far from promising weather forecast, England decided not to enforce the follow-on - with rain having delayed the toss until the start of the second day the follow-on target was 205; 150 behind England with this being a four-day game - and opted instead for another bat.
Martin Guptill was bowled by Graeme Swann in a spell which ripped through the New Zealand middle-order © Getty Images
It is routinely suggested that, when the ball does not swing, the England bowling attack looks toothless and one dimensional. But, on a day on which there was precious little movement available to James Anderson or Stuart Broad in the air or off the pitch, it was left to Steven Finn and Graeme Swann to show that England have a viable Plan B.
Swann cannot have the fondest memories of this ground. He had never previously taken a Test wicket here and, a year ago, was dropped for the second Test against South Africa. But in a spell of three wickets for one run in seven balls he not only dismantled the New Zealand middle-order but proved that he was back to his best after elbow surgery had forced him out of the Tests in New Zealand.
As so often before, Swann struck in his first over. Gaining a surprising amount of turn, Swann beat Dean Brownlie's somewhat loose drive with one that turned through the gate to hit the top of off stump. Four deliveries later, having set-up Martin Guptill with some flat deliveries, Swann tossed one up, drew the batsman forward and again turned one through the gate to hit the top of off stump.
Two deliveries later, Kane Williamson was out, too. Moving across his stumps to negate Swann much in the way demonstrated by Hashim Amla in 2012, Williamson was beaten playing across the line and was struck on the pad. While Marais Erasmus originally turned down the appeal, England utilised the review system and were rewarded.
It was the first of two decisions overturned after England reviews in the session. Tim Southee was originally given not out following a leg before appeal from Broad - the umpire quite reasonably unable to say whether ball had hit bat or pad first - reviews showed it had struck the pad first and was going on to hit leg stump.
Moments later Swann had Doug Bracewell taken at silly point, prodding forward to one that turned and took pad and bat, before Broad had Brendon McCullum, clearly struggling with a bad back after being forced back into service as a wicketkeeper, caught behind as he poked at one that seamed in a little.
It left Swann with the best figures - 4 for 42 - by an England spinner in a Test at Headingley since John Emburey took 5 for 82 against Australia in 1985 and New Zealand pondering over the wisdom of going into the game without a specialist spinner and with two left-arm seamers whose foot marks had provided rough for Swann to exploit.
But if Swann takes the plaudits, it was Finn who made the initial breakthrough. After New Zealand's openers had batted with fluency in reaching 55 without loss, Finn claimed the first three wickets in a sustained spell of hostile fast bowling.
After prompting an error from Peter Fulton, caught and bowled off the leading edge as he tried to work the ball into the leg side, Finn persuaded Hamish Rutherford to push at one angled across him which resulted in a sliced edge to gully and then persuaded Ross Taylor to play-on. It was due reward for a wonderfully sustained spell of bowling where Finn had cramped Taylor for room, struck him twice on the body and finally provoked the false stroke.
New Zealand's last pair of Neil Wagner and Trent Boult thrashed 52 runs in 27 balls - Wagner thrashed four fours in an over off Broad before Boult thumped Swann for a four and two successive sixes in the next over - but when Anderson returned to end the innings, New Zealand had conceded a first innings lead of 180.
Perhaps surprisingly given the far from promising weather forecast, England decided not to enforce the follow-on - with rain having delayed the toss until the start of the second day the follow-on target was 205; 150 behind England with this being a four-day game - and opted instead for another bat.