England 1-3 for victory in Christchurch

New Zealand v England
Sky Sports Cricket, 11pm Sunday

England 307 (Bairstow 102, Southee 6-62) & 202-3 (Vince 76) lead New Zealand 278 (Watling 85, Broad 6-54) by 231 runs

England are 1-3 to square the Test series in New Zealand after a solid second-innings batting performance put the tourists in charge on day three in Christchurch.

The new ball has done some serious damage at the Hagley Oval – New Zealand were reduced to 36-5 in their first innings – but opener Mark Stoneman (60) and number three James Vince (76) helped England extend their lead to 231 by the close of play.

That display followed a frustrating morning in which the Kiwis' tail wagged with Tim Southee scoring a quickfire fifty before Neil Wagner and Trent Boult added 39 for the last wicket.

England skipper Joe Root will resume on 30 not out, aiming to set up a declaration at some point on the fourth day.

Root has failed to convert any of his last eight 50-plus scores in Test matches into a century but Hills make him 9-4 to reach three figures in Christchurch.

His partner Dawid Malan is 11-10 with Sky Bet to score a fifty and that is worth a small bet. Malan, who scored three half-centuries and 140 in Perth during the Ashes, safely negotiated a tricky passage of play at the end of day three and will start again on 19 not out.

New Zealand are 16-1 to claim a victory that would give them a 2-0 series win and, with the weather forecast clear, the draw is a 3-1 chance. Sky Bet quote England's second-innings runs line at 394.5.

Recommendation
D Malan to score a second-innings fifty
2pts 11-10 Sky Bet

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