KEY POINTS:
The bowling was good, the fielding was bad and the batting so-so. The consequences of that pithy assessment is that New Zealand have given themselves a chance to win this test, albeit a microscopic one.
England finished day three on 277 for nine, an overall lead of
421.
The negative: historically, teams do not chase down 400-plus targets.
The up-side: time is not an issue.
The negative: patchy weather is forecast and the ball swings here with cloud cover.
The positive: the pitch looks as good to bat on as it has been at any time during the match.
There was another major positive last night when James Anderson, who took 5-73 in the first innings, left the ground on crutches after turning his ankle playing football after the day's play. A decision will be made this morning on whether he would be fit to bowl.
Despite this ray of hope, teams don't tend to chase down big fourth-innings targets, especially New Zealand. The highest target they have chased down was 324 against Pakistan in 1994.
However, the efforts of Pakistan and South Africa should offer some hope, as they chased down potentially tricky fourth innings targets here.
Kyle Mills gave even more hope, confidently declaring it was game-on and predicting a close finish if the clouds stayed away.
"There's a lot of time left in the match and if we get a day like today tomorrow, batsmen can get in and cement themselves and I think it is game-on," Mills said.
"If we can get similar conditions tomorrow _ I think they are a tick over 400 _ we feel that total is definitely gettable because there's so much time left in the match."
To do it, one of the top four is going to have to get 150-plus.
Stephen Fleming shapes as the likeliest candidate as he will be desperate to post three figures on this venerable ground for the first time in his test career.
New Zealand's overriding feeling, though, must be frustration that they are chasing 400-plus. As in the first innings, their normally reliable catching let them down.
Brendon McCullum started the rot by grassing Alastair Cook when the left-hander was on five. McCullum probably had to go for it, though when you have the world's best first slip standing next to you, it is a precarious balancing act.
Cook went on to anchor the top order thanks to good luck and good management for his 60. He hit his first six in international cricket, a mere 5471 balls into his career.
Mark Gillespie, who continues to mix the good with the rotten, made the worst transgression.
While still on a duck, the barnacle-like Paul Collingwood miscued a lofted drive off Daniel Vettori. Gillespie had ample time to turn at mid-off and comfortably snaffle the catch but, like his effort at fine leg on the first morning, he made an awful hash of it. He can't even claim to have made up for it by trapping Collingwood leg before because, by that time, he had 59 often painstaking runs registered.
Proving that bad things come in threes, next ball Mathew Sinclair shelled Ian Bell (41) when he was on 12, but had he reeled it in it would have graced any highlights package.
"There were a few missed chances but I thought the guys fought back really well," Mills said. "None of the batsmen really got away from us and got a big score.
"It was a really tough day at the office today with the heat, the flat wicket and no cloud cover.
"As a bowling unit we are really pleased with getting them nine down for the day."
To be honest, it was not a day that had a lot to recommend it inside the lines, but outside it proved what a high the sport is on. New Zealand Cricket released viewing figures from Sky on Friday that were off the scale and yesterday the full house sign went out at 2.05pm, with another capacity 9500 crowd expected today.
The Barmy Army was in great voice with Billy Cooper and his trumpet proving Australian authorities missed a trick by banning it from their grounds on the most recent Ashes tour.
