nzherald.co.nz reporter Edward Gay is at Eden Park in Auckland taking in all the action, on and off the field, from the third one-day cricket international between the Black Caps and England.
Photo GalleryKEY POINTS:
10.12pm
Ground staff are already out in the middle removing the drop-in pitch for tomorrow night's Super 14 match between Auckland and the Chiefs.
A large steel cage-like structure has been rolled out on to the field and ground staff are preparing to have the pitch lifted out of the ground and replaced with softer turf for tomorrow night's rugby game.
At least a New Zealand team will win tomorrow night at Eden Park...Although it could be a draw.
10.03pm
England has won the third One Day International by six wickets with three overs to spare.
The Blackcaps fans, sensing defeat, began leaving the stadium with six overs to go.
Voices on the terraces had gone hoarse, while the chant of: "Let's go, kiwi, let's go" became drowned out by a jubilant Barmy Army.
Collingwood put the final nail in the coffin, scoring a quick-fire 70 off 50 balls.
Blackcaps captain Daniel Vettori finished with two for 23 and was the pick of the bowlers, while the others, aside from Oram's one for 45, struggled with line and length.
England's win brings the five ODI series alive after the Blackcaps won in Wellington and Hamilton.
The series now moves to Napier on Wednesday.
9.13pm
The Blackcaps are in with a sniff, thanks to some brilliant bowling from their captain.
Daniel Vettori has dismissed the dangerous Pietersen.
Pietersen will feel hard done by as he was a long way forward when it struck him. He gave the umpire a glaring as he made his way back to the shed.
England now have two relatively new batsmen and Vettori will need to put pressure on them while protecting the relatively low total.
9.02pm
English batsman Ian Bell bludgeoned his way to 73 off 89 balls before being judged LBW to the bowling of Vettori.
Bell looked solid, putting England into a winning position.
New Zealand are in big still in big trouble with Kevin Pietersen there on a respectable 39.
If the Blackcaps have any hope of winning they need some wickets in quick succession.
Vettori may target Collingwood who was run out in humiliating circumstances in Hamilton.
8.41pm
England have reached 100 and they've only lost the two wickets.
The Eden Park crowd have not had much to cheer about, although the terraces have not let up.
The New Zealand bowlers are in desperate need of a break-through.
Daniel Vettori has brought himself on under the lights but so far has had no success. He has however tied up one end with economical figures of five runs off his four overs.
Meanwhile, the rain has begun to fall again. The umpires are looking to the skies but have not called the players off yet.
However, not even the rain can save the Blackcaps now. With England only being down by two wickets, they are sure to be ahead on the dreaded Duckworth Lewis system.
7.50pm
The Eden Park crowd has been well behaved with no incidents at the gate.
While a handful of people were seen emptying their bags of alcohol they had been trying to smuggle in, Eden Park staff have said there have been no issues.
Eden Park Trust Board general manager Murray Reade said the crowd has been well behaved.
Mr Reade said there was a sizable crowd at the gate at 1pm and that has grown as people have come to the ground after work.
During the Twenty20 fans complained that Eden Park staff had been disorganised with lengthy waits at the ticketing booths.
The Herald reported that up to 3000 fans were still outside the ground at the start of play. But Eden Park management said people had turned up late.
Today, however, the crowd has largely turned up in dribs and drabs and the crowd is not as large as the Twenty20.
New Zealand Cricket is yet to announce the official crowd figure but it does not appear to be as large as the Twenty20 match on February 5.
Significant areas of the stadium are empty while the Twenty20 match had sold nearly 25,000 tickets before midday.
7.18pm
The players have made their way back out to the middle after a short break after rain stopped play.
England have started strongly and apart from the run out of Mustard are scoring at a run rate of over 6.5.
New Zealand's target of 234 has been cut back to 229 with the loss of one over as calculated by the Duckworth Lewis system.
The New Zealand bowlers have been expensive, with Martin going for 19 off just two overs.
Vettori has been forced to call an early chage, brining on Oram in the fifth over.
6.48pm
The rain has briefly come down here, forcing the players from the pitch but it shouldn't be for long as the sun is still shining.
However, given England's strong start the stoppage couldn't have come at a better time for the Black Caps - as we all remember what happened after the rain delay in Hamilton.
6.17pm
Just a reminder as the England innings gets underway, you can send in your comments by clinking on the link at the bottom of the page.
6.00pm
A valiant fight-back by Vettori and Oram in the middle order has saved the Black Caps from embarrassment but will it be enough?
The Black Caps top order tumbled cheaply and the middle order struggled but a gritty partnership from the experienced duo of Oram and Vettori has given the scoresheet some respectability.
The innings of Oram was high-lighted by some ferocious hooking. His blistering boundaries were complimented by his ability to pick up the singles and keep the scoreboard ticking over. Oram's 88 came off just 91 balls and included four fours and four sixes.
But Oram's concentration seemed to wain towards the end and after being struck by a no-ball full tosser from Sidebottom, Oram skied the ball to a wide mid-off and was caught.
Vettori's quick fire 42 off 35 was also handy and proves that this Eden Park wicket is an honest batting strip.
After Oram's dismissal, New Zealand's total was never going to get much bigger but the lower order managed to hold on. The innings was finished by Hitchcock who smashed a six off the last ball.
The English quicks - Sidebottom, Anderson and especially Broad - did the damage early on and proved hard to get away.
Broad was the standout with figures of three for 32 while captain Collingwood also picked up three and went for 43 off his nine overs.
There has only been a dribble as far as the forecast showers are concerned and there's no sign that they will show up to save the Black Ccaps.
The New Zealand bowlers will need to bowl well if they are to defend their 234 total which on the Eden Park batting friendly pitch, with it's short boundaries, will be difficult.
England's innings is due to begin at 6.15pm.
4.47pm
Everything from bottle caps to the stray jandal is being flung in the air as the Mexican Wave goes up on the terraces.
Though not full, the terraces are providing entertainment for the rest of the crowd with many people dressing up for the occasion.
The obvious pun on Mascarenhas' name is being chanted, along with one for the purists: "Lets watch the cricket". The others, sadly, can not be printed on this website.
The Beige Brigade is out in force but there's more than just the nappy filling colour of the 80's New Zealand garb on show.
There's a grouping of road workers in fluro yellow and the colourful mexican sombreros are also popular.
Paul and his friends are dressed as policemen, complete with 1980s styled moustaches and big sunglasses. They've brought their friend Traverse along, dressed as a convict. Traverse is due to be married in two weeks.
A few rows along is Martin who has a Union Jack draped across his shoulders. His friend Sam is in the beige shirt and a beige sports coat from the same period.
Is Sam getting some stick?pepe"Nah, it's all right. We're still on top. We're on the up. Sometimes New Zealand collapses at the beginning, but England do well in the beginning and collapse at the end," said Sam. Martin disagrees.
Close by are 68 year-old UK couple David and Vania Hunter.
"We just love the banter on the terraces. We're here for two months and we couldn't have done this in England," Mrs Hunter siad.
Alex, a chef, has avoided the hot dogs and chips and brought his own hamburger along that he calls The Ryder.
The burger, about the size of a dinner plate, has a can of beetroot, two courgettes, one and-a-half red onions, an avocado, mushrooms and garlic aioli.
4.27pm
The Blackcaps are in big trouble with the loss of Taylor for 31.
The responsibility now rests on the two seniors Vettori and Oram who will need to go on and post a strong partnership.
The English bowlers have done the bulk of their work, dismissing the top order and most of the middle for a meisly 99.
The wickets have been shared by the bowlers who all, barring Mascarenhas, have tidy figures.
The cynical Blackcap fan will now be praying for rain.
3.54pm
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3.49pm
The Blackcaps have gotten off to a rotten start on the score sheet with the opening partnership that proved too strong for England at Hamilton already back in the hutch.
Brendon McCullum went out without firing a shot and although Jesse Ryder had a decent knock with his 23, How, Styris and Fulton have also failed.
The Blackcaps will need to cement a strong partnership in the middle order with the departure of Styris, who has not found form with the willow since coming back from injury.
A lot rests on the shoulders of Taylor and Oram, who had a week off batting duties on Tuesday when Ryder and McCullum powered New Zealand home to a 10 wicket victory.
Meanwhile, the English fans have something to smile about.
The English fielding has - on the whole - been sharp with accurate throwing.
New Zealand batsmen have struggled to capitalise on the strange shape of Eden Park and have not pierced the English field as much as they would have liked.
The bowling of Broad has been accurate and Anderson has also looked in good touch.
2.54pm
Beige Brigade member Paul Cassidy is looking forward to watching the young Jesse "James" Ryder in action today.
Cassidy said the big man is likely to pull off a massive innings this afternoon as he makes a bid for the test side, due to be named shortly.
"There's a calmness about him," Cassidy said.
Cassidy, who is here with English friends, said he hopes the Blackcaps give him plenty of opportunities to "rark" up his mates.
"I'll be sitting behind them so I'll be able to chuck things at them," he joked.
Members of the Barmy Army are also out in force.
The St George's Cross is hanging from around the ground, many carrying messages of support for the English side.
Barmy Army member Ray Wilson has come to the ground, decked out in his England cricket gear.
Wilson still supports his native England, despite moving to New Zealand 26 years ago.
"I came over in the Barmy Army and I wasn't allowed to go back, they won't allow me back in England," he joked.
He said the English side will do better today then their last two disappointing performances in Wellington and Hamilton.
"I'm hoping they can make it a contest, especially after the Twenty20s," Wilson said.
Wilson said the inlusion of Dimitri Mascarenhas will improve England's chances.
2.35pm
The Eden Park locals are out making a quick buck from $10 parking in their front yards as streams of fans make their way into Eden Park to see the Black Caps take on England in the third one-day International.
Inside the ground, the Black Caps have made a solid start, going at four runs an over with young gun Jesse Ryder piercing gaps and Jamie How picking out the singles.
The Black Caps have already lost their plucky wicketkeeper-batsman Brendan McCullum but otherwise look strong.
In the grandstands only a scattering of seats have been taken with many fans likely to pour into the ground at the end of the working day.
