Three observations from the third day of the second test between New Zealand and England.
1. The third-wicket partnership A 99-run partnership off 87 balls between Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor propelled the test towards an imminent result, regardless of how much rain intervenes on the final two days.
They blazedaway in a manner which appeared to be a closer relative to the T20 rather than the test species. The 50-partnership came up in 28 balls.
Taylor (48 off 48 balls) drove his first ball to the boundary through the covers off Stuart Broad. He was dropped at third slip the following over by Gary Ballance on six before shrugging off his legside shackles to pull Ben Stokes' first ball, a long hop, into the stand to go to 30.
Guptill reached 70 off 72 balls, as he did in the first innings at Lord's. Forty of his runs came between gully and cover but his most memorable stroke was the straight six off Moeen Ali to bring up his half-century in 47 balls.
2. The precision of the New Zealand's slip cordon They seldom share the limelight when snaffling edges but deserved to take a bow in helping dismiss England for 350, leaving the first innings scores level.
Spread in a swoosh formation, wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi, Taylor, Mark Craig, Guptill and gully Kane Williamson weathered a miserable Leeds morning flawlessly. Tim Southee slotted in between Craig and Guptill, when he wasn't shaping deliveries away from English batsmen on his way to the team's best figures of four for 83 from 30 overs.
The cordon's skill set is often one of the most underrated in any team. Life can be tricky when you have a split-second to pouch a 156g missile with - Ronchi excepted - bare hands. The sextet hunched their shoulders into a freezing 13-knot westerly, sheltered by nothing more than new-fangled fibre shirts and cable sweaters.
It must have felt like the North Pole.
Yet snap, crackle, pop, Craig, Taylor and Guptill snared Ian Bell (12), Jos Buttler (10) and Moeen Ali (1) respectively, reducing England to 267 for eight, having added 14 runs.
3. Flexing the muscle If statistics are an indication, the partnership between Brendon McCullum and B-J Watling minimised England's chances of winning this test after three days.
McCullum and Watling put on 121 for the fifth wicket which extended New Zealand's lead to 262. It reached 338 with four wickets in hand by stumps.
Only Don Bradman's 1948 Invincibles (404 for three) bucked the trend for winning chases in the fourth innings at the ground.
However, the pitch has suffered little wear and tear and there is plenty of time left. In the process, McCullum became the second New Zealand test player to 6000 runs behind Stephen Fleming (7172), moving to 6008 with his 55.
Watling fifth test century broke a 66-year-old, seven-match New Zealand jinx at the ground. Irrespective of dismissal, his average will move into the 40s for the first time since his debut when it was 78. He's 100 not out.
