England vs New Zealand, 3rd Test: Jack Leach says freak Henry Nicholls wicket all part of 'silly' cricket
The left-arm spinner's career has been blighted by illness, injury, inconsistent selection and even a concussion suffered while chasing the ball to the boundary in the first Test of this three-match campaign at Lord's. So he was arguably due a moment of good fortune and it arrived a day after his 31st birthday. Nicholls, on the stroke of tea, drove hard at Leach only for the ball to ricochet off non-striker Daryl Mitchell's bat and loop gently to Alex Lees at mid-off. "It was unbelievable, I've never seen anything like it," Leach told reporters following Thursday's close. "I didn't even know if that was allowed, but I'll take any wicket I can get. You get enough that don't go your way. It was very unlucky for Nicholls but very lucky for me."