Bairstow’s thrilling knock keeps England in touch with New Zealand

Eyebrows were raised before this third Test when Ben Stokes declared England were in the entertainment business, not the sporting business. Some 48 hours later, through another swashbuckling century from Jonny Bairstow and debutant Jamie Overton’s unbeaten 89, it became apparent the new captain was deadly serious.

England had crumbled to 55 for six inside 12 overs after lunch on day two, having earlier seen New Zealand post 329 through another commanding 109 from Daryl Mitchell. For all the recent talk of playing “sexy cricket” from their head coach, Brendon McCullum, the hosts appeared to be suffering from, ahem, performance issues as Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner got the cherry-ripe Dukes ball to talk dirty.

But in a febrile second half to proceedings, as the expected rain stayed away but the clouds loomed overhead, a well-oiled capacity crowd at Headingley was treated to quite a breathtaking counterattack from Bairstow and Overton. The pair plundered 209 runs for the seventh wicket in just 37.1 overs, Bairstow walking off unbeaten on 130 from 126 balls and the score a far healthier 264 for six. Entertainment? You betcha.

This was Bairstow’s 10th Test century and his fourth in seven matches, brought up half an hour before the close from just 95 balls as he punched Boult down the ground for his 15th four and soaked up the love from his adoring home crowd. The Yorkshireman’s 136 at Trent Bridge last week was billed as the innings of his life but here was another to rival it, the ball repeatedly whistling along the outfield.

Overton was no slouch either, if a touch more agricultural on occasions, using all of his 6ft 5in frame to muscle the ball either across or over the boundary rope. He had earlier been