On Monday, Lancashire announced that big-hitting Australian Glenn Maxwell will return for this season’s T20 Blast.

“50 years from now, Britain will still be the country of long shadows on county (cricket) grounds, warm beer, invincible green suburbs, dog lovers, and – as George Orwell said – old maids bicycling to Holy Communion through the morning mist,” said former British Prime Minister John major in 1993. Interestingly, this was his vision of Britain in Europe. However, does his view of English county grounds reflecting the British character still resonate nearly 30 years on?

The final day of this series was one where England will rue missed opportunities – none more glaring than the simple catch dropped by Joe Denly as New Zealand ended the test 241-2.

England captain Joe Root led from the front to score a magnificent double century to give his team a chance to win the match and level the series tomorrow on day five in Hamilton.

Today’s play is one of the few in this series where England can say they held the advantage, though much more will be required to win this test match and square the series in Hamilton as the tourists reached 269-5, still 106 runs behind New Zealand.

New Zealand again found ways to graft their way to a competitive score by batting for a long period of time and were able to put England’s top order under pressure in response.

New Zealand opener Tom Latham racked up his fifth test century in only ten innings on a truncated first day of the second test at Seddon Park in Hamilton overnight.

New Zealand dominated England on day five of the first test at Mount Maunganui by skittling the tourists for 197 after tea to hand the hosts an impressive win by an innings and 65 runs.

England began the day requiring four wickets to bring New Zealand’s innings to a close and again they started cautiously but to great assurance.

England have successfully kept themselves ahead of the game in a tight contest on day two in Mount Maunganui with New Zealand 144/4 (Williamson 51, Nicholls 26*) and trailing England 353 (Stokes 91, Denly 74, Southee 4/88) by 209 runs at stumps on day two.

The first day of New Zealand’s test summer was an attritional one for both sides but England will be the happier of the two going into day two at Mount Maunganui.