Battered but unbowed, Daryl Mitchell’s unbeaten 100 puts New Zealand on brink

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — Daryl Mitchell literally took it on the chin for New Zealand.

And the forearm, and the ribs, and the shoulder, and the fingers.

Mitchell was battered and bruised by England’s bowlers but unbowed on Sunday in scoring an unbeaten century to help New Zealand close in on a rare test series win in the old country.

He was the anchor in a snail-paced second innings that was declared at 288-9 moments after he reached a gutsy century after tea on day four.

That set England an unlikely target of 373 in the fourth innings on a spicy pitch. No team has ever scored 300 or more in a successful fourth innings chase at Trent Bridge and England was sinking at 103-4 at stumps in a manic reaction to the shocking retirement announcement of skipper Ben Stokes.

Mitchell took 13 blows to the body or gloves, including one bouncer from Gus Atkinson right onto his helmet grill. Like every other blow, Mitchell shook off the initial pain, straightened his gear and faced the next delivery.

He started the day on 26, in partnership with Rachin Ravindra on 60. New Zealand led by 204 runs and was determined to extend it past England’s reach.

They dug in. Just before lunch, Ravindra was pinned on 94, breaking their stand of 129. Ravindra was gutted after more than four hours at the crease.

After lunch, Mitchell reached his slowest test fifty, in 170 balls. More partners came and went and a hundred didn’t look likely until he and No. 10 batter Ben Sears hit 50 together in as many balls.

Then Sears retired after a blow to his bowling hand and last batter Will O’Rourke came out. O’Rourke lasted three balls and the innings was thought to be over, but Sears returned with his hand strapped and Mitchell on 92.

Still unhurried, Mitchell absorbed eight more deliveries to get to 100 and ran pumping his fist and swinging his bat in joy after 6 1/2 hours in the middle at the tail of a British heat wave. His sixth test hundred was his fourth against England.

The 241 balls he faced came in phases. He scored 18 off his first 26 balls, was 20 off 60 overnight, was on 63 off 210 at tea, then added 37 off 31 balls. Sears scored his first test runs, 19.

Mitchell’s extraordinary day wasn’t over.

In the field for England’s chase, he took a tumbling backwards catch to end the last bat of Ben Stokes’ test career and caught out the other opener, Ben Duckett, at slips.

It was Mitchell’s turn to land blows.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket