BUMBLE ON THE TEST: Jack Leach is England's trump card - they needed him badly against New Zealand. . . and Zak Crawley should be dropped, with Haseeb Hameed coming back in to replace him The second Test between England and New Zealand hangs in the balance England need 210 more runs to win while the hosts require a further nine wickets Some of England's players have shone, but others have struggled massively By David Lloyd for the Daily Mail Published: 15:09 EST, 27 February 2023 | Updated: 17:01 EST, 27 February 2023 e-mail 1 View comments The second Test between England and New Zealand hangs in the balance going into the final day , with Ben Stokes ' side requiring 210 more runs for victory. After putting New Zealand back into bat in the follow on, Tim Southee's side put on an impressive 483, setting their visitors 258 runs to win. Zak Crawley fell for 24, but fellow opener Ben Duckett is 23 not out overnight and nightwatchman Ollie Robinson is unbeaten on one. New Zealand require nine wickets to square the series at one apiece, but, rain aside, we should see a result of sorts in Wellington. David 'Bumble' Lloyd casts his eye back over day four of the second Test. Bowler Jack Leach was England's trump card against New Zealand and was needed by his side Kane Williamson scored a fine century for New Zealand before being dismissed by Harry Brook Jack's a trump card There are many times when the balance of a team is discussed — whether to leave out the spinner to play an extra this or that. But boy did England need Jack Leach in this match. All 61. 3 overs of him in the second innings. Yes, it looked like a seamer’s paradise at the start of proceedings but it would have been foolhardy not to include Leach, who turned in one of his best performances, occupying one end to give the seamers a rest and taking a five-for to boot. Brook has Midas touch Harry Brook can do no wrong. He has been batting like Don Bradman and now he fancies himself with the ball. England turned to the unlikeliest source in asking the 24-year-old to turn his arm over but he came up trumps with the prize wicket of New Zealand’s Kane Williamson. It was hardly Fred Trueman charging in from the Kirkstall Lane end, more like a slow motion Mike Procter, bowling off the wrong foot. Whatever it looked like, and however fortuitous the leg-side tickle, crucially it said ‘out’ in the book. Zak out, Hameed in I love the togetherness and loyalty in this England team but you cannot carry on with an opener who is not scoring runs. Another failure for Zak Crawley should provide an opportunity for someone else to come in and do the job. Sometimes it is better for the struggling player themselves to be left out. It would not be fair to ask Jonny Bairstow to open, so having watched lots of county cricket last year, my preference would be a recall for Haseeb Hameed — with honourable mentions for Dom Sibley and Keaton Jennings. Zak Crawley has struggled massively for England in recent times and may be out the side soon Captain Ben Stokes hasn't bowled much lately and his lack of overs is a worry for England Ben's bowling a big miss Ben Stokes is going to be a problem going forward if he is a captain-batter who only bowls occasionally. Knee niggles need careful management and the more you keep off them, the better they heal. But the issue I foresee is that an occasional bowler eventually doesn’t bowl at all, and if you don’t bowl at all you cannot develop rhythm or stamina. I think England will be crying out for one of Stokes’s signature spells this summer against Australia, the kind Andrew Flintoff used to produce, but miles in the legs are required to do that. Beefy's welly trip A Test in Wellington reminds me of England’s last trip there. Jonathan Agnew called the troops together in the build-up, the rendezvous point a local fish shack. A long lunch spilled into dinner over the road, where a certain IT Botham returned from the bar with a tray of drinks, fell down five steps but didn’t spill a drop! Such agility was inconspicuous at the end of the night, though. The harbour road in the city has four lanes each way and on sight of the green man, Beefy burst into a gentle jog… and landed face first on the ground. Share or comment on this article: BUMBLE ON THE TEST: Jack Leach is England's trump card e-mail Add comment Comments 1 Share what you think Newest Oldest Best rated Worst rated View all The comments below have been moderated in advance. View all The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. 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