Rain pauses Root's quest

England Lions reached stumps on day three of their tour match against New Zealand with a lead of 30 runs, with Joe Root still unbeaten and Jonny Bairstow inching towards a half century at Grace Road.
England Lions reached stumps on day three of their tour match against New Zealand with a lead of 30 runs, with Joe Root still unbeaten and Jonny Bairstow inching towards a half century at Grace Road.
The Lions were on 315 for four, having lost two wickets in a shortened morning session, thanks to rain, with Root continuing his century to sit on 143 at the break, while Bairstow was on 45. There was no further play after lunch.
The day began with The Lions still 66 runs behind but only two wickets down, with Root on 105 and Chris Wright, the night watchman, on zero. The fast bowler didn't last long though, scoring just five before being caught by Tim Southee off Trent Boult.
James Taylor was next in and was soon back in the hut, also falling to Boult, caught behind by BJ Watling for two. This left Root and Bairstow to continue the knock, with around 30 minutes lost due to a rain delay.
As it was, there was no more play to be had as the heavens refused to let up. There were two inspections, but neither bore fruit as the game seemed set to end in a draw if play could take place on day four.
New Zealand, meanwhile, had to deal with a potential injury to fast bowler Tim Southee, who would not have taken the field after lunch as he had hurt his foot. He would be sent for scans, but was not considered a doubt for the first Test on Thursday.