ENGLAND bowling coach Ottis Gibson believes his side have the right character to pull off a record run chase and get a result from the second Investec Test against New Zealand at Headingley.
The Black Caps lead by 338 runs after ending the day with a total of 338 for six in their second innings, thanks to an unbeaten century from BJ Watling.
Watling (100no), Martin Guptill (70) and Brendon McCullum (55), and for the hosts Stuart Broad and Mark Wood, were chiefly responsible as 435 runs were scored and 11 wickets fell on day three.
Just once in Test history at the Yorkshire ground has a higher fourth-innings total been chased, by Don Bradman's invincible Australian tourists of 1948 - and England have never made as many to win anywhere.
"We certainly are up against it," said Gibson. "The one thing I've noticed about this team since we've come back from the Caribbean, and certainly last week at Lord's, there's a lot of character in the dressing room, but we can't hide from the fact that we haven't been as good as we could have been here.
"We've put ourselves behind the eight ball, but the character in the dressing room suggests that we're not out of it yet and we're starting to believe that upstairs."
On the England bowlers, Gibson said: "We haven't bowled very well in both innings to be honest. We lacked control.
"We've been guilty of sometimes overdoing it, we've tried a little bit too hard to get wickets and haven't always been patient enough.
"And we're going at four-and-a-half, nearly five an over and the one-day series hasn't started yet.
"For me as a bowling coach it's a little bit frustrating but we know we're a lot better than that.
"The New Zealanders have played - especially with the bat - they've been very attacking and have hit some really good balls as well and that puts pressure on the bowling attack.
"As a bowling attack, we talk about controlling the length we're bowling - that controls the scoring rate and we haven't been able to do that. They haven't allowed us to do that."
Black Caps opener Guptill was pleased with his side's effort and praised team-mate Watling.
He said: "(It was a) terrific knock that. He's a great character and he can bat anywhere in the order if we need him to, and he's been a great find for us and he's doing well.
"With Brendon out there and BJ coming to the wicket, they're two very good players and when BJ gets in he bats a long time, so you know that Brendon can bat a long time.
"They put on a great partnership and really set the end of the day up for us."
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