New Delhi: have made a strong comeback in the third Test against at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Friday, June 26. After bowling the Kiwis out for 438, the hosts finished Day 2 on 223/2. Ben Duckett smashed a brilliant hundred, and Jacob Bethell scored a fifty to seize control on a surface that remains brilliant for batting.
William O’Rourke removed Emilio Gay for a duck early in the innings, but Duckett stitched a 179-run partnership for the second with Bethell. The opener smashed 113 runs off just 99 deliveries with the help of 19 boundaries. Bethell, meanwhile, struggled at the start of the innings but showed great composure to remain unbeaten on 74 off 128 deliveries.
Nathan Smith removed Duckett with a nip-backer in the 32nd over. After his dismissal, Bethell forged an unbeaten 36-run partnership with Joe Root to keep their team in control. Root also looked solid since arriving at the crease, as England closed the day trailing by 215 runs with eight wickets still in hand.
Stokes stars as New Zealand bowled out for 438
The visitors got off to a stunning start after opting to bat first in the series decider. Their openers, Tom Latham and Devon Conway, stitched a 317-run record-breaking partnership for the first wicket.
Conway smashed 157 runs off 224 balls, while Latham amassed 151. But the Kiwis struggled against the second new ball and slipped from commanding 317/0 to 438 all out. Stokes removed Latham in the final session on day 1, which opened the doors for the Three Lions. They capitalised on the opportunity and took four wickets in the last session, before wrapping up the innings on Day 2.
The visitors added just 77 runs to their overnight score before being bowled out, surrendering the massive advantage that they had built through that massive opening stand.
Apart from their openers, the rest of the batting order failed to make any significant contributions. Henry Nicholls and Tom Blundell got good starts but failed to convert them into big scores. Stokes took 4 wickets, while Jofra Archer and Shoaib Bashir picked up two each.