New Zealand Build Huge Lead During Day One of the Third Test Against England

England hit back late on a draining opening day of the third Test, taking two wickets in the final overs to stop New Zealand from completely taking control at Trent Bridge.

Openers Tom Latham and Devon Conway produced a dominant stand of 317, the highest partnership New Zealand have ever made for any wicket against England, as the visitors made the most of a flat pitch and punishing conditions.

But England, led by returning captain Ben Stokes, managed to drag themselves back into the day with two wickets in the final passage of play, leaving New Zealand 361 for 4 at stumps after a long, hard day in the field.

Stokes lost a key toss in searing Nottingham heat, and New Zealand immediately cashed in on a surface offering little for the bowlers. Latham and Conway were in control for long periods, punishing anything short or loose and rarely looking troubled during a stand that put England under sustained pressure.

England’s frustration, though, came as much from missed chances as it did from the excellence of the batting.

Devon Conway was on 71 when he appeared to be trapped by Shoaib Bashir, with replays suggesting the ball would have hit the stumps, but no appeal came. Later, Latham was dropped on 129 when he miscued a pull off Gus Atkinson’s delivery, with wicketkeeper Jamie Smith unable to hold a straightforward chance down the leg side.

Those moments proved costly. Latham eventually fell for 151 when he edged Ben Stokes behind, before Conway was dismissed for 157, caught at long-on off Joe Root.

Stokes’ wicket brought a significant shift in momentum after a long day in the field, with England celebrating what felt like a crucial breakthrough. But New Zealand still looked set to finish unscathed before England struck twice late on.

Rachin Ravindra’s loose shot saw him caught off Atkinson, before Henry Nicholls edged Jofra Archer with the final delivery of the day, giving England something tangible to take into the next morning.

Before the match, Stokes had described the pressure on his side as the “highest pressure” of his time as captain, with England needing a result to avoid further scrutiny after a difficult run of form.

They are also facing a depleted New Zealand attack, with Kyle Jamieson rested and Matt Henry and Glenn Phillips both unavailable through injury.

Even so, England will feel they let opportunities slip again. The pitch has remained benign throughout, but the sense is that they needed to be sharper in key moments to prevent New Zealand building such a commanding position.

The surface is expected to stay good for batting, and England have shown before they can recover from imposing first-innings totals.

One of those recoveries came at this ground against New Zealand in 2022, when Jonny Bairstow’s extraordinary innings helped define the early Bazball era under Stokes.

The late wickets at least kept them in touch. New Zealand will resume with a four-over-old ball still in play, with Will O’Rourke and Daryl Mitchell to come.