2 hours ago A period of 'beautiful drives' - Conway's champion shots
By
Cricket Correspondent astatine Trent Bridge
Third Rothesay Test, Trent Bridge (day 1 of five)
New Zealand 361-4: Conway 157, Latham 151
England: Yet to bat
New Zealand won the toss
England took 2 precocious wickets to bent successful their decider against New Zealand connected a brutal opening time of the 3rd Test.
Openers Tom Latham and Devon Conway each made large hundreds successful a concern of 317.
But aft New Zealand's highest basal for immoderate wicket against England ended, Gus Atkinson and Jofra Archer removed Rachin Ravindra and Henry Nicholls respectively with the last 2 balls of the day to permission the Black Caps 361-4.
On his instrumentality to starring England, skipper Ben Stokes mislaid a captious flip successful the utmost vigor of Trent Bridge, and the Black Caps cashed successful connected the flattest of level pitches.
Captain Latham and chap left-hander Conway were superb and England's bowlers did small wrong, but the location broadside were made to wage for missing the chances that came their way.
On 71, Conway looked to person defended the off-spin of Shoaib Bashir. Replays showed the shot deed his beforehand pad archetypal and would person gone connected to deed the stumps, yet England did not appeal.
Worse was to come. Latham, who edged done a vacant 3rd gaffe connected eight, had 129 and went for a propulsion astatine Atkinson. It was a elemental accidental down the limb broadside and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith hardly got a mitt connected it.
Stokes, backmost aft the nightclub contention that caused him to miss the 2nd Test, yet got Latham to feather down connected 151, past Conway was caught astatine long-on disconnected Joe Root for 157.
The precocious wickets were a immense bonus for England, celebrated with delight. Ravindra needlessly skied Atkinson and Nicholls edged Archer, keeping the location broadside successful the contest.
Good signs for England trial of character
NZ's grounds concern ends arsenic England instrumentality 2 wickets successful 7 balls
Following the chaos of the past fortnight and a tally of 2 wins successful their erstwhile 9 Tests, Stokes said earlier this lucifer his squad are nether the "highest pressure" of his clip successful charge.
England person to triumph - oregon astatine slightest gully - to forestall enactment positions again coming nether scrutiny.
They are up against a weakened New Zealand team. Kyle Jamieson has been rested and Matt Henry and Glenn Phillips are some missing done injury.
Yes, the flip was important and the conditions stifling, but England erstwhile again missed priceless opportunities.
There is hope. The aboveground should stay bully for batting erstwhile England yet get their accidental and 3 times successful the past 4 years England person won Tests contempt the absorption totalling successful excess of 500 successful their archetypal innings.
The archetypal of those 3 matches came connected this crushed against New Zealand successful 2022, erstwhile Jonny Bairstow's astonishing battle was the commencement of Bazball.
That was a antithetic time, erstwhile optimism abounded astatine the opening of the Stokes era.
After each that has happened connected and disconnected the field, has this England squad got the aforesaid tummy for the fight? The precocious wickets hint astatine a tone inactive intact.
Missed chances earlier England yet strike
'It's plum' - England miss accidental to disregard Conway
Despite the scoreline, England did not vessel badly. In the oppressive heat, the hosts battled hard connected a aboveground wherever immoderate tiny stray successful magnitude oregon magnitude was punished by the batters.
In conditions truthful heavy weighted towards the batters, England's missed chances were costly, the archetypal erstwhile Latham edged Archer done a third-slip presumption that had conscionable been moved.
There is mitigation for the lbw Bashir did not entreaty for against Conway. On archetypal look, the shot seemed to person deed the bat first. England had besides conscionable burned a speculative reappraisal against Latham.
Smith's driblet was a howler. As England belatedly went to a short-ball plan, Latham followed Atkinson down the limb broadside and the wicketkeeper fto the shot done his gloves.
Stokes had earlier received a rousing reception erstwhile helium came into the onslaught successful the greeting session. He bowled with vigor each day, yet getting Latham to chopped done to Smith. In the adjacent over, Root's second, a bushed Conway hacked to sub fielder Matthew Fisher.
New Zealand looked similar batting done the remainder of the time unscathed, lone for England's cognition to beryllium rewarded.
Bashir did good to propulsion disconnected a diving halt astatine agelong leg, preventing a bound and leaving Ravindra connected strike. Ravindra's propulsion was rash, resulting successful a apical borderline to Smith. With the adjacent delivery, Archer produced a lifter that Nicholls tickled behind.
Latham dropped connected 129 by Smith
Latham and Conway currency in
This was a superb flip for New Zealand to win, particularly aft losing 3 cardinal players, yet the batters inactive had to play good to people the runs.
Latham and Conway did truthful successful record-breaking fashion, astatine 1 signifier looking connected people to nutrient the 26th wicketless time successful Test history.
Conway played drives done the covers and down the ground, Latham clipped disconnected his pads. Latham began by scoring much freely, past Conway got aft the rotation aboriginal on. Both were blessed to instrumentality connected the abbreviated ball.
In mounting a New Zealand champion concern for immoderate wicket against England, they broke a grounds that had stood since 1926. They fell 21 abbreviated of the highest opening concern by immoderate squad successful Tests against England.
Nicholls and Ravindra came up against the 2nd caller shot precocious successful the day, and Nicholls took a nasty stroke to the caput from Archer.
The consequences of Ravindra's lapse against Atkinson volition lone beryllium revealed successful time. England volition instrumentality refreshed, holding a shot hardly 4 overs old, and with nightwatchman Will O'Rourke and adjacent antheral Daryl Mitchell some yet to face.
NZ skipper Latham hits a 'fabulous' period - champion shots
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