Ben Duckett gave England a brisk start in response to New Zealand’s 438 on Day 2 of the third and final Test at Trent Bridge on Friday.
At tea, England were 73-1 from 14 overs, with Duckett unbeaten on 52 and Jacob Bethell not out on 16. The home side still trailed by 365 runs, but Duckett’s tempo ensured New Zealand did not have a quiet opening session with the ball after building a large first-innings total.
Duckett, who has not had many runs this year, began positively and reached the break with an attacking half-century. He did have an early escape on 8, when Henry Nicholls put him down at third slip off Nathan Smith. New Zealand could not turn that chance into early pressure, and Duckett continued to score quickly.
England lost only one wicket before tea. Emilio Gay was out for 0, caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Tom Blundell off Will O’Rourke. Bethell then joined Duckett and stayed through to the interval.
New Zealand bowled out after lunch
Earlier in the day, New Zealand were dismissed for 438 after lunch. Their total was set up on Day 1 by a 317-run opening stand between Tom Latham and Devon Conway. Latham made 151, while Conway scored 157, putting England under heavy pressure at the start of the match.
England had pulled things back late on Thursday with four wickets, and that recovery continued on Friday. Captain Ben Stokes played the main role with the ball, taking three more wickets and reaching 250 wickets in Test cricket.
Stokes made the first breakthrough of the day when Daryl Mitchell, on 11, edged behind to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith. Will O’Rourke, who made 19, was then caught by Gay at point after slicing the ball.
The wicket that took Stokes to 250 in Tests came against Mitchell Santner. Stokes used a sharp bouncer, and Santner, on 4, was given out after the ball looped to Bethell in the gully. Santner reviewed the decision, but replays showed the ball had brushed his glove, so the dismissal stood.
Stokes helps keep England in the match
New Zealand’s opening partnership had put England on the back foot, but the lower order was not allowed to turn 317-0 into an even bigger total. Stokes’ spell helped limit the damage after the visitors had looked set for a huge score.
The conditions were demanding, with temperatures reaching 34 degrees Celsius. Even so, England kept working through the innings and finished New Zealand’s first innings soon after lunch.
For England, the next task was to start well with the bat. Gay’s early dismissal could have given New Zealand a strong opening, but Duckett’s counterattack changed the tone of the session. His unbeaten 52 came from a position where England needed quick runs as well as stability.
New Zealand still remained in a strong position at tea because of their first-innings total. England had a long way to go to reduce the deficit, and the dropped chance off Duckett had already become an important moment in the reply.
The final session of Day 2 was set up clearly: England needed Duckett and Bethell to build on the 73-1 start, while New Zealand needed early wickets to regain control after missing the chance to remove Duckett cheaply.
Source: The Hindu Cricket.