Trent Bridge: England fight back against New Zeala...

By Priya Nair — 26 June 2026 — 3 min read

England’s early innings and New Zealand’s collapse

England began their first innings at Trent Bridge with Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay opening. New Zealand’s Will O’Rourke made an early breakthrough, dismissing Gay for a duck. Gay edged a lifting ball from O’Rourke, which was caught by Blundell behind the stumps. This brought Jacob Bethell to the crease to join Duckett.

Duckett, who averages 99.7 at Trent Bridge, was dropped by Henry Nicholls at third slip when he was on eight runs. Despite this reprieve, Duckett continued to score, hitting a boundary through the covers. He then clipped O’Rourke off his pads for another four and took a single to backward point. Duckett also hit Nathan Smith for four through point and later skewed another edge wide of gully for a boundary, taking his score to 22 runs from 18 deliveries.

New Zealand’s innings saw a significant collapse, losing their last nine wickets for 121 runs. This followed an opening stand by Devon Conway and Tom Latham, who scored 157 and 151 respectively. Ben Stokes was a key bowler for England, taking four wickets for 70 runs. One of Stokes’ wickets was Santner, who was given out caught by Bethell, a decision that was upheld on review.

Jofra Archer also contributed to England’s bowling attack, dismissing Ben Sears lbw for a duck, which brought New Zealand’s innings to a close at 438 all out. Bashir secured his first Test wicket since last July by catching Nathan Smith.

Will O’Rourke makes an early breakthrough for New Zealand by removing Emilio Gay.Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images Credit: theguardian.com

Individual performances and team dynamics

Ben Duckett‘s performance at Trent Bridge is notable, given his strong average at the venue. Despite being short on runs in the series, he received an early reprieve from New Zealand. His aggressive style of play was evident as he pulled Will O’Rourke to the mid-wicket boundary and later hit Nathan Smith for four.

Jacob Bethell, after joining Duckett, also contributed to England’s score. He greeted Blair Tickner’s fourth ball with a square drive and later flayed at a delivery outside off for four. The partnership aimed to stabilise England’s innings after the early loss of Gay.

Ben Duckett hits a shot — Ben Duckett settles in to his rhythm with a boundary.Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images Credit: theguardian.com

Ben Stokes‘ bowling has been a crucial element for England. Since the start of last summer, he has taken 40 Test wickets at an average of 24. His ability to take wickets, including three in one spell, highlights his importance to the team’s bowling attack. He has also reached 250 Test wickets.

The match also saw Blair Tickner replace Nathan Smith in the bowling attack for New Zealand. Tickner, bowling for the first time in the series, delivered a low ball that passed Bethell’s bat. Later, Archer hit Tickner on the helmet with a bouncer, leading to a break in play.

Batter	Runs	Balls	Dots	4s	6s	Minutes Mins	Strike Rate
Latham, Latham caught Smith, bowled Sto…	151	214	129	15	0	323	70.56
Conway, Conway caught substitute, bowle…	157	224	154	22	3	329	70.09
Nicholls, Nicholls caught Smith, bowled…	36	48	34	6	0	63	75.00
Ravindra, Ravindra caught Smith, bowled…	7	22	18	1	0	54	31.82
O'Rourke, O'Rourke caught Gay, bowled S…	19	38	32	4	0	69	50.00
Mitchell, Mitchell caught Smith, bowled…	11	33	26	1	0	51	33.33
Blundell, Blundell leg before wicket, b…	30	67	52	4	0	98	44.78
Santner, Santner caught Bethell, bowled…	4	12	11	1	0	18	33.33
Smith, Smith caught and bowled Bashir c…	6	28	23	0	0	57	21.43
Tickner, Tickner not out not out Tickne…	4	6	4	0	0	12	66.67
Sears, Sears leg before wicket, bowled…	0	1	1	0	0	7	0.00
Extras, Extras no balls 4, 4 nb wides 0…	13
Total, Total 438 all out 114.5 overs To…	438 all out

Credit: bbc.com

Commentary and fan engagement

Cricket enthusiasts have been actively engaging with the match, sharing their thoughts and literary recommendations. Jon from Birmingham mentioned Bunbury Tales by David English, highlighting its classic status in cricketing literature. Other recommendations included Penguins Stopped Play by Harry Thompson and Tales from a Long Room by Peter Tinniswood.

Some fans expressed their views on individual players, with one suggesting that Ben Duckett needed to regain his form. Another comment suggested that Ben Stokes needed to score runs to prove his indispensability to the team. The discussion also touched upon the design of batting gloves, with a plea for more minimalist designs to reduce the target area for caught behind decisions.

The conditions at Trent Bridge were noted, with the concourses resembling a field hospital due to the heat. Despite the challenging weather, fans found various ways to cope, including enjoying a Guinness and a Mr Whippy. The match continues to unfold with England’s fightback against New Zealand.

The series is currently level at 1-1, with this being the third Test.