ENG vs NZ: Duckett hundred, Stokes 4-for swing momentum England's way on Day 2

England finished Day 2 of the third Test against New Zealand in a commanding position on 223/2, trailing by 215 runs in the first innings with Jacob Bethell (74*) and Joe Root (21*) at the crease. Ben Duckett (113) gave a solid foundation to the England innings with a blistering century, which further pushed New Zealand on the back foot after a horrific batting show earlier in the day.

The Kiwis were skittled for 438 in their first innings with England captain Ben Stokes (4/70) leading from the front with a four-wicket haul. They resumed their innings on 361/4 with nightwatchman Will O’Rourke (0*) and Daryl Mitchell (0*) at the crease, after England had removed Rachin Ravindra (7) and Henry Nicholls (36) on successive deliveries before stumps on Day 1.

Both Mitchell and O’Rourke had a measured start as they saw off the first few overs against the new ball. However, the golden arm of Ben Stokes got the first success of the day for his team, making Mitchell (11) edge one to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith. However, the Kiwi batter was displeased with the decision as his bat also brushed the pad at the same time when Ultraedge showed a spike and reluctantly walked back to the pavilion.

Stokes further made O’Rourke (19) hit one to Emilio Gay at point in his very next over. Tom Blundell (30 off 67) came out playing his shots and helped New Zealand cross the 400-run mark with a flurry of boundaries. However, a relentless Ben Stokes further sent Mitchell Santner (4 off 12) back into the pavilion, albeit not without some controversy.

Santner's controversial dismissal

After being given out on the field, after Jacob Bethell caught him at gully, Santner opted for DRS, suggesting that the ball hadn’t hit his sweatband but his arm guard. However, the third umpire, Adrian Holdstock, just looked at the front-on footage and ran it through UltraEdge to uphold the on-field decision by Nitin Menon.

Santner was bemused after the decision was upheld and walked back to the pavilion grudgingly. Former Sri Lanka cricketer Kumar Sangakkara, who was on the Sky Sports commentary team, also criticised the haste shown by the third umpire to give a decision without looking at all the angles available. 

Ben Stokes in company of Jacques Kallis

Meanwhile, Santner became Ben Stokes’ 250^th Test wicket as England captain became the second player after South Africa’s Jacques Kallis to complete a double of 7000 runs and 250 wickets in the format.

Sharp hands from Jacob Bethell to take our third before the lunch break 🥪 pic.twitter.com/TxoG9iHVzN

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 26, 2026

New Zealand went into lunch on 418/7 and were eventually bundled out for 438 in the second session with Shoaib Bashir (2/105) and Jofra Archer (2/75) cleaning up the tail. New Zealand suffered a dramatic collapse, losing their last eight wickets for just 78 runs after a brilliant 317-run opening stand between Tom Latham and Devon Conway.

Ben Duckett walked out to begin England’s first innings alongside Emilio Gay and made his intentions clear by scoring a couple of boundaries in the first over. However, New Zealand got early success as Will O’Rourke got Gay (0) strangled down the leg side in just the second over of the innings.

Duckett makes New Zealand pay after reprieve

Nathan Smith almost sent Duckett back into the pavilion on 8, but Henry Nicholls dropped a regulation chance at third slip. And thus began the carnage from the England opener, who brought up his half-century off just 40 deliveries, rebuilding England’s innings alongside Jacob Bethell. 

England went into tea on 73/1 after 14 overs, and Duckett continued to rub salt into New Zealand’s wounds in the third session, scoring at a brisk rate. Bethell also brought up his fourth Test half-century off 60 deliveries, while Ben Duckett registered his first Test century after 22 innings, reaching the landmark off 88 deliveries for the seventh time in his red-ball career.

The moment Ben Duckett went to his 88-ball century on his home ground ❤️ pic.twitter.com/cdBH0g4jqe

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 26, 2026

Duckett and Bethell were involved in a massive 179-run partnership for the second wicket off just 177 balls to put the hosts in a commanding position. Duckett was eventually dismissed for 113, after he dragged one back onto his stumps as Nathan Smith (1/51) finally had his man.

Following his departure, Bethell and Root saw off the remaining overs with an unbeaten 36-run stand and finished the day for England.