Henry Nicholls’ unbeaten 119 left England chasing a 352-run deficit after day three of the second men’s Test against New Zealand at The Oval. New Zealand closed on 252-3 in their second innings on Friday, 19 June 2026, with Nicholls turning his recall into an 11th Test hundred and Daryl Mitchell unbeaten alongside him on 32.
England had earlier been bowled out for 291, conceding a first-innings lead of 100, before Tom Latham and Devon Conway fell cheaply. Rachin Ravindra then made 76 from 99 balls to help Nicholls move the match firmly away from Joe Root’s side, according to The Guardian’s day-three coverage from The Oval.
Stokes return now carries extra weight
The state of the match sharpens the pressure on England before the expected Trent Bridge decider. Root is captaining in Ben Stokes’ absence, but the all-rounder’s likely return next week will now be framed by whether England can drag anything from a Test that New Zealand have controlled through discipline and patience.
Nicholls’ innings mattered because it came after Kane Williamson’s retirement and against an England attack that worked in punishing heat without finding sustained control. For England, the final two days are now about resistance first, then damage limitation, with New Zealand in position to level the series.
