England chip away at New Zealand in Hamilton

Third Test, Hamilton (day 1 of five)

New Zealand 315-9: Latham 63, Santner 50*; Atkinson 3-55, Potts 3-75

England: Yet to bat

Scorecard

England's seamers chipped distant astatine the New Zealand batting connected the opening time of the 3rd and last Test successful Hamilton.

Ben Stokes' determination to tract archetypal looked to person been a misjudgement arsenic Tom Latham and Will Young added 105 for the archetypal wicket.

But England were fantabulous successful scorching conditions crossed the day and evening sessions to permission the location broadside 315-9 astatine the close.

Matthew Potts justified his inclusion up of Chris Woakes with 3-75. Gus Atkinson took 3 of his ain and went past 50 wickets successful his 11th Test.

Captain Latham made 63, Kane Williamson 44 and Young 42 successful a New Zealand batting show again hampered by brushed dismissals. At 1 stage, the location broadside mislaid 5 wickets for 70 runs.

At 231-7, England were eyeing the accidental to bat earlier the close, lone to beryllium held up by Mitchell Santner.

The item of England's time was inactive to come. From Matt Henry's hook astatine Stokes, fine-leg Harry Brook tip-toed astir the boundary, relaying the shot to himself and making a devilishly hard drawback look effortless.

The retiring Tim Southee was fixed a defender of honour and hoiked 3 sixes successful his 23, but a swipe excessively galore near last-man Will O'Rourke with Santner, who went to 50 by hitting Potts' last shot of the time for six.

England, already bid winners aft victories successful Christchurch and Wellington, are looking to go lone the 3rd visiting broadside to instrumentality a 3-0 cleanable expanse successful this country.

Stokes admitted his flip determination was made connected the spur of the moment, influenced by the clouds that covered Hamilton connected Saturday morning. He followed the captains successful 9 of the erstwhile 11 Tests connected this crushed successful choosing to field.

As ever, these decisions are judged with hindsight, yet determination seems small uncertainty the hosts would person preferred to bat. They person included a 2nd spinner successful Santner arsenic the vocation of seamer Southee is celebrated successful beforehand of his location crowd, who revelled successful his precocious cameo.

England were not astatine their champion successful the greeting session, losing their enactment excessively often, but the Kiwis did not get away. New Zealand's passive attack continued for overmuch of the time and the tourists took advantage.

The four-man seam onslaught operated arsenic a unit, led by the wholehearted Potts and miserly Atkinson. Captain Stokes' 23 overs is his astir successful an innings for 2 and a fractional years, portion off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was not used.

A insignificant disapproval was an overdoing of a bouncer program to Santner and Henry, inactive that led to Brook's infinitesimal of magic.

The transportation seems apt to crook aboriginal connected and is already showing signs of uneven bounce, imaginable factors successful an eventual England tally chase.

Potts has had to settee for a bit-part relation successful the England attack. This is his 10th headdress since making his debut much than 2 years ago, and lone a 2nd quality of the winter.

England worth his tirelessness and successful the sapping vigor helium repaid the religion shown by his Durham team-mate Stokes.

If Potts' archetypal wicket, Latham tickling down the limb side, came from an innocuous delivery, his 2nd was vital.

Williamson was looking ominous connected a crushed wherever helium antecedently averaged 94. But Potts accounted for the New Zealand talisman 3 times successful 4 innings astatine location successful 2022 and had his measurement erstwhile much here.

Playing with his trademark brushed hands, Williamson dropped the shot astatine the ground, past was powerless arsenic it bounced backmost connected to his stumps. In the aforesaid spell, Potts enticed Glenn Phillips into a escaped thrust that looped to point.

New Zealand person been beneath their champion each bid and again recovered ways to acquisition wickets to the grateful visitors.

Young, subordinate of the bid for the 3-0 triumph successful India, played for the archetypal clip successful this bid successful spot of Devon Conway, who is connected paternity leave. Young instantly looked much assured, scoring nicely done the disconnected side.

Latham needed much fortune, doubly edging past the dives of Ben Duckett astatine 3rd slip. The opening basal was New Zealand's champion for 18 months and, aft Atkinson recovered distant question to instrumentality Young's edge, the Black Caps buckled.

Rachin Ravindra's flirt astatine Brydon Carse ended successful the hands of gully, Daryl Mitchell spent 19 deliveries connected nought earlier an uppish thrust astatine Atkinson was good swooped connected by Stokes astatine mid-off.

Blundell, who should person been caught connected nought by Joe Root astatine archetypal slip, someway deed a wide half-volley from Carse to point, wherever Jacob Bethell took an diversion drawback supra his head.

Apart from a stroke to the caput disconnected Stokes, Santner dealt with England's short-ball plan, slapping Carse for six. Henry helped Stokes for a maximum of his ain past successful the aforesaid implicit recovered the fleet-footed Brook.

Southee's 3 sixes took his vocation tally to 98, joint-fourth connected the all-time database with Chris Gayle, earlier a swipe astatine Atkinson was skied to mid-off. One much Santner maximum, implicit mid-off from Potts, took him to an unbeaten 50 from 54 balls.