Henry, O’Rourke, and Santner Dismiss England for 143

New Zealand gained a substantial first-innings lead as England collapsed in the middle session of the third Test in Hamilton, with Will O’Rourke and Mitchell Santner taking three wickets each. O’Rourke’s fiery opening spell set the tone, removing key England batters in just eight balls, and the lower order crumbled soon after. In total, England […]

After starting the day two down, with Matt Henry having dismissed both openers before lunch, England found themselves in deep trouble. O’Rourke’s pace, reaching 145 kph (90 mph), troubled Jacob Bethell, and a fuller delivery forced a drive caught at backward point. The next ball brought more success for New Zealand when O’Rourke dismissed Harry Brook for a golden duck, as a defensive shot unintentionally flicked the leg bail. Then, O’Rourke removed Joe Root with a ball that bounced and moved in, leading to a catch at backward point. At 82 for 5, England’s top two batters had been dismissed quickly, leaving New Zealand firmly in control.

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England’s Recovery Halted as Santner, Henry, and Potts Spark Collapse

A spirited recovery of 52 runs in 13 overs between Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes was cut short when Mitchell Santner struck twice in quick succession. Pope, playing well throughout the series, prodded forward to Santner’s sixth delivery and edged it to slip. Stokes soon followed, dismissed lbw after missing a slog-sweep.

The collapse continued as Matt Henry returned to the attack, forcing Gus Atkinson to lob a simple catch to mid-on. Brydon Carse returned a catch to Santner, and Matt Potts was caught trying to slog Henry. England lost their final five wickets in just five overs, adding only nine runs. Henry had already put New Zealand in control, dismissing Zak Crawley for the fifth time in as many innings and then removing Ben Duckett in the same over, leaving England struggling to chase New Zealand’s 347.

In the morning session, New Zealand’s last-wicket pair, Santner and O’Rourke, frustrated England, adding 32 runs before Potts dismissed Santner right after drinks. England made a strong start, with ideal batting conditions, with Crawley hitting a few boundaries off Henry and Tim Southee. However, after hitting four fours off Southee, Crawley fell to Henry on the third ball of the over, caught off a leading edge in the bowler’s follow-through. This dismissal marked Crawley’s fifth failure to score more than five runs off Henry in this series.

New Zealand’s Lower Order Defends Well Before Potts Ends Santner’s Stay

Four balls later, Matt Henry removed Ben Duckett with a ball that seemed in and struck Duckett’s back leg in front of the middle stump. This left England at 33 for 2 after just five overs. Joe Root then steadied the ship, quickly scoring three boundaries and helping England reach 50 in a much-needed recovery, contrasting sharply with the earlier collapse.

For much of the morning, New Zealand’s last-wicket pair of Santner and O’Rourke had done their business quickly. England had spread the field for Santner and focused on getting O’Rourke out, but the pair added runs steadily. Santner struck the boundary three times but mainly accumulated singles, often off the fourth ball of the over. At the same time, O’Rourke defended solidly at the other end. O’Rourke initially played out a maiden from Atkinson and showed strong defensive technique. His first run came via an inside edge to fine leg, and later, he scored his first boundary in 19 innings.

O’Rourke was given out and caught behind in the seventh over. Still, Ahsan Raza overturned the decision after technology showed the ball had flicked his trouser leg. The partnership may continue indefinitely, with Santner inching towards his second-highest Test score following his century against England in 2019. However, just after the break, Matt Potts found some inwards movement. They bowled Santner through the drive, hitting off stump and ending the stand at 44, giving Potts his fourth wicket of the innings.