ENG vs NZ 2026, ENG vs NZ 2nd Test Match Report, June 17 – 21, 2026

New Zealand 391 and 252 for 3 (Nicholls 119*, Ravindra 76) lead England 291 (Gay 53, Fisher 50*, Henry 5-80) by 352 runs

Instead the third-wicket pair advanced New Zealand towards a position of dominance as the sun blazed down over south London. Ravindra showed regular glimpses of his class on the way to a first significant score of the series (76) and although he fell during the evening session, lbw to Jacob Bethell despite a review, Nicholls marked his return to the side by going on to an 11th Test hundred, brought up from his 136th ball with his 14th four.

Nicholls had been restored to the XI for this match after the sudden retirement of Kane Williamson between Tests, but bedded in nicely to produce a first 50-plus knock at No. 3. He was also missed by Rew, when gloving a pull at Jofra Archer shortly after tea when on 42, but otherwise went smoothly up and down the gears to steer New Zealand’s innings in a Williamson-approved manner.

England’s frustrations were summed up by the anguished response of Archer as Rew failed to get a hand to the ball as it flew over his right shoulder. Nicholls went to fifty when steering Fisher through point soon after and then raised the hundred stand with a cover-driven four off the same bowler. Ravindra’s half-century came during a Tongue over that he filleted for boundaries through cover, point and midwicket.

Joe Root’s attack plugged away on a sweltering afternoon but struggled to create chances on a pitch that continued to flatten out – and may encourage fighting talk of a chase, particularly in light of last year’s near miss after England were set 374 by India. Nicholls flicked Tongue just short of leg slip, the ball taken on the half-volley by Gay, who could not then get to a bat-pad chance off Ravindra after Bethell’s left-arm spin had belatedly been introduced.

Bethell eventually induced a mistake from Ravindra, who was pinned on the front pad attempting to sweep – Adrian Holdstock’s decision upheld by DRS on umpire’s call – but Daryl Mitchell took up the cudgels to advance briskly to 32 during another half-century stand.

England had been buoyed at the lunch break by Fisher’s efforts with the bat from No. 9, despite conceding a 100-run first-innings deficit, and the mood around the ground lifted further straight after the interval, as Archer struck with his seventh delivery: Tom Latham feeling for one that bounced and left him to be caught behind.

Roared in by the crowd, Archer pushed the speed gun up to 91mph, hitting Nicholls on the body with his second ball and then beating an attempted forward defensive in the channel. He could not conjure a second breakthrough, but there was no respite when Tongue replaced Archer after four overs from the Pavilion End, as his first ball drew a loose drive from Devon Conway that flew straight off the edge to second slip.

Tongue almost had another when Ravindra, on 7, stabbed at a full delivery that took the outside edge, only for Rew to drop a flying one-handed effort low to his left. In an eventful over, Ravindra clipped his next ball wide of mid-on for a boundary, and was then lucky to survive a shooter that fizzed past his off stump.

Ravindra regained his poise with business-like clips to the fence off Sonny Baker and Tongue, the latter also driven down the ground past a tumbling Archer. Root brought himself on to bowl in the 18th over and twice saw lbw appeals against Nicholls turned down – one sliding past leg, the other involving an inside edge. But Nicholls countered by jumping out to loft straight and then punch through the covers for back-to-back boundaries to bring up the fifty stand.

After being sub-par in all departments on day two, England returned looking to one of their three debutants to try and narrow the deficit, which stood at 169 overnight. Jordan Cox had played neatly in his maiden Test innings but home hopes that he could build a substantial score in the company of the tail were short-lived.

It should have been 242 all out when Fisher, batting alongside another debutant in Baker, called for a non-existent two to deep backward point. Blundell was unable to gather cleanly, though, with Fisher diving for his ground and Baker belatedly realising the need to scramble up the other end.

New Zealand were left to regret squandering that chance, as Fisher showcased some uncomplicated hitting – not to mention bravery, having been hit on his helmet grille by a Will O’Rourke short ball. The only half-chance he gave was an under-edge off Ravindra that Blundell couldn’t lay glove on as he reached 50 for only the third time in first-class cricket, celebrated with a look to the skies and a kiss of the bat in tribute to his late father.