England collapse as New Zealand seize control at Trent Bridge

England’s response to New Zealand’s first-innings surge unraveled in a brief, bruising burst on day three at Trent Bridge, where Joe Root, Jacob Bethell and Jamie Smith fell for 11 runs and swung the third Test back toward the visitors. The collapse followed a day-two recovery that had lifted the hosts to 223 for 2, but the morning in Nottingham quickly stripped away the momentum England had built in front of a crowd that had begun to believe.

New Zealand had set the tone earlier with 438 in their first innings, a total built on Tom Latham’s 151 and Devon Conway’s 157 in a 317-run opening stand. That partnership, the highest opening stand against England in Tests, forced England into catch-up mode before Ben Stokes dragged the hosts back into the match with 4 for 70. His spell, and Ben Duckett’s 113 off 98 balls, helped England finish day two only 215 runs behind, with Jacob Bethell unbeaten on 74 and the innings looking sturdy enough to extend the contest.

Instead, the first session on day three exposed how fragile that position was. England lost three wickets in 11 runs, and the dismissals of Root, Bethell and Jamie Smith left the innings bobbing between resistance and collapse. The pressure that had been placed on New Zealand late on day two was gone almost immediately, and the shift in tempo handed control straight back to the tourists.

The timing mattered as much as the wickets themselves. This was the series decider in New Zealand’s 2026 tour of England, and England had already gone through a tense build-up after Stokes returned to the side following his omission from the second Test. Brendon McCullum said he and Stokes were “tight” and dismissed talk of any breakdown in their relationship, while Stokes said it had hurt him to see the reaction Joe Root was getting after the second Test.

England later moved on to 309 for 6 and then 310 for 6, but the scoreline never really obscured the damage caused by that early morning slide. With New Zealand still well clear of England’s total, the innings underlined a problem that has shadowed the series: once the first wave of resistance falls, England’s middle order can be dragged into a chase it cannot afford.