New Zealand openers pile on 317, England strike late at Trent Bridge

New Zealand’s openers turned the third Test into a long afternoon for England before two late wickets gave the home side a foothold on a sweltering day at Trent Bridge. Tom Latham made 151 and Devon Conway 157 as they put on a record 317 for the first wicket, yet England’s late pressure left New Zealand on 361 for 4 by stumps rather than out of sight.

New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat first in Nottingham, where the surface was flat and the temperature reached 32C. Latham and Conway made the most of it, reaching 213 without loss at tea and extending their stand deep into the final session. Latham’s century took him level with Martin Crowe on 17 Test hundreds, while the pair’s opening partnership became New Zealand’s third-highest in an overseas Test and their highest ever against England.

England had to wait until 5:23pm for their first wicket, a delay that changed the feel of the day more than the scoreline suggested. Ben Stokes struck first, and Joe Root, Gus Atkinson and Jofra Archer then helped chip away at the innings, with two wickets falling in two balls at the end of play. The late strikes did not erase New Zealand’s advantage, but they prevented the visitors from closing the day untouched after hours of control.

England returned to full strength after the makeshift line-up used at The Oval in the previous Test, with Stokes and Atkinson back after a one-match suspension. New Zealand were missing fast bowler Matt Henry and all-rounder Glenn Phillips through injury. New Zealand players wore black armbands for former pacer Bob Blair, who died on June 23.