New Zealand He holds a commanding position in the third Test against England In Hamilton. The hosts scored 347 in the first innings, supported by Mitchell SantnerResilience 76 and critical contributions from Tom Latham and Will Young. England's response faltered Henry diedIncisor 4/48 f Will O'Rourke3/33, folds for only 143.
With a massive 204-run lead in the first innings, New Zealand extended their dominance in the second innings, reaching 136/3 by their stumps on the second day. Kane WilliamsonUnbeaten 50 and Will YoungBrave 60 He secured a huge overall lead of 340 points. England's bowlers led by Ben Stokes2/45, struggled to contain the Blackcaps. New Zealand look set to dictate terms on day three, aiming to knock England out of the game.
England's woes deepen against relentless New Zealand bowling
England resumed play at 54/2, hoping to rebuild, but their innings collapsed under relentless pressure from Henry and debutant O'Rourke. Joe Root He offered brief resistance with a well-collected 32, yet the wicket quickly tumbled at the other end. Mitchell Santner He delivered a crucial spell, taking 3/7 in just three overs, including the valuable wicket of Ben Stokes and Ollie Bob. Henry's fiery pace earned him 4/48, and O'Rourke's sharp accuracy resulted in three scalps. England's innings folded for a dismal 143, which left them trailing New Zealand by 204 runs at the end of a disastrous first session.
New Zealand is tightening its grip with a steady lead
Starting their second innings with a strong lead, New Zealand's openers Latham and Young gave New Zealand a measured start. Gus AtkinsonLatham's sharp delivery took Latham's wicket early for 19, but Young dominated proceedings with a stylish 60 off 85 balls, including nine clear boundaries. Williamson joined the fray with an unbeaten 50 brilliant passes from just 58 deliveries, demonstrating his trademark composure. Together, Young and Williamson added a crucial 50-run partnership, ensuring the hosts maintained control. By tea time, New Zealand had built a commanding lead, reaching 124/2 and keeping England under enormous pressure.
also WATCH: Kane Williamson's unfortunate dismissal on day one of the third NZ vs ENG Test
England fight back but Kane Williamson anchors New Zealand
The last session gave England some relief Ben Stokes Hit to remove Young for 60 well made and O'Rourke cheaply. However, Williamson continued to dominate, displaying unparalleled temperament and accuracy. In partnership with Rasheen Ravindrawho played a cautious but determined knock, Williamson led New Zealand to 136/3 at stumps. England's bowlers, led by Stokes, tried to come back with probing spells, but the hosts remained firm. With an overall lead of 340 runs, New Zealand sit in a position of strength, looking to declare early on day three to push for victory.
Here's how Twitter reacted:
A 340-run lead at stumps on day two at Kirikiriroa-Hamilton. Half-centuries by Will Young (60) and Kane Williamson (50*) help push the lead towards 350 after a strong team performance in the field earlier in the day. Catch up with all grades | https://t.co/gATDuNhj6S 📲 #NZvENG pic.twitter.com/gKQiiA34eD
— Black Caps (@BLACKCAPS) December 15, 2024
Bad day for an engineer. He gave up a huge lead and handed over control #NZvENG Test for hosts. It is difficult to see how the engineer could recover. The end of the period feels like performing the multiplication. Similar to the final test against SL. The best teams are unforgiving, even when the series is won. This engineering team isn't there yet#cricket
– MediumPaceDobbler (@MediumPaceDobb1) December 15, 2024
For all the criticism Stead has faced and so many assurances, I would like to applaud his selection of Santner in this Test, his presence alone changed the momentum of the Test. It's easy to criticize him but I just want to give him props for that.#NZvENG
– Jamie Dally 🇳🇿 🇩🇰 🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴👑🇴🇳🇿🇩🇰 (@DallyJamie) December 15, 2024
I won't guess @BLACKCAPS You will excel 🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴 on day two, but this What happened: 168/4 against 143 all out
Aside from Young's soft sending off, the day couldn't have been much better for 🇳🇿
Now, a few more sessions of good hitting are needed to get this test out of the grip 🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴 🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴👑
– Michael Appleton (@michelappleton) December 15, 2024
The third fifty of the series and the thirty-eighth career fifty of Kane Williamson 👏 #NZvENG pic.twitter.com/kin0Pmdhda
– ThePoppingCreaseSA (@PoppingCreaseSA) December 15, 2024
How did England get out of this wicket for 143? Sometimes I have to think about why I got into this profession #NZvENG
– Cricket Tamizhan (@CricketTamizhan) December 15, 2024
There has been a lot of talk about who the next generation of 'Fabulous Four' will be but my goodness, there are some exciting young bowlers emerging in Test cricket. I really like Will O'Rourke for example. #NZvENG
-Melinda Farrell (@melindafarrell) December 15, 2024
Final touches with the racket, magic with the ball 💫#NZvENG #MumbaiMirijan #MumbaiIndians pic.twitter.com/cl4SaMUrRP
– Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) December 15, 2024
Hahahaha he was so stupid 🙃 Why didn't Rashin come out anyway?! We didn't need a night guard to lead us over 320 runs.. It wasn't fair to O'Rourke, he did enough for us today! 🖤 #NZvENG @BLACKCAPS #international #exam #cricket #New Zealand @englandcricket
– Sophie's sports statistics 🏐🇳🇿🇹🇴 (@sophie_acklin) December 15, 2024
Such is the case on day two in Hamilton. pic.twitter.com/TNJp3CQ0Oj
– England Cricket (@englandcricket) December 15, 2024
