England vs New Zealand, 3rd Test, New Zealand tour of England, 2026 - Player HighlightsENG vs NZ, 3rd Test, New Zealand tour of England, 2026 - Player Highlights

Nathan Smith to Bashir, no run, kicks up off a length and hits the splice in defence, rolling away to the left of cover. Smith not interested in a single

Nathan Smith to Bashir, no run, three blocks and out comes the short ball, making Bashir duck and weave out of the way as it flies over his left shoulder

Nathan Smith to Bashir, no run, the crowd cheers as Bashir manages to present the full face in defence, hanging back and blunting it down the pitch

Nathan Smith to Bashir, no run, touch low at the stumps, back of a length, Bashir gets his bat down and keeps it out

Nathan Smith to Bashir, no run, probing in the channel, back of a length, Bashir opens the face and dabs to gully

Nathan Smith to Josh Tongue, out Josh Tongue Run Out!! New Zealand's fielding has been excellent today. It was Nicholls earlier in the day, who scored a direct-hit to dismiss Root. It's Mitchell Santner this time around. Josh Tongue nudges this towards square leg and sets off for a single, but Santner is quick to gather the ball and fire a direct-hit at the keeper's end. Josh Tongue is comfortably outside his crease. New Zealand need 1 wicket more to clinch this series by a 2-1 margin. Josh Tongue run out (Mitchell Santner) 2(14)

Nathan Smith to Josh Tongue, no run, tad short outside off, Josh Tongue looks to carve it away, connects thin air

Nathan Smith to Josh Tongue, no run, on a length around off, Josh Tongue steers it into the off-side, played with soft hands

Nathan Smith to Josh Tongue, no run, another similar delivery, back of a length around off and it shapes away slightly to beat his outside edge

Nathan Smith to Josh Tongue, no run, Nathan Smith with that probing line outside off, hits back of a length outside off and Josh Tongue gets beaten due to the slight away movement

Nathan Smith to Josh Tongue, no run, back of a length delivery around off, Josh Tongue knocks it down the pitch

Nathan Smith to Josh Tongue, no run, edged but safe! Short of a length delivery outside off, Josh Tongue has a poke and the outside edge flies to Mitchell at 1st slip. He grabs it with left hand on the bounce. Almost carried

Nathan Smith to Josh Tongue, 1 run, tad short on leg, Josh Tongue tucks it through the leg-side for a single

Nathan Smith to Jofra Archer, out Caught by Blundell!! That's a soft dismissal and Jofra Archer looks disappointed. Back of a length delivery outside off, doesn't rise much and shapes back in slightly. Jofra Archer looks to sway away from its line, but the ball brushes his bat's face and flies straight to the keeper. He was in two minds there. Whether to play it, or leave it. And the dilemma costs him his wicket. NZ need only two wickets away from registering an emphatic win. Jofra Archer c Blundell b Nathan Smith 2(19)

Nathan Smith to Jofra Archer, no run, back of a length delivery around off, Jofra Archer knocks it into the off-side

Nathan Smith to Jofra Archer, no run, tad short around off, Jofra Archer knocks it down the pitch

Nathan Smith to Jofra Archer, no run, back of a length delivery around off, Jofra Archer knocks it to cover-point from within the crease

Nathan Smith to Jofra Archer, no run, back of a length delivery around middle and leg, Jofra Archer clips it towards square leg

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, no run, pitched up by the bowler outside off, Jamie Smith square drives it to backward point

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, no run, on the shorter side around middle and leg, Jamie Smith knocks it to mid-on

Nathan Smith to Jofra Archer, 1 run, tad short on middle and leg, clipped towards square leg by Jofra Archer for a single. Sears with a shy at the keeper's end, but doesn't hit

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, 1 run, good length delivery around middle and leg, clipped through square leg for a single

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, no run, pitched up by the bowler around off, Jamie Smith drives it to the fielder at wide mid-off

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, no run, length delivery around leg, Smith looks to clip it away, gets hit on the pads instead

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, 1 run, plays this on the rise, steering it through backward point for a single

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, no run, on a length around middle and leg, knocked to mid-on by Jamie Smith

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, no run, knocked to mid-on as the bowler goes full

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, no run, good length delivery around middle and leg, clipped towards mid-wicket by Jamie Smith

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, no run, good length delivery outside off, sliding along the deck, Jamie Smith looks to play this with a straight bat, gets beaten on the outside edge. Guess that shaped away slightly after pitching

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, no run, back of a length delivery around off, Jamie Smith opens the bat face, steering it to backward point

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, 2 runs, back of a length delivery outside off, Jamie Smith carves it through backward point for a couple of runs

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, no run, that keeps really low on off, Jamie Smith somehow knocks it into the off-side

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, 2 runs, on a length outside off, Jamie Smith opens the bat face, steering it through backward point for two runs

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, no run, on the shorter side around middle and leg, Jamie Smith looks to nudge it away, takes an inside edge and lobs off the thigh pad towards square leg

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, no run, tad short around off, Jamie Smith defends it from within the crease

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, no run, pitched up by the bowler outside off, nips away slightly as Jamie Smith goes for a drive and misses

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, FOUR, 133 kph, short of a length delivery around off, some extra carry as Jamie Smith gets surprised again. Gets it off an outside edge through the gully region and that's a boundary to end the over

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, no run, tad fuller around off, pushed into the off-side by Jamie Smith

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, FOUR, tad short around off, Jamie Smith plays it on the rise, punching it through cover as he manages to beat the fielder sprinting across in the deep

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, byes, FOUR, short ball down the leg-side, the keeper fails to gather it and those are four easy byes on offer

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, no run, back of a length delivery around middle and leg, knocked to mid-on by Jamie Smith

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, no run, pitched up by the bowler around off, Jamie Smith defends it

Nathan Smith to Atkinson, no run, back of a length around off, Gus Atkinson defends it

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, out Root Run Out!! Fantastic fielding by Nicholls. England's mainstay is gone. This was a length delivery around off and Jamie Smith steered it towards the off-side with soft hands. Nicholls from gully charges in front of him, gathers it with a slide and fires a flat throw at the keeper's end. He had only one stump to aim at, and he hits bull's eye despite been off balance. Root tries his best by sliding his bat, however, he is well short of his crease. Two wickets in the same over and NZ are in complete control of proceedings. A few disappointed faces in England's dressing room. Brook can be seen biting his nails sitting next to McCullum. Root run out (Nicholls) 18(17) [4s-3]

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, no run, length delivery around middle and leg, keeps a touch low as Jamie Smith knocks it down the pitch. The ball is keeping up and down. Has become quite challenging to bat on it

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, no run, appeal for an lbw, but this was probably sliding down the leg-side! It was the angle that was taking it down the leg-side. Was a length delivery around middle and Jamie Smith got beaten and pinned on the pads. There was a slight inside edge, confirms UtraEdge

Nathan Smith to Jamie Smith, no run, tad short around middle and leg, Jamie Smith defends it

Nathan Smith to Emilio Gay, out Caught by Blundell!! There it is. Here's the first wicket of Day 5. Back of a length delivery outside off, shaping away from the batsman. Gay plays at with soft hands, flirts with danger, and the keeper takes a good low catch to his left. Blundell continues to impress with his excellent glovework behind the wickets. Has done that throughout this Test series. England are five down with 257 runs still required. Emilio Gay c Blundell b Nathan Smith 10(17) [4s-1]

Nathan Smith to Emilio Gay, no run, 128 kph, on a length around middle and leg, Emilio Gay clips it towards mid-wicket with a closed bat face

Nathan Smith to Emilio Gay, no run, that keeps low outside off, Emilio Gay has a poke and misses, watches it settle into the keeper's mitts

Nathan Smith to Emilio Gay, no run, better line from Nathan Smith outside off, it's a length delivery that shapes away slightly and Emilio Gay lets it go

Nathan Smith to Emilio Gay, no run, 130 kph, yet another jaffa, hits this on back of a length and Emilio Gay gets beaten on his defence, got squared up as the ball straightened off the deck

Nathan Smith to Emilio Gay, no run, 131 kph, kicks up from a good length outside off, Emilio Gay has a poke at it, gets beaten due to the bounce. That absolutely took off, and the keeper had to grab it with a leap

Nathan Smith to Emilio Gay, no run, tad short from round the wicket, Emilio Gay clips it towards mid-wicket

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, no run, shortish delivery outside off stump, Duckett looks to pull and misses, ball escapes the bottom of the bat

Nathan Smith to Root, 1 run, short of length delivery on the stumps, Root works it to mid-wicket

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, 1 run, short of length delivery outside off stump, Duckett cuts to deep backward point

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, no run, good length delivery on the stumps, Duckett defends

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, FOUR, scooped fine past the keeper and it's four more! Length delivery angling in, Duckett moves across and scoops it over the infield and gets four more

Nathan Smith to Root, 1 run, short of length delivery outside off stump, Root taps it to cover

Nathan Smith to Root, no run, good length delivery, Root defends

Nathan Smith to Root, FOUR, oh ho ho! Now Joe Root plays a reverse scoop over cordon. "What have they been drinking in the dressing room? He's (Root) caught it as well," quips Simon Doull on air on seeing Root play an uncharacteristically aggressive shot. Mind you, he has played this shot a fair bit in the last couple of years or so as well. Full delivery outside off stump, Root manages to get under the ball and sends it over short third man

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, 1 run, good length delivery angling in, Duckett flicks to mid-wicket

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, no run, pushed to the off-side

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, no run, can't get this in the gap as Nathan Smith keeps it tight

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, no run, good length delivery, Duckett keeps it out

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, no run, 130kph, length ball around off and Duckett taps it to cover

Nathan Smith to Harry Brook, 1 run, 131kph, fullish delivery, Brook pushes it to long-on

Nathan Smith to Harry Brook, no run, 133kph,keeps a shade low around off and Brook pokes it to backward point

Nathan Smith to Harry Brook, FOUR, 130kph, fuller ball and Brook employs the tumbling scoop. Moves across, gets low, makes good connection and then falls as he sees the ball goes to fine leg for a boundary. High risk batting

Nathan Smith to Harry Brook, SIX, Brook gets off the mark with a maximum! 131kph, short of length down leg with the keeper up to the stumps. Brook gets inside the line and whips it over long leg. First ball six for Brook

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, 1 run, 133kph, width on offer, flayed through point and Rachin Ravindra makes a diving stop in the deep

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, FOUR, firm drive past the bowler, who dives low in his followthrough to try and cut that off but the ball escaped. Full delivery on the stumps, Duckett drives straight down the ground and collects a boundary

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, no run, short of length delivery outside off stump, Duckett mistimes the drive to cover

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, 2 runs, oh that's a check flick, or a half-hearted flick. Luckily no one at deep mid-wicket to swallow that

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, no run, short of length delivery on the stumps, Duckett defends off the back foot

Nathan Smith to Stokes, 1 run, full delivery on the stumps, Stokes works it calmly to long-on

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, 3 runs, firm back foot punch past cover, fielder gives chase and slides to save a run just inside the fence. Mitch Santner didn't bother about having to slide on the practice pitch. Was a short of length delivery, Duckett timed it pretty well

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, no run, short of length delivery, Duckett defends off the back foot

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, no run, short of length delivery outside off stump, defended off the back foot

Nathan Smith to Stokes, 1 run, good length delivery on the stumps, Stokes flicks it to deep mid-wicket

Nathan Smith to Stokes, no run, oh keeps low now and Stokes defends this length delivery that's heading towards the fence

Nathan Smith to Stokes, SIX, oh this is high and he's sent it all the way over backward square leg. Ever since he took over captaincy he wanted to transform England's Test cricket into an entertaining format and in his last game, he's promoted himself and ensuring he lives up to his words. He moved right across this short of length delivery and scoop-flicked it over backward square leg. The momentum of the shot made him go across the stumps and even leave the pitch

Nathan Smith to Stokes, no run, short of length delivery just outside off stump, Stokes defends off the back foot

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, no run, oh extra bounce and hit him on the splice of the bat. Or was it glove? Ben Duckett had his arms up in surprise after defending that ball but he didn't feel the pain, so maybe just bat. Tells Stokes how it kicked off from a length

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, FOUR, now sprays on the pads needlessly and Duckett gleefully accepts the freebie! Short of a length delivery angling down the leg-side, Duckett hops and flicks behind square for an easy four

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, no run, fuller this time and Duckett got slightly opened up, slices the front foot push to cover. New Zealand fielders chirping at that false shot to encourage the bowler

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, no run, calming defence to this length delivery that comes into him

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, no run, fullish delivery just outside off stump, Duckett covers the line and defends

Nathan Smith to Stokes, 1 run, stands tall and nicely punches this short of length delivery through the off-side. Stokes is in the mood to put on a show in his last appearance in international cricket

Nathan Smith to Stokes, 1 run, 133kph, conventional now. Length ball outside off and Stokes steers it to deep point by opening the bat-face. Gets off the mark and there's a big roar from the crowd

Nathan Smith to Stokes, no run, 140kph, now he attempts the reverse-sweep! It's a fullish delivery outside off. Plays an ambitious shot but fails to make contact

Nathan Smith to Stokes, no run, oh hello! Ben Stokes gives the charge first ball. Talk about intent. Steps out of the crease, moves leg-side and slaps this length ball to mid-off

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, 1 run, 135kph, in the air and safe! Duckett would have had his heart in his mouth there. In-angling length ball, Duckett looks to clip it away and it goes uppishly between mid-on and midwicket

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, no run, short of length delivery, poked to point

Nathan Smith to Ben Duckett, no run, extra bounce from a short of length, Duckett stands tall to defend it into off