England vs New Zealand Live ஸ்கோர், 2nd Test of New Zealand tour of England, 2026

Midas back? Well, some might say desperate measures for desperate situations, but it could also mean understanding the seriousness of the situation. News coming in is that the ECB have announced the return of both, Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson for the third Test, withdrawing them midway through their county championship matches. Given the inexperience England had in this Test, it is not a surprise to see them take this action, though it also puts into question their stance on behaviours off the field. However, that's not our business. The hosts would be more than happy to get Stokes back at the helm and get some more experience, because looking at this Test and the next coming up within 4 days, it is highly likely that Jofra Archer will miss that clash. The bowling needs some experience too. The Kiwis would be doubly happy - A. They get to fly to Nottingham tonight itself, which means they get an extra day to rest, train and acclimatize. B. They go in with full momentum and a fully fit team for the third and final Test. The third Test is set to begin on Thursday, 25th June, 2026, with the first ball slated to be bowled at 10 am GMT. But rest assured, our buildup will begin well in advance. So do tune in early. It is a bye from us for now, but you can always surf the tabs to catch all the action from the Women's World Cup. Have fun. ADIOS! TAKE CARE!

Been a fantastic week - The victorious skipper of New Zealand, TOM LATHAM, says it has been fantastic week full of moments where the team sustained its efforts for longer and executed brilliantly. On the batting, he points to the partnerships built in the first innings, highlighting Phillips and Jamieson, before the third innings where Henry Nicholls and Rachin Ravindra set the tone. On bowling England out, he says the team understood it was not going to be easy on that surface but sticking to the top of off stump and playing old-school cricket got the job done. On Glenn Phillips, Latham says the group has always known the talent he possesses, and his maiden Test hundred was no surprise to anyone in that dressing room. On how Phillips handled Jofra Archer's hostile spell on the first evening, he says it showed both his ticker and his method under pressure. On Henry Nicholls, he notes it was a different role for him coming in as a replacement, but as the second most experienced player in the group by caps, he played really well to put the team in the position they needed to be in.

Lessons to be learnt - The captain of England, JOE ROOT, comes up with a smile on his face. Credits New Zealand first up, saying that they played really well. Adds that there were a number of cases when the game was in the balance but they turned things around. However, he quickly adds that the series is levelled at 1-1 with everything to play for in the final Test. On his captaincy stint, Root says that it was wonderful to get back into that space and work with head coach Brendon McCullum. Adds that it was great to have young guys come into the team. Explains that in a 5-day game, the players just need to do things better for longer. Details that the first thing is to be switched on at all times and hold onto your catches. Explains that a dropped catch can go a long way to turn the game. However, Root also feels that the youngsters have given a very good account of themselves. Mike Atherton now asks whether Root could have done anything differently on the morning of the second day, given that New Zealand began the day at 291/7 but finished their first innings on 391. To this, Joe credits Glenn Phillips, especially the way he handled the fire from Jofra Archer on the evening of Day 1. But he adds that it is a very good lesson for his side to find areas to keep being relentless. Adds that these are the lessons the young guys can learn quickly in this format and the team as a whole can become better going forward. Further says that in the first innings, the English batters were swinging a bit wildly but in the second, they batted a bit better. Philosophically states that many times, you look at things with different perspectives. Atherton now asks Root whether he enjoyed his captaincy, informing him and everyone that the ECB have decided to pull out Ben Stokes from the county championships. To this, JR diplomatically answers that this last week was very busy for him and he was totally occupied with this job. So he wants everyone to wait and see what happens over the next couple of days.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - MATT HENRY - 11/109 (MATCH FIGURES) - Matt Henry says he probably didn't expect it to unfold this quick. On the ten-day break between the two Tests, Henry says it helped massively and that the time was spent trying to regain confidence in his body after the back spasm at Lord's. He admits it felt pretty bad letting the guys down on day one there, so coming to The Oval and getting through his full workload means a great deal to him. Henry credits the batters for their small but important contributions and singles out Glenn Phillips for what he did when the ball went soft. On the bowling effort as a collective, he says the way the group applied itself was relentless and that it is nice to get rewards for sticking at it. On Tom Blundell keeping upto the stumps, Matt notes they tried it at the Basin Reserve last year and the team wanted to come out and make things happen. He says you simply cannot do it unless someone of Blundell's quality is standing there. On his own bowling philosophy, MH explains that he would rather be effective than look a hero, and that the focus is always on creating pressure even when the conditions are not offering much. He also reflects on the strength of the bowling group, noting that having Jamieson and O'Rourke back from injuries, along with Nathan Smith, makes them a formidable unit. He says you are only as good as the collective strength of your attack. He adds that the first job on Day 5 was simply to get it done, and they did exactly that.

... POST-MATCH INTERVIEWS ...

Full marks to New Zealand - No doubt. Be it Glenn Phillips in the first innings, fighting his way to a magnificent century, handling Jofra Archer's fire on the opening day or be it the persistence of the three musketeers with the ball - Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson and Will O'Rourke - the Black Caps played like a unit. Yes, they did get a few chances in the second innings, but by then, they were in a very good position in the match. Individually, the last 12 months have been very good for Matt Henry in particular. He has picked up 32 wickets - the most by a Kiwi in this passage, going wicketless only once in 10 innings, which happened to be in the second innings at Lord's. He was menacing and metronomical, landing the ball on a string, but it would be unfair to credit only him in the bowling department. Let's see what the players have to say.

The small moments - England had their moments, but they missed those. Almost every single time. 1. At the close of Day 1, New Zealand were 291/7, with Jofra Archer spitting steam. Come Day 2, with England looking to wrap the innings quickly, the steam engine was at Hogwarts, with Archer nowhere to be seen with the new ball. Result - the Kiwis nearly got to 400 on the back of just Glenn Phillips -  who was tormented to no end by Archer on Day 1. 2. With 10 minutes left to go for Stumps, James Rew's inexperience cost him as England let go of a fine recovery to end the day on 222/6. Matthew Fisher did give them some hope on the third morning with a fine 50, but a deficit of 100 was too much on this pitch. 3. England had the Kiwis hopping at 28/2 in their second innings. But once the new-ball burst was done, what they saw was a massive 161-run stand between two blokes struggling for form and consistency - Henry Nicholls and Rachin Ravindra. That literally killed the game. 4. 62 runs had come in 8 overs after Tea on Day 4, as England went on to try and repeat their heroics against India here last summer. But some disciplined and tight bowling tested them and they faltered. And just like on Day 2, once again James Rew got dismissed with 10 minutes to the close and England just sank deeper in the mire.

Stars align - At the completion of the first Test, it seemed as if New Zealand were undercooked. But a lot happened off the field after that Test, which totally profited the Kiwis. First, England were literally stripped of key players, resulting in a very inexperinced unit. The second, Matt Henry got fit for this Test and boy, was he not welcomed in style. He was missed at Lord's and he compensated for that with a stunning display here. Additionally, batting second is usually preferred at The Oval, but as the pitch played, batting got trickier as the innings went on.

27 years later - The last time New Zealand played a Test match at The Oval - August 1999. They had defeated England by 83 runs. 27 years later, in 2026, they got their next match and defeated England again, this time by an even bigger margin. Of the 7 venues where they have played a Test match in England, this is only the second where the Kiwis have managed multiple wins, with the other being Headingley. This victory keeps their hopes alive for the 2027 WTC final, moving to 4th in the standings.

OUT! BOWLED! That's it. Henry gets his 6th, fittingly and NEW ZEALAND WIN BY 253 RUNS. Cox gets across and looks to lap but misses the ball totally. Henry targets the stumps and even though Archer is in the opposition, the archer in him is not missing anything on this day. The ball lands and disturbs the woodwork.

Chattogram wins the race. Denying a Banglawash in the third ODI, the Aussies themselves have inflicted a 'Kanga'wash over Bangladesh, winning the 3-match T20I series 3-0. Forced to bowl first, they first choked Bangladesh to 109/8 and then chased it down in 11 overs, losing just 3 wickets.

Oh dear. Poor game sense? Kyle Jamieson throws his arms up in the air and expresses his frustration. Cox gets across and somehow, manages to sweep it through square leg. The ball is going towards the ropes and Will O'Rourke is running after it, but the whole team shouts at him to let it go. Strangely, he does not hear and stops the ball, with the batters content with the single! Devon Conway gets across and just calms O'Rourke down, who seems to be confused at his teammates' reactions. One also felt that there were shouts to kick the ball into the ropes as well, but then had O'Rourke done that, it would have been a penalty of 5 runs.

Going into white-ball mode here now, is Cox. Shuffles across his stumps, but gets a very full ball outside off and he can only push it back.

Full and outside off, Jordan drives it towards mid off.

SIX! LAUNCHED OFF THE RUNWAY! Yes, this is the Cox that the Oval Invincibles are so used to! Have some fun, lad, and what a grab in the crowd! A short ball, outside off, Jordan Cox swings massively and clears mid-wicket with ease. And with the same ease, a youngster stands up, waiting behind two others in front of him to take the catch and grabs it with his left hand! Nice one.

Short, outside off, Jordan Cox has a heave and mistimes it over mid-wicket. Gets a couple.

On a length, outside off, punched towards point.

Interesting point by Simon Doull on air. He reckons that New Zealand would want to wrap this up as soon as possible for an important reason. If the Kiwis win this soon, there is a high likelihood that they can travel to Nottingham tonight itself. As opposed to say, if the match extends beyond Lunch or something, they might be able to travel only tomorrow. The third Test begins on Thursday, so it will be a big deal if they can travel tonight and rest, and get three days to prepare and acclimatize to Trent Bridge. Small small things.

Full and wide outside off, let through.

On a length, outside off, left alone.

Good stop. On a length, outside off, SB goes back and dabs it through gully. But the fielder dives to his right and parries it to backward point.

Full and straight, Sonny gets the big front foot out again and blocks.

Fuller, around off, Baker gets a good stride in to block.

On a length, outside off, Sonny Baker defends.

The Oval first, or Chattogram? Very few people would have thought that this match could actually end before the third and final T20I between Bangladesh and Australia. While the Kiwis are just a wicket away from a win here, the Aussies are a couple of sixes away from a whitewash there.

FOUR! Very cheeky and 200 IS UP FOR ENGLAND! A short ball, outside off, Cox waits for the ball, ducks and then arches back to ramp it over the slips to the deep third fence!

Yes, no, wait. Full, on middle, Jordan Cox pushes it down the ground. Initially, he sets off for the single, as this is the 5th ball of the over and Baker responds. But then, Cox sees mid on come up and changes his mind. Sonny is about to be baked but luckily for him, the fielder fumbles and he gets back in.

Full and outside off, JC blocks it with good technique towards cover.

On a good length, outside off, Jordan blocks it to the off side.

Glorious, for nothing. Overpitched, outside off, Cox leans and drives it beautifully down the ground, but mid off quickly gets across to his right and stops the ball.