Ben Stokes’ final day as an international cricketer ended in a heavy England defeat as New Zealand wrapped up a fine series victory at Trent Bridge.
Stokes announced that he would bow out at the end of the third Test just before tea on the fourth day, rocking English cricket before they suffered a seventh defeat in their last nine Tests. The departing skipper seemed determined to go down in a blaze of glory with the bat, promoting himself to open and swinging from the hip before being dismissed for 30. His cavalier charge rather set the tone as England played with reckless abandon, leaving themselves in a real hole at 103/4 overnight chasing an unlikely target of 373 – and despite a half-century from Jamie Smith, last man out, they could not get close in Nottingham.
There will be plenty more digesting to be done of Stokes’ decision – which could (and perhaps should) have wider ramifications within the hierarchy as an era ends.
Follow all of the latest from Trent Bridge with our live blog below:
England vs New Zealand LIVE
- England suffer heavy defeat to New Zealand after Ben Stokes' stunning retirement | Live on Sky Sports
- New Zealand bowl out hosts for 212 to wrap up first series win in England since 1999
- England resumed on 103/4 chasing 373 and lost Gay and Root early
- Captain Stokes will bow out of international cricket after final day of third Test
- ANALYSIS: Stokes is England's flawed champion – and irreplaceable
- Departing skipper made cavalier 30 after opening in final innings
Joe Root deadbats question on if he would take the captaincy
15:18 , Harry Latham-Coyle
“I’m going to enjoy celebrating today, and Ben’s career over the next couple of days, and focus purely on that,” Root says to Sky when asked if he would take the job if the call came. “Today should be all about him and everything he has achieved and done for English cricket.”
Brendon McCullum on the future
15:11 , Harry Latham-Coyle
“Absolutely,” McCullum replies when asked by Sky if he wants to forge a new coach-captain partnership with someone else. “My enthusiasm for English cricket and commitment to English cricket has never wavered. I’ve got firm belief in the direction that this team can go in. Lord’s was a great example of some improvements in being able to handle pressure. We’ve obviously had a second Test that was difficult for a number of reasons, and here we were outplayed in a tough contest.
“We still have an identity about us but we want to continue to furnish and harness that to go in the direction of the team we want to be. The talent that sits within this country is immense. We just need to make sure we are continuing to give that opportunity and get results along the way.”
Can one player captain across formats? “Those are the conversations we need to have in due course. We’ve got a few weeks, or longer than that, before the next Test series, and we’ll have a good opportunity to sit down and map out what that looks like. We’ve got some good strong leaders within the side and some options to utilise. They won’t be Ben Stokes, because Ben Stokes was very much his own kind of leader. But that’s just the nature of things. No-one can play forever, no-one can captain forever.”
Brendon McCullum on England's approach last night
15:07 , Harry Latham-Coyle
“It was a collaborative decision in terms of coming up with those tactics. We had to acknowledge we were a long way behind the game and it was going to be difficult to score at a decent cruising speed today. We knew that we had to eat into that deficit as much as we could. When you are looking to try and do that, there is naturally going to be a level of risk that goes up. Losing four wickets last night obviously wasn’t ideal. In the end, two direct hit run-outs didn’t help – but that’s New Zealand doing what New Zealand does and finding a way when games are on the line.”
More from McCullum
15:04 , Harry Latham-Coyle
“I don’t want to go into private conversations, but Stokesy had made his decision and he’s hard to turn around when he has made a decision. He had thought long and hard about it. From that point of view, it was more just about the celebration of it all.
“I think it is hard to define one characteristic. He is a leader of men. People follow him – whether on the field, in the dressing room, at the hotel. He has conviction in his thoughts and methods. That is one level of consistency he brings – he truly believes in every situation. That adds a sense of calm to everyone around him. It is difficult to replace someone like that.
“I was sort of quite strong on my opinion that we should get [his retirement announcement] out when we could, because he is a cricket who has been able to transcend the sport into other aspects of society. I felt that the people that have supported Ben and this cricket team deserved the opportunity to say goodbye and to show their appreciation for how much he means to them.”
And here's Brendon McCulllum, speaking to Sky Sports, on Stokes' retirement
15:01 , Harry Latham-Coyle
“Tom Latham is a classy person, as are all of the New Zealand side. They play the game in the right spirit but they are also fantastic at it. They were too good for us in this Test match, and ultimately they deserve to win.
“Look, Stokesy has had such an impact on so many people – not just since he’s been captain, but throughout his career. He is a leader of men; people follow him. Not just in the dressing room now, but those who have played under him before. He is going to be missed.
“We’ve been speaking for a couple of weeks. I won’t go into those conversations, but when he confirmed to me yesterday he was going to retire...firstly I tried to talk him down, and it became pretty obvious he had made his decision and was at peace with it. Your emotion then leads on to a bit of sadness because we have been on this journey for four years and it’s been a real thrill. I feel privileged to have been able to work with Stokesy throughout that time. I consider him a good friend and I hope the next chapter is as great as the last.”
Ben Stokes on his retirement
14:55 , Harry Latham-Coyle
“I’ve played with some of the best players England have ever produced. I feel lucky that I’ve been able to see Joe Root and what he’s been able to do as a cricketer and captain. Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Alastair Cook. But there’s also other people I’ve played against, that I’ve seen do some amazing things out on the field. I feel incredibly lucky. It’s been some ride, and something I’ll always be able to look back on with fond memories.”
More from Ben Stokes
14:53 , Harry Latham-Coyle
“I told a few people who I am close with in the team the night before, and then told the team in the morning. I would have to take a wicket after it becomes made public, wouldn’t I!?
“I look at the way the last two and a half weeks have gone for me and they have been a bit...interesting, shall we say, it’s probably the best thing to call it. I can probably look back one day and have a bit of a laugh that there was a bit of controversy around my last game for England. But you can relate that to me as a player throughout. A little bit hit and miss sometimes. Obviously with this, something simple ended up a little bit complicated. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every time I’ve walked out on the field, and I’ll look back with fond memories of everything – even if there is a bit of controversy off the field here and there.”
And here, for the final time for England, is captain Ben Stokes...
14:51 , Harry Latham-Coyle
“It’s been a nice couple of days. It would have been great if things had ended differently in terms of the result. In terms of the way the Test has gone, it’s been an incredibly hard-fought game and we’ve been exposed to some tricky conditions with the weather over the first few days and that contributing to the pitch playing a little bit differently day by day. That is one of the great things about Test cricket. I give credit to New Zealand for the way they operated throughout this game. It was always going to be difficult for us to be able to chase down the total.
“I’m ending in a game where you really had to go until the end. I wouldn’t have it any other way; the only thing I would change would be that we were on the right side of the result. But you can’t always have things your way. That’s the one thing I’ll be sad about, the result in my last game.
“I think I explained in as much detail as I could yesterday. At the end of the day, there might be a few questions that people have. I hope that it can just be respected that the most important person in making decisions is myself. I didn’t take the decision lightly or rush into it, I had a number of people that I trust to talk to about. It wasn’t meant to be. I am very happy with everything I have managed to do over my career. It is sad that it is something I no longer get to do, and there are some things that I will miss. There is quite a lot of emotion. I’m very proud of what I’m done, and happy that I’ve been able to contribute some happiness to the fans who follow us wherever we go in the world.”
Nathan Smith wins the equivalent New Zealand award
14:46 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Richly deserved. “We talked about being ruthless and relentless in our line and length. Tom Blundell really changed the series coming up to the stumps. Credit to him for having the bravery to come up and the skill to execute it.”
Jofra Archer is England's player of the series
14:43 , Harry Latham-Coyle
As chosen by New Zealand coach Rob Walter. Perhaps reflective of a chaotic series that his 11 wickets in two Tests are enough.
“It’s been really good because I put a lot of work in. I don’t even know how I got this! All of the lads have been putting shifts in, and it is as much an award for them as for me.
“It’s going to be a big miss [losing Ben Stokes]. I think the hardest part is trying to imagine the changing room without him. Every game I’ve played, he and Rooty have been there. Him being gone...I really don’t want to look forward to it. It’s going to take some getting used to.”
Daryl Mitchell is the player of the match...
14:39 , Harry Latham-Coyle
...and rightly so after that brilliant, battling hundred yesterday, as well as a handful of smart snags in the cordon.
“This is very special for our group. To do it in this style that is true to us as Kiwis and Blackcaps is awesome.
“There was probably a little bit of unfinished business from the last series, I guess. It was nice to get the job done. I was really pleased with how calm we were with the loss, and then we just went to business in the second one at the Oval and the same again here. We just spoke about partnerships. It’s something that we really pride ourselves on.
“We put a lot of work into our fielding. The two runouts today showed that guys are engaged and giving it all they’ve got.”
Daryl Mitchell is the player of the match...
14:39 , Harry Latham-Coyle
...and rightly so after that brilliant, battling hundred yesterday, as well as a handful of smart snags in the cordon.
“This is very special for our group. To do it in this style that is true to us as Kiwis and Blackcaps is awesome.
“There was probably a little bit of unfinished business from the last series, I guess. It was nice to get the job done. I was really pleased with how calm we were with the loss, and then we just went to business in the second one at the Oval and the same again here. We just spoke about partnerships. It’s something that we really pride ourselves on.
“We put a lot of work into our fielding. The two runouts today showed that guys are engaged and giving it all they’ve got.”
New Zealand win the series
14:30 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Worth remembering that New Zealand had no Glenn Phillips, Kyle Jamieson and Matt Henry for this game, then lost Blair Tickner after just a handful of overs in the first innings. For a small nation, their capacity to produce Test-ready cricketers really is remarkable, and this feels another fitting success for a side that has already conquered India.
They go to Australia later this year – New Zealand have tended to struggle on their trans-Tasman trips but you’d have to fancy their chances of causing the hosts some issues.
New Zealand win the series
14:24 , Harry Latham-Coyle
A strange series, really, with the pitch at Lord’s and the midnight muddle that followed, Kane Williamson’s retirement and then the Ben Stokes news yesterday. No doubt, though, that the better has won – England haven't been beaten across three Tests at home since South Africa in 2012.
“It’s pretty special,” Rachin Ravindra says to Sky Sports. “We know how strong England are as a side, and to do it in a three-Test series is pretty pleasing. The character from the boys to keep coming, that’s the Blackcaps way. I couldn’t be prouder of the group.”
England's Test match struggles continue
14:21 , Harry Latham-Coyle
That’s seven defeats in nine Tests for England – the Ben Stokes decision will dominate the discussion but this a prolonged malaise.
And some of this squad and Brendon McCullum are thrown straight into a white-ball series against India, which begins on Monday.
New Zealand seal 2-1 series victory
14:19 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Two wickets for Nathan Smith, three for Zak Foulkes, two for Mitchell Santner and one for Ben Sears – plus a couple of run outs, of course. It was a good toss to win but New Zealand have been excellent across the last five days, particularly given so many challenges were thrown at their bowling attack.
England 212 all out
14:15 , Harry Latham-Coyle
A complete team performance from New Zealand, who have shown such skill, spirit and togetherness in this series. From 1-0 down, and then after losing their greatest ever batter, that is some win – a first Test success on English soil since 1999.
NEW ZEALAND WIN BY 160 RUNS!
14:14 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Skied to long-on, and that’s that! A tidy diving catch from Nathan Smith as Jamie Smith holes out off Mitchell Santner, and series victory is New Zealand’s!
England 212/9 (target 373)
14:12 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Bashir survives! A solid back foot block to close the over and give Jamie Smith another chance to add to his tally. Just the 161 to win – it’s not exactly Stokes/Leach territory.
England 212/9 (target 373)
14:09 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Out comes Shoaib Bashir for the last rites. How much longer can he and Jamie Smith last? Five balls from Nathan Smith might challenge England’s No 11 enough...
OUT! Josh Tongue run out (Santner) 2 (14b 0x4 0x6), England 212/9
14:08 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Fabulous fielding again and a wandering Josh Tongue is run out!
Unbelievable stuff from Mitchell Santner, running around the ball to get it to his left side and then flicking a wrist to nail the one stump he can see. Tongue had ambled down the track in search of a single and been sent back, but even his lunge for the line doesn’t save him. A dismissal to sum up the series, really.
Jumper covered in dirt, off he trudges – superb from Santner, New Zealand one wicket away.
Tongue run out with a wonderful piece of fielding from New Zealand 👏 pic.twitter.com/ziyAx1nk3o
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 29, 2026
50 for Jamie Smith! England 212/8 (target 373)
14:06 , Harry Latham-Coyle
And there it is, a hard-handed crunch through the offside to go to his half-century. Six four and a six in Jamie Smith’s 87 balls – well judged, though ultimately futile, one presumes.
He celebrates with a slog to cow corner for four more, and then a mistimed heave straight of mid-on to collect another boundary. No point sticking in now...
England 200/8 (target 373)
14:02 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Two more balls whistle past the wood of Josh Tongue as he fails to put bat on ball. Just too good for the tail-ender.
Right, Jamie Smith finally on strike and just a couple away from 50. Does he now chance his arm?
England 200/8 (target 373)
14:00 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Nicked...but short! Some snag by Daryl Mitchell on the bounce, but Josh Tongue’s outside edge had just pitched before his paw snared it. Mitchell has been sublime in the slips all series, and Nathan Smith keeps bringing that outside edge into play.
England 200/8 (target 373)
13:58 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Josh Tongue prods and pokes without much conviction or confidence through a testing over from Mitchell Santner – and then pinches the strike with a tight single to midwicket. 200 up for England.
England 199/8 (target 373)
13:57 , Harry Latham-Coyle
A regretful look back from Jofra Archer after he played that shot. It looked like he went to duck, briefly, and then sway, and in the end did nothing in particular.
Josh Tongue is in and off the mark with a nurdle. Jamie Smith still on 48.
OUT! Jofra Archer c †Blundell b Smith 2 (19b 0x4 0x6), England 198/8
13:53 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Oh, what a strange and wretched way to go! Jofra Archer shimmies down and then decides to leave a back-of-a-length ball, but fails to extract his bat from the channel.
A run off the face of the bat is catching practice for Tom Blundell.
England 198/7 (target 373)
13:51 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Jofra Archer nicks the strike with a single to a wide, deep mid-off, with four byes the other score in the over. Mitchell Santner has thrown a few down leg today, with Tom Blundell blameless again.
England 193/7 (target 373)
13:46 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Careful! Jamie Smith nearly gets a taste of his own medicine as Jofra Archer calls him through for a single to square leg that probably wasn’t quite there. Ben Sears can’t hit the poles, though Smith might have just been home.
The England keeper-batter is denied four (and 50) by a sprawling Henry Nicholls at backward point.
England 191/7 (target 373)
13:42 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Jamie Smith (47*) and Jofra Archer, yet to score, are back out there. Nathan Smith has the ball.
Afternoon session: England 191/7 (target 373)
13:37 , Harry Latham-Coyle
How much longer can England keep their captain’s flame burning? Starting again on this surface will be tricky even for a set Jamie Smith, and New Zealand have done little wrong today – or, to be honest, for much of this Test.
Afternoon session: England 191/7 (target 373)
13:35 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Sky Sports have been playing the highlights of Headingley 2019 in the lunch break. A remarkable day. The numbers have never told the full story with Ben Stokes.
England are losing the wrong man – McCullum and Key can’t survive while Stokes quits
13:22 , Lawrence Ostlere
It was a strangely unsatisfying, unedifying way to end one of the great Test careers.
Ben Stokes’s retirement was announced over loudspeakers at Trent Bridge in the midst of an almighty 11-over spell of bowling, and the attention shifted away from New Zealand’s deserved series victory to England’s captain. Stokes received guards of honour and later opened the batting, flailing for sixes, swinging at the sun. It was like the game had descended into a one-man ego trip, as if Stokes might perform the “Siuuu” at any moment.
England are losing the wrong man – McCullum and Key can’t survive while Stokes quits
LUNCH: England 191/7 (target 373)
13:07 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Well, England bat on – for now, at least. The end is probably nigh for this Test, series and Ben Stokes’s international career, mind, after a calamitous start to the morning that saw Emilio Gay edge behind and Joe Root run out by a poor call from Jamie Smith and brilliant bit of fielding by Henry Nicholls.
Smith has atoned, somewhat, with a measured knock of 47* thereafter, but the departure of Gus Atkinson (19) broke a handy stand, and leaves New Zealand on the verge of a fine achievement. From 1-0 down, a first series win here since 1999 is within reach.
LUNCH! England 191/7 (target 373)
13:03 , Harry Latham-Coyle
England 191/7 (target 373)
13:02 , Harry Latham-Coyle
The last over before lunch and New Zealand tighten the net: a slip, a gully, a leg gully, a silly point and a short leg surrounding Jofra Archer. Extra cover is urged to close in, too.
Good gloves from Tom Blundell as Mitchell Santner bowls a shocker down the leg side. Four byes saved; over, and lunch.
England 191/7 (target 373)
12:59 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Jamie Smith is three runs away from a half-century, and tries to get there as Ben Sears errs short at the end of the over. Off the cue end it spins with Smith through his pull too soon, completing a maiden.
England 191/7 (target 373)
12:56 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Natural variation, actually, from Santner, rather than a deliberate arm ball – that’s spin bowling for you. Jofra Archer, in at No 9, negotiates the final delivery of the over.
OUT! Gus Atkinson lbw b Santner 19 (70b 2x4 0x6), England 191/7
12:52 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Partnership broken! The arm ball from Mitchell Santner skids into the shin of Gus Atkinson and this review appears futile...
Indeed it is – umpire’s call on impact but it was just out from the minute it thudded the pad. Atkinson should have been forward rather than back, even it perhaps kept a little low, and a stand of 75 is snapped just before the interval.
England 189/6 (target 373)
12:51 , Harry Latham-Coyle
This passage of play really does make you wonder why England kept going with the reckless stuff last night. The Ben Stokes opening gambit maybe made some degree of sense; the tossing away of wickets thereafter rather less so. Perhaps they may argue that they’ve softened the ball quickly, but England are now more than halfway there and steadily ticking along.
No alarms in the fourth over of Ben Sears’ spell. Will he get another before lunch? Or might Tom Latham consider something different?
England 188/6 (target 373)
12:45 , Harry Latham-Coyle
I’ve always felt Jamie Smith as probably the best straight hitter of a cricket ball in England. At Surrey this year, where he’s been batting in the top three, he’s unfurled a lovely range of straight drives off the seamers, though this is a rather more extravagant flourish to lift Mitchell Santner back over his head for a second time. A skip off the parched green surface and into the advertising hoardings for four.
England 182/6 (target 373)
12:42 , Harry Latham-Coyle
A bit of an effort ball from Ben Sears, pace up and hitting the surface hard...yet still getting it to stay down after finding a crack. Jamie Smith jabs his bat down effectively in haste and trots through for a single to go to 41. He’s playing well, here, as he had to after that Joe Root run-out.
Gus Atkinson is following along nicely. A wristy flick to the square leg fence takes his tally to 16.
England 177/6 (target 373)
12:39 , Harry Latham-Coyle
The carrion feeders gather around Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson as Mitchell Santner resumes, with the former bisecting two of the vultures with a risky turn off the hip. Neither leg gully nor short leg can even chance a grasp at it. Well placed.
England 173/6 (target 373)
12:35 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Ben Sears joins ‘em up as he hurries through his third over. Tight stuff from the seamer.
England 173/6 (target 373)
12:32 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Gus Atkinson has an almighty heave towards West Bridgford, failing to make contact as he looks to send Mitchell Santner back over his head. A couple of runs take the partnership up to 57 and England’s requirement down to 200.
England 171/6 (target 373)
12:28 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Three singles from Sears’ return.
England 168/6 (target 373)
12:24 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Right, we wondered if Ben Sears was fit to bowl but here he is, plastered finger and all. He removed Ben Duckett in his only over last night...
England 168/6 (target 373)
12:23 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Hello! Full, loopy and launched by Jamie Smith as Mitchell Santner overpitches, affording a free swing of the arms. That’s the 50 partnership – Smith has 35, Atkinson 8, England need 205 more.
England 162/6 (target 373)
12:21 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Shot. That’s brave but well played by Gus Atkinson, flicking fine off of middle and leg to the fence. He was stone dead if not for the tickle, though it came squarely off the middle of his Gray-Nicolls Imperia. Nice bit of kit, that.
Inside Gray-Nicolls and the past, present and future of cricket bat-making
England 158/6 (target 373)
12:16 , Harry Latham-Coyle
There are signs, though, that Mitchell Santner is starting to find his groove. He rips one past the outside edge of a groping Gus Atkinson, and then natural variation beats the inside edge. Sliding on too far for LBW, and there is no nick to excite Rachin Ravindra at short leg despite a mightily fine scoop off the floor from the close-in fielder.
England 157/6 (target 373)
12:14 , Harry Latham-Coyle
This feels much too sedate for the last 24 hours but Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson have really taken the sting out of things. That ball, now 31 overs old, will be starting to soften – particularly after being given a bit of a whack first up last night.
England 156/6 (target 373)
12:11 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Gus Atkinson is sharp to set off after pushing the ball to mid-on, with Nathan Smith maybe just on his heels a little after a long spell to start the day. A direct hit, but Atkinson had made it home before the curfew, as it were.
England 155/6 (target 373)
12:07 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Jamie Smith has eased up to 29. It’s not impossible to score in an orthodox manner on this surface, clearly.
Still no sign of Ben Sears this morning, so there’s a chance New Zealand are down to a three-man attack. Santner continues from the Stuart Broad End after Zak Foulkes completes his latest from the Ratcliffe Road.
England 151/6 (target 373)
12:05 , Harry Latham-Coyle
It all feels a little muted at Trent Bridge. Yesterday didn’t seem particularly funereal but there’s that sense now.
England 151/6 (target 373)
12:00 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Gus Atkinson’s approach has contrasted with the rest of the England line-up – he deadbats five dot balls from Mitchell Santner to go to drinks at two off 29 balls. The England ship is still surely taking on water, but it’s been steadied for now.
England 150/6 (target 373)
11:58 , Harry Latham-Coyle
You’d have to say this has been a very good performance from the New Zealand attack given that which has gone against them in this Test. They lost Blair Tickner to concussion, have seen both Ben Sears and Will O’Rourke suffer finger injuries, and Mitchell Santner has looked short of red-ball sharpness – all with Kyle Jamieson and Matt Henry already out. Impressive stuff from an impressive team on the brink of a very impressive series win.
A maiden from Foulkes.
England 150/6 (target 373)
11:53 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Santner has struggled with his lines and lengths in his first first-class game in 10 months, but shows his intelligence after Jamie Smith gets a couple of shots away, slowing the pace right down and beating the outside edge. He’s a canny operator.
That won’t please him, though, a quicker ball shooting off an inside edge and beating both the fine short leg fielder and the dive of Daryl Mitchell to the boundary.
Zak Foulkes will swap ends.
England 140/6 (target 373)
11:50 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Nathan Smith rattles through his fifth over of the morning, each and every ball of it nagging at off stump. He’s had an impressive series – skiddy and always bringing the stumps into play.
Mitchell Santner is loosening up, which suggests a change of approach may not be far away. And here is the wily left-arm seamer, relieving Zak Foulkes at the Stuart Broad End.
England 139/6 (target 373)
11:45 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Gus Atkinson has a Test hundred, of course, even if instinctively he feels a place high at No 8. Zak Foulkes probes away at his front pad with that slightly awkward action he has, front arm coming over late, to no avail. Atkinson off the mark with a clipped couple to long leg’s left.
England 137/6 (target 373)
11:41 , Harry Latham-Coyle
A couple of skudders in the over cause issues for Jamie Smith, who does tend to drive a little bit stiffly with that front leg not bent. The toe of his New Balance keeps one ball from Nathan Smith out as it looked to burrow into off stump.
England 133/6 (target 373)
11:36 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Will O’Rourke finds more zip in the surface, beating the inside edge of Gus Atkinson and then getting the seam to stand upright to swing past a blameless Tom Blundell. Four more byes against the keeper’s name – it’s a tough gig, I tell you (and certainly made it look that way in a club outing on Saturday).
O’Rourke hasn’t quite found his rhythm here, you’d say...and he’s pulling up! Oh dear. The big seamer is wandering off, clearly carrying an injury of some kind. That’s two aborted overs for him in the innings, leaving him with strange figures of 3.5-0-16-0 – and will England now be rueing not making more of a fist of things with New Zealand down a seamer or two?
It looks like a left hamstring injury, judging by the grasping hand of the stricken seamer. Zak Foulkes takes over, as he did last night, and finishes the over with a couple of dots.
England 129/6 (target 373)
11:31 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Three boundaries in the over from Nathan Smith, two off the blade of Jamie Smith – the first a convincing clap through the covers, the second a rather more uncomfortable steer through the vacant third slip region. I actually think the England wicketkeeper has batted pretty well quite often in this series, but he wouldn’t at all mind a score here to take with him into the Pakistan Tests later in the summer.
England 117/6 (target 373)
11:26 , Harry Latham-Coyle
That’s 20 overs done in this baffling England innings. It’s a good job tickets today are free...
England 116/6 (target 373)
11:24 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Gus Atkinson joins his sorry Surrey squadmate. It looks like Jamie Smith called immediately after the shot – perhaps Joe Root should have sent him back.
It's exceptional fielding from Henry Nicholls and Joe Root walks! 👀 pic.twitter.com/jxSjGcUX65
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 29, 2026
Joe Root run out (Nicholls) 18 (17b 3x4 0x6), England 116/6
11:21 , Harry Latham-Coyle
A silly call, a superb bit of fielding and that is surely that! Jamie Smith nudged to backward point and set off as he sought to get off the mark, and despite Joe Root’s energetic and enthusiastic response, a brilliant direct hit on the slide from Henry Nicholls leaves him a yard short.
Outstanding from Nicholls as New Zealand nail the basics once more to close in on series victory.
OUT?
11:18 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Oh dear oh dear. Joe Root is surely run out here!...
England 116/5 (target 373)
11:18 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Out wanders Jamie Smith, immediately greeted by Blundell behind him as the New Zealand gloveman comes up to the stumps. Those two have been very impressive in that respect on a far from simple surface on which to keep.
Nathan Smith is all over his namesake immediately, skidding one back into his front pad. It’s missing leg by a distance, though, and Ultra Edge reveals a little inside snick, too.
OUT! Emilio Gay c †Blundell b Smith 10 (17b 1x4 0x6), England 116/5
11:14 , Harry Latham-Coyle
There’s the edge and New Zealand have their first of the morning!
It looked a matter of time, alas. A nibble of the outside edge of Emilio Gay’s bat as Nathan Smith gets it in just the right area yet again, and Tom Blundell pouches low behind the stumps.
England 116/4 (target 373)
11:13 , Harry Latham-Coyle
A fleeting and far from forceful appeal from a few scattered Blackcaps as Will O’Rourke shoots one past a driving Joe Root’s bat. He was a distance from it.
Root punishes a short, wide one, thrashing it to the cover fence, to close the over.
England 110/4 (target 373)
11:08 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Gay gets one that keeps a little low from a very similar length to the ball that jumped earlier in the over. Tricky. Tough. He plays out a maiden, and has 9; Root has a spritely 13 from 12.
England 110/4 (target 373)
11:07 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Yowzer! A lifter from Nathan Smith outside off to beat the bat of Emilio Gay. Not sure what the left-hander could have done about that. It bypasses the glove and is very well taken by Tom Blundell behind the stumps.
Another beaut whispers in the ear of Gay’s blocking blade as it again evades it narrowly. It isn’t going to be easy to just survive...
England 110/4 (target 373)
11:04 , Harry Latham-Coyle
A little flick off the hip brings Emilio Gay the first runs of the day, and a change of angle from Will O’Rourke from around the wicket to over. He extracts an outside edge immediately but soft hands ensure it doesn’t carry to the cordon.
Another leg-side nudge gets Gay moving again, and Joe Root shows signs of intent immediately, throwing the arms at a wide, full ball and carving it over gully for four. Streaky, but more signs of how England are going to go about it.
England 103/4 (target 373)
11:00 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Blocked calmly into the off side. Test match normality, which surely will not last.
England 103/4 (target 373)
11:00 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Here is Will O’Rourke, who looks positively nasty to face. A sore finger might not help his mood, either. Emilio Gay on strike with O’Rourke around the wicket.
England 103/4 (target 373)
10:58 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Ben Stokes watches on from the England balcony as the players make their way out to the strains of Jerusalem and a video package chronicling some of the departing all-rounder’s best moments.
Third Test final day
10:52 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Tickets were free at Trent Bridge today, by the way, a decision announced an hour or so before news of Ben Stokes’ retirement. It’s filling up in Nottingham.
Will New Zealand be short-handed?
10:49 , Harry Latham-Coyle
New Zealand were properly in the wars yesterday, with Daryl Mitchell battered and bruised just about everywhere during his innings and not one but two of their seam attack requiring attention for cut fingers. Ben Sears twice took nasty blows to a digit while batting before Will O’Rourke’s jutting hand got in the way of a blast from Ben Stokes’ bat.
Sears managed to bowl one over last night while O’Rourke also seems to be ready to add to the one delivery he sent down at the start of the innings.
“There are a few sore bodies, as you can see,” Mitchell told Sky this morning. “A couple of cut fingers. WOR decided he wanted to palm it to the boundary. Those boys will keep coming and put their bodies on the line to try and win a Test match for their country.”
One last magic moment
10:45 , Harry Latham-Coyle
His performance with the bat was peculiar, but this was one last magical moment for Ben Stokes in England whites, striking with the first ball he bowled after news emerged of his retirement with the captain about to begin the 11th over of his spell.
Ben Stokes gets a wicket just moments after the news broke that he is retiring from international cricket 😲🚨 pic.twitter.com/rCZknWSeuG
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 28, 2026
Did England get their approach right?
10:35 , Harry Latham-Coyle
It was an utterly bizarre passage of play last night as England embarked on their chase, with Ben Stokes emerging to open and swinging at pretty much everything. Jacob Bethell then perhaps showed evidence of a scrambled mind as he shouldered arms to a ball that would have clattered into off stump if not for the intervention of his pad, before Harry Brook threw his wicket away to continue the carnage. Even Joe Root was reverse sweeping the seamers.
This wicket was offering plenty of variable bounce, but surely there was value in keeping wickets in hand for a final-day assault? It did feel a little bit like Stokes and his side burning the house down four years on from its construction here against the same opposition.
New Zealand close in on famous win
10:25 , Harry Latham-Coyle
It’s the best part of 30 years since New Zealand last won on a Test series on English soil, with Tom Latham’s side close to emulating the achievements of 1999. They had Daryl Mitchell to thank for edging them closer yesterday – what a brave, bloody-minded hundred it was from him yesterday, shutting out the jeers of “boring, boring Mitchell” from the home fans to seemingly bat England out of the Test.
The match situation
10:15 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Lost a little in the Ben Stokes shuffle is that England are careering towards a series defeat. Joe Root (9*) and Emilio Gay (6*, having dropped down after Ben Stokes opened) will resume this morning on 103/4 requiring another 270 runs for an unlikely victory – and judging by their approach last night, the hosts won’t deadbat for a draw.
England are losing the wrong man – McCullum and Key can’t survive while Stokes quits
10:05 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Ben Stokes has been indelibly linked to Brendon McCullum and Rob Key as England Test captain – so does it feel wrong that he is the one walking away first? Lawrence Ostlere makes that case:
England are losing the wrong man – McCullum and Key can’t survive while Stokes quits
Ben Stokes explains stunning England retirement: ‘I don’t think I have any fight left in me’
09:55 , Harry Latham-Coyle
One imagines there is a perhaps deeper reckoning of the reasons to come, but after retiring, Ben Stokes explained that he felt some of his trademark fight had gone.
Ben Stokes explains reasons behind England retirement decision
ANALYSIS: Stokes was England's flawed champion – and irreplaceable
09:45 , Harry Latham-Coyle
England have seldom had someone quite like Ben Stokes – a man for the moment and of remarkable heart, fight and spirit. Richard Jolly pays tribute to a flawed but utterly, utterly fabulous cricketer.
Ben Stokes was England’s flawed champion – and he’s irreplaceable
England captain Ben Stokes announces shock retirement from international cricket
09:40 , Harry Latham-Coyle
It was at 15.25 on a sleepy Sunday afternoon that news of Ben Stokes’ retirement was announced – changing the face of this Test and plenty more besides.
England captain Ben Stokes announces shock retirement from international cricket
England vs New Zealand LIVE
09:33 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Well then.
It’s the morning after the night before, and Ben Stokes’ final day as an international cricketer is upon us. There is much more digesting to be done after a simply stunning and surreal afternoon and evening of Test cricket – but as their captain bows out, England are right in the mire and on the brink of series defeat.
