Josh Tongue was not the only name on the scorecard at Trent Bridge, but the numbers now belong to New Zealand. England were bowled out for 130 in their first innings on day three of the deciding third Test, and New Zealand ended the day 204 runs ahead.
England had resumed on 223-2 with Jacob Bethell on 74 and Joe Root on 21, then lost eight wickets for 130 runs in Nottingham. Jofra Archer took two early wickets and Gus Atkinson took one, but the damage was already done by the time the innings folded.
Ravindra and Mitchell steady New Zealand
New Zealand were briefly in trouble too, slipping to 51-3, before Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell added a patient 69-run stand and counting. Ravindra reached 50, his second of the series, and finished on 60; Mitchell made 26 as the reply kept moving.
The arithmetic is stark for England. After giving away an 84-run first-innings deficit, they still had seven second innings wickets left to work with, yet by the close they were chasing control rather than creating it.
England, Archer, and the late squeeze
Jamie Smith went up to the stumps to Jofra Archer, while Bashir sent down a beamer above head height to Ravindra. England needed a wicket before the end of the day, but the umpires ended play first, which left New Zealand carrying the last word into day four.
That is the practical edge now: England need a cleaner spell with the ball and a sharper start with the bat if they are to erase a 204-run gap in a match that has already bent their way once and then snapped back. At Trent Bridge, the advantage sits with New Zealand, and the scoreline says the next session matters more than the one just gone.
