England v New Zealand: third men’s Test, day three – live

By Tim de Lisle(now) and James Wallace(later) • June 27, 2026 • Sport

Join our writers for updates from the third day of the series decider at Trent Bridge

The second email comes from next door to Trent Bridge. “Over in West Bridgford Park, there’s a big local event – Proms in the Park – happening all afternoon on Saturday,” says Richard Coffey-Glover. “I run a big community soul band called the Lady Bay Soul Collective (Lady Bay is the area across the Radcliffe Road), and we’re playing 4:30-5:30pm – you might even hear us. We’re a community band which started just under two years ago when I asked if anyone in the area wanted to meet up and play some jazz, and now we’re playing to thousands of people - playing music together brings out the absolute best in people!” It sure does … even more than sport, in my experience. “We’re part of a larger Lady Bay Music organisation that exists to get as many people playing music together as we can. Take your pick of the songs we’re playing which suit the state of play in the cricket at that time: James Brown’s I Feel Good, Spooky by Dusty Springfield, or even Pick up The Pieces?” The first email of the day comes from John Starbuck. “Things may be falling apart, as you say,” he writes, “but the lines ‘The centre cannot hold/Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world’ could be reserved for the Lord’s staff, if their next two Tests this summer are played on such a dreadful pitch as the first one.” Personally, I love a low-scoring Test, when a cool-headed 50, like Emilio Gay’s, can be a matchwinner. So much better than sitting through a partnership of 300. But while we’re reflecting on pitches of the recent past, wasn’t the one at the Oval excellent? It had enough runs in it to be widely described as flat, yet there was always something in it for the bowler, whether that was Jofra Archer (who could have had a five-for on the first morning), Matt Henry or Jacob Bethell. Morning everyone and welcome to the third act of a riveting drama. England won the first Test, New Zealand won the second. New Zealand won the first day of this Test, England won the second. Who’s going to win the third? Who knows! If the game is to have a winner, according to CricViz, it’s now twice as likely to be England (who apparently have a 45pc chance) as New Zealand (20pc). Are they sure about that? Well as Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell batted yesterday, England are still just a collapse away from a first-innings deficit of 100. And collapses are their special subject. Plus, they have to bat last on a surface that is as dry as Mark Butcher’s sense of humour. On the other hand, England are close to full strength, with Ben Stokes back to bowling with superhuman tenacity, while New Zealand are nearly as depleted as their hosts were at the Oval. The Kiwis’ change bowlers from the last Test are now taking the new ball, one of their stand-ins has had to stand down with possible concussion (get well soon, Blair Tickner), their best batter from the first two Tests is missing, their only spinner has taken a pummelling, and they didn’t even get to the Rex Rooms to celebrate their victory. In this slow old sport of ours, things fall apart very fast.

Source: The Guardian