Second Test Day Four: New Zealand vs England at The Oval
New Zealand posted innings totals of 391 and 362, while England scored 291 and reached 182 for five by the end of day four in the second Test at The Oval. England remain 281 runs behind, facing a challenging path to victory.
Meanwhile, England’s full-time captain Ben Stokes, sidelined from international duty due to disciplinary reasons, was playing for Durham in the County Championship at Chester-le-Street, approximately 250 miles north of The Oval.
England’s interim captain Joe Root, who has taken the reins during Stokes’ absence, has carried the team’s hopes with an unbeaten 75, becoming only the second player in Test history to surpass 14,000 career runs.
“Yeah, we’ve missed him,” Josh Tongue said of Stokes. “He’s an unbelievable player. Obviously I made my debut when he was captain, so I’ve got huge respect for Stokesy and it’s always nice seeing him get some runs as well. But obviously we’ve got a lot of leaders in our team. Rooty has stepped up as captain, he’s obviously an unbelievable player and an unbelievable leader.”
Tongue acknowledged the team has been weakened by Stokes’s absence but praised Root’s leadership despite the challenges. Root’s second stint as captain appears likely to conclude after this Test, as the England & Wales Cricket Board’s investigation into the curfew breach involving Stokes and Gus Atkinson nears completion, potentially allowing their return for the third Test at Trent Bridge.
“He’s an unbelievable player,” Tongue, 28, said about Root. “I’ve watched him for many years now and it’s a massive honour to be in the same changing room as him. As captain this week he’s been unbelievable with me, making sure my plans are clear before bowling – and he did that with every other bowler as well. He’s been very positive, in terms of the debriefs that we have at the end of days, and the days leading into the game as well, having our little plans and stuff and just making sure we’re clear as bowlers going into each day.”
New Zealand’s Batting and England’s Response
The day began with Henry Nicholls, who replaced Kane Williamson at No 3 following Williamson’s unexpected retirement, adding just two runs to his overnight 119 before being caught at slip off Jofra Archer.
“No one’s going to replace Kane. He’s an incredible player, an incredible person, and I’ve been lucky enough to play a lot of my career with him,” Nicholls said. “So there were certainly mixed emotions coming in to that No 3 spot. But any time you play you’ve got a role, and for me I was just trying to do that as well as I could.”
Although New Zealand are close to securing only their third Test win in England since 2000, they remain cautious while England’s stand-in captain remains at the crease.
“When you’ve got someone like Joe Root out there, his class and everything that comes with him, he’s going to be the big wicket,” Nicholls said. “It’s going to take a lot of effort. It’s Test cricket. It’s been four hard days and we’re expecting the same again tomorrow.”
