Henry Nicholls he made an immediate impact on his return to New Zealand colours, coming on for the retired Kane Williamson and delivering a composed unbeaten century to propel his side into a dominant position against England on the third day of the Test at The Oval. On Friday, New Zealand reached 252 for 3 in their second innings, extending their total lead to 352 after bowling England out for 291 just before lunch. Nicholls remained unbeaten on 119, anchoring the innings with the side Rachin Ravindrawho made a fluent 76 before being dismissed after tea. The pair added 161 runs from 201 balls, setting a new record for New Zealand’s highest partnership at The Oval. Their attitude first stabilized the innings and then steadily built control before shifting gears after tea when they began scoring nearly six overs with crisp timing and clean stroke play. New Zealand’s position puts them in firm control of the game, with seven wickets still in hand and the opportunity to move towards a 500-run lead. That would leave England facing a huge fourth innings challenge, especially given their history at the venue. Their most successful chase at The Oval remains 263 against Australia in 1902, while their highest ever fourth innings chase anywhere is 378 for 3 against India at Edgbaston in 2022 during the Baseball Era. Nicholls, who only arrived in London last Sunday after Williamson’s shock retirement, admitted the transition was unexpected. “(Williamson’s retirement) was a bit of a shock to everyone,” he said. “I was lucky enough to play a lot of cricket with Kane. I could never replace him. I just really enjoyed being back in Test cricket, you want to contribute. It was fun, the partnership with Rachin and Daryl (Mitchell) at the end.“ Going in early at 8 for 1, Nicholls faced off Jofra Archer high pace bowling and I had to get rid of it quickly. It survived the first explosion and was then rebuilt Devon ConwayA layoff with Ravindra playing a more attacking role while Nicholls provided stability. There were a few early alarms, including a missed chance on 7 by debutant wicketkeeper James Rew, who endured a difficult outing behind the stumps. England’s bowling struggled to break the stand through the middle as the duo methodically drained the energy from the attack and the crowd. After tea, however, the pace changed dramatically. Nicholls reached his half century off 72 balls and Ravindra followed shortly after on 79 deliveries for his first fifty against England. Ravindra’s innings ended on 76 when he was trapped lbw by Jacob Bethell, who once again proved decisive after claiming three wickets in the first innings. Nicholls brought up his century soon after, reaching the 133-ball milestone with his 14th boundary, smashed through midwicket off Bethell. It was his 11th Test hundred in his 59th match and second against England, having previously scored 100 in Auckland 2018. He has also scored back-to-back hundreds recently, including an unbeaten 150 in Zimbabwe last August. He accepted the applause, raised his bat and continued calmly and confidently. At stumps, he was unbeaten on 119 off 164 deliveries, with Daryl Mitchell alongside him on 32 not out as New Zealand added 63 runs in the last 86 balls of the day without losing control. Earlier in the day, New Zealand’s position was built on strong bowling led by him Matt Henrywho claimed 5 for 80 to secure his seventh five-wicket haul in Tests. Making a strong comeback after back spasms ruled him out of the first Test at Lord’s, Henry was backed up by sharp fielding catches as England were restricted to 291. England’s lower order showed unexpected resistance, with Matthew Fisher and debutant Sonny Baker who frustrates the attack and adds 53 runs for the last wicket. Fisher remained unbeaten with 50 off 77 balls, earning a standing ovation from the Oval crowd despite England going into a deep deficit.
