England faces tough assignment on Day 4 against New Zealand

30 minutes left to the first ball - There is action already underway in Southampton in the Women's T20 World Cup, 2026, if you want it right away. Australia, six-time champions and unbeaten in this edition, are in the middle against the Netherlands, asked to bat first in what promises to be a fascinating watch, with the Netherlands looking to make a statement on the biggest stage they have ever played on. Want more? There is. Chennai is hosting the third and final ODI between India and Afghanistan. The Men in Blue have already put the tourists under pressure with the ball. Do switch tabs and follow all the updates from these ongoing matches, as our fellow colleagues are working hard there too. But do not forget to switch back here as the first ball is scheduled to be bowled at 10 am GMT.

A long day ahead for the English bowlers - Walk into this England dressing room right now and you can feel it. The rookies are still finding their seats. The veterans already know this is one of those missions. The Kiwis will look to bat England into submission through the day before turning their bowlers loose on a surface which is already showing variable bounce and signs of turn. For England, the equation is brutally simple. Bowl New Zealand out as quickly as possible, then somehow find batting heroics of a magnitude few sides have ever managed at this famous old ground. So hop along with us as we are not far away from the first delivery of the fourth day.

Nicholls answered the call - New Zealand were two down for 28, and the doubts were beginning to close in. What followed was a recovery built on patience, partnership, and one man stepping into shoes that had been left very large indeed. Kane Williamson's retirement had left the number three spot open. And donning the whites after almost a year, Henry Nicholls took it, owned it, and made it his own on the very first day he was asked to fill it. His marathon partnership with Rachin shifted the entire complexion of the game, before Ravindra fell and Daryl Mitchell came in to keep the innings moving.

Fisher did the tough job - The platform for New Zealand's command was built session by session through Day 3. Matt Henry's seventh Test five-wicket haul handed the Kiwis a commanding 100-run first-innings lead, doing the bulk of the damage to the English batting order. The hosts, however, found late resistance from an unlikely source. Matt Fisher raised a maiden Test half-century, battling hard alongside debutant Sonny Baker as the last-wicket pair did everything they could to extend the innings and chip away at New Zealand's advantage.

Series on the line - Hello and a very warm welcome to one and all for joining us again. It's been an exciting ride in this riveting second Test at The Oval. England will wake up on Day 4 staring down the barrel of arguably their toughest rearguard assignment of this entire series. New Zealand, on the other hand, would have had a sound sleep as they have gone a long way towards bossing this contest. They managed to extend the lead by 352 runs at the close of an utterly dominant day three.

A long road back for England - The visitors piled on 158 runs in 31 overs in the final session, scoring at just over five runs an over, which stretched their lead to 352. With around six sessions remaining in the Test and no real threat of rain at the moment, New Zealand will be keen to bat England out of the game. The inexperience in this English pace attack has shown at times, and without a specialist spinner to turn to, the hosts have looked short of answers. A few balls kept low as well, though nothing alarming just yet. How the pitch behaves from here will be worth watching. Day 4 will begin at 10 am GMT, but for now, you can switch tabs and tune into the Women's T20 World Cup action, where New Zealand are three down early against Ireland. Cheers!

Nicholls and Ravindra took charge - England made an ideal start to the afternoon session as Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue struck to reduce New Zealand to 28/2, but that was as good as it got for the hosts. From there, Henry Nicholls and Rachin Ravindra shut the door on the home side with a 161-run stand. Ravindra was put down on 7, while Nicholls survived a couple of anxious moments. None were straightforward chances, but with England already behind in the game, those were the opportunities they needed to convert. Nicholls went on to bring up his 11th Test century as runs continued to flow through the third session, and, to New Zealand's credit, they did not shut shop late in the day.

Defiance from the tail - New Zealand could hardly have asked for a better start to the morning as England, who resumed 169 runs behind, lost three early wickets, including the last recognised batter, Jordan Cox. The visitors appeared on course to wrap things up quickly, but Matthew Fisher and Sonny Baker dug deep in a defiant 53-run stand, with Fisher bringing up his maiden Test fifty. The Kiwis made life harder for themselves as they were far too short for much of the passage, and it was a case of deja vu after England had fallen into a similar trap on the morning of Day 2. As a result, what could have been a lead in excess of 150 was eventually trimmed to 100.

New Zealand seize control - A couple of good days at the office for the Kiwis, and they find themselves in a commanding position in this Test with two days still to play. Henry Nicholls walks off to a standing ovation, with his teammates patting him on the back as he makes his way up the stairs. When you don't take your chances, Test cricket has a habit of making you pay, and England are learning that the hard way. They allowed New Zealand to recover and post 391 in the first innings and have since been playing catch-up cricket.

4

Overs53.2

Score239 - 3

Jacob Bethell to Daryl Mitchell, FOUR! That has been swept pretty well. Tossed up, a touch fuller, around the pads. Daryl Mitchell gets down on one knee and sweeps it to beat the short fine leg fielder to his left for a boundary. The 50-run stand is up between this pair.

1

Overs52.5

Score235 - 3

Josh Tongue to Daryl Mitchell, Tap and run! On the back of a good length, just outside off, Daryl Mitchell dabs it with soft hands in front of cover. Ben Duckett comes in charging as he picks up the ball with one hand and underarms it toward the striker's end, but misses the hit. However, Henry Nicholls is comfortable inside the crease when the ball crosses the stumps.

3

Overs51.3

Score229 - 3

Harry Brook to Henry Nicholls, From around the wicket for the left-hander, fuller and on off. Nicholls extends his hands and just checks the drive. He plays it through covers, but the ball does not have enough legs to reach the fence, and it is hauled in. Three runs taken.

0

Overs50.6

Score221 - 3

Matthew Fisher to Daryl Mitchell, At 128 kph, on a good length, outside off. Mitchell lets it pass. James Rew is standing up to the stumps and he cannot gather it cleanly. The ball deflects away off his gloves behind square on the off side. The batters cross over for a bye.