Ben Duckett ended a 22-innings wait for a Test century, scoring 113 runs off 99 balls as England fought back in the Rothesay Series decider against New Zealand at Trent Bridge. His innings came after a difficult period, including a challenging Ashes series earlier this year, and was bolstered by a dropped catch by Henry Nicholls when Duckett was on eight. The left-hander’s brisk scoring helped England reach 223 for two at stumps on the second day, trailing New Zealand’s first-innings total of 438 by 215 runs.

Duckett shared a commanding 179-run partnership with Jacob Bethell, who remained unbeaten on 74, as the pair stabilized England’s innings following New Zealand’s strong start. The visitors had earlier been all out for 438 after losing their last 10 wickets for 121 runs, ending a demanding opening day for England.

Ben Stokes was central to England’s resurgence, delivering a crucial bowling performance on a flat pitch under sweltering conditions. In an eight-over spell on Friday morning, Stokes took three wickets for 13 runs, breaking through the resistance of Daryl Mitchell and Mitch Santner, who both appeared frustrated by their dismissals. Stokes had already made a significant breakthrough on Thursday by ending a 317-run opening stand between New Zealand’s centurions Tom Latham and Devon Conway.

Overall, Stokes finished with figures of four for 70, a milestone performance marking him as only the second cricketer in history, after South Africa’s Jacques Kallis, to take 250 Test wickets and score over 7,000 runs. His aggressive and committed bowling underscored his pivotal role in England’s fightback following a difficult opening day.

England’s bowling attack was otherwise less effective, with Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue failing to make significant inroads after New Zealand resumed at 361 for four. Nightwatchman Will O’Rourke improved on his previous Test best, scoring 19, while Daryl Mitchell also settled in to extend New Zealand’s innings on the second morning.

As the match continues, England look to capitalize on their strong batting start and Stokes’s leadership in bowling to counter New Zealand’s imposing first innings and shift momentum in the series decider.