New Zealand’s Tom Latham and Devon Conway broke a record that had stood for nearly a hundred years before England skipper Ben Stokes marked his return to international duty by sparking a late fightback on the first day of the third and deciding Test at Trent Bridge.
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The Black Caps were still well-placed on 4-361 at stumps on Thursday’s opening day, with this three-match series all square at 1-1.
But they had been 0-317 while New Zealand captain Latham, capitalising on winning a good toss in sweltering heat, made 151 and fellow left-handed opener Conway 157 before they were both dismissed in the final session to spark a mini-collapse.
The two 34-year-olds’ partnership was the highest for any New Zealand wicket in a Test against England, surpassing the 276 shared by Stewie Dempster and Jackie Mills at Wellington back in 1930.
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Not for the first time, however, it was Stokes, recalled alongside paceman Gus Atkinson after missing the hosts’ crushing 253-run defeat in the second Test at the Oval for breaking a midnight curfew celebrating his side’s win in the series opener at Lord’s, who broke through for England.
Seam-bowling all-rounder Stokes, almost by force of will, had Latham edging a good-length delivery and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, who had dropped the New Zealand skipper on 129 after sitting out New Zealand’s mammoth victory at the Oval on paternity leave, made no mistake.
England’s 1-317 became 2-319 in the next over when Conway holed out to part-time off-spinner Joe Root, with substitute fielder Matt Fisher taking a fine running catch at long-on.
Rachin Ravindra carelessly skyed Atkinson to Smith and next ball Henry Nicholls, fresh from his century at the Oval, fell for 36 to what became the last ball of the day when caught behind off fast bowler Jofra Archer.
“It’s so funny in cricket, you get one and then you get two,” former England fast bowler Stuart Broad said on Sky Sports.
“That gave England a sniff and given how the day has panned out, they will be happy with four wickets.”
But the day still belonged to New Zealand, with Conway telling Sky Sports he was “pretty happy with the way things have gone”.
Latham and Conway’s four previous partnerships this series – two, nought, 14 and eight — gave no indication of the pair’s run-spree on Thursday but they cashed in on ideal batting conditions.
“We knew that the wicket was going to be quite nice,” said Conway, who made a round trip of 23,000-miles (37,000 kilometre) to New Zealand between the first and second Tests to see his newborn baby.
“It was important for us to put pressure on the bowling.
He added: “It’s a little disappointing to have lost two wickets at the end but we’ve got a lot of batters in the shed so hopefully we can kick on.”
Recalled off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who hadn’t bowled in a Test in more than a year, almost had Conway out for 18 when a mistimed a drive off a well-flighted delivery just evaded a diving Root at short extra-cover.
Stokes brought himself on, to cheers from the crowd, for the 20th over, with New Zealand 0-64 but Conway drove his second ball for four.
Latham completed a 149-ball hundred with successive boundaries off Stokes — a slashing cut followed by a leg-glance. It was his 17th century in 95 Tests.
New Zealand were 0-213 at tea, with Latham 109 not out and Conway unbeaten on 94.
During the afternoon session, Stokes neglected to review an LBW shout that would have been overturned, with replays showing the ball had struck Conway’s pad before his bat.
“You wondered, then, if Stokes’s touch was failing him,” The Guardian’s Andy Bull wrote.
“He does not really do self-doubt, but watching all this, it felt like he was still feeling his way back into leading this team after letting them down in the past fortnight. He seemed less sure of himself than usual.
“There were no canny bowling changes, no funky fields. He even made a couple of uncharacteristic misfields, one a particularly ugly one at mid-off when he stooped to pick up a ball and missed it altogether to give away a single.”
Conway got to his eighth hundred in 36 Tests with consecutive fours off Bashir, lofting him over wide long-on and square-driving him through point.
He then struck superb sixes in successive overs, lofting a Bashir full-toss high over deep midwicket and pulling Tongue over long leg.
Conway was on 130 when a diving Ben Duckett could only get the tips of his fingers to a tough chance at square leg.
Latham, however, should have been out for 129 when he gloved Atkinson down the legside only for Smith to miss the routine chance as the ball went straight through his gloves and hit his chest.
“A little bit of momentum from England at the back end of the day but there isn’t any doubt the first day of this Test match belonged to New Zealand,” Broad added.
“First-innings runs are a premium. New Zealand will be disappointed with the finish they had but they are still in an excellent position.”
Former New Zealand fast bowler Simon Doull added on the Sky Sports podcast: “New Zealand would be very disappointed if they’re not somewhere in the vicinity of 550.
“And England should feel pretty good about their performance if it’s anything under 500.
“It’s a blazing hot, flat wicket, a home ground for Ben Duckett. We know what Joe Root does at this ground. He could set his tent up and just bat for a day and a half on this type of surface.
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