Zak Foulkes turned an emergency role into a match-shaping intervention as New Zealand tightened their grip on the third Test against England at Trent Bridge.
Foulkes, introduced as a concussion substitute for Blair Tickner, took 3-35 as England slipped from an overnight 223-2 to 354 all out. The collapse left New Zealand with an 84-run first-innings lead in the series decider.
Foulkes changes the tone
The substitute seamer removed Ben Stokes and Harry Brook in a spell that cut through England’s middle order, while Nathan Smith finished with 4-91. Sky Sports reported that England lost control across a day featuring 11 wickets, with New Zealand later reaching 120-3 at stumps and extending their advantage to 204.
Rachin Ravindra then made the damage feel heavier. His unbeaten 60, alongside Daryl Mitchell’s 26 not out, rebuilt the innings after Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson had reduced New Zealand to 51-3.
The context is important: England had already been chasing the game after New Zealand’s first-innings 438, and ReadCricket covered how Ravindra’s stand left England under pressure at Trent Bridge. Foulkes’ spell sharpened that pressure into something more decisive.
With two days left, England’s route back now depends on a rapid morning burst and a chase on a surface offering uneven bounce. New Zealand, by contrast, have a substitute story that may yet define the series.
Sources: Sky Sports, Associated Press.
