Henry Nicholls made an instant impact on his return to New Zealand colours, stepping in for the retired Kane Williamson and delivering a composed unbeaten century to push his side into a dominant position against England on day three of the Test at The Oval. By stumps on Friday, New Zealand had reached 252 for 3 in their second innings, effectively stretching their overall lead to 352 after bowling England out for 291 just before lunch. Nicholls remained unbeaten on 119, anchoring the innings alongside Rachin Ravindra, who made a fluent 76 before his dismissal after tea. The pair added 161 runs from 201 balls, setting a new record for New Zealand’s highest partnership at The Oval. Their stand first stabilised the innings, then steadily built control before shifting gears after tea, when they began scoring at nearly six an over with crisp timing and clean strokeplay. New Zealand’s position puts them firmly in charge of the match, with seven wickets still in hand and the opportunity to push towards a 500-run lead. That would leave England facing a steep fourth-innings challenge, especially given their history at the venue. Their highest 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 Bazball era. Nicholls, who arrived in London only last Sunday after Williamson’s shock retirement, admitted the transition was unexpected. “(Williamson retiring) was a bit of a shock to everyone,” he said. “I’ve been lucky enough to play a lot of my cricket with Kane. I wasn’t ever going to be able to replace him. I just really enjoyed being back in test cricket, you want to contribute. It was fun, the partnership with Rachin and with Daryl (Mitchell) at the end there.” Walking in early at 8 for 1, Nicholls faced Jofra Archer bowling at high pace and had to settle quickly. He survived the initial burst, then rebuilt after Devon Conway’s dismissal alongside Ravindra, who played the more attacking role while Nicholls provided stability. There were a couple of early alarms, including a dropped 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 session as the duo methodically drained energy from the attack and the crowd. After tea, however, the tempo shifted dramatically. Nicholls reached his half-century from 72 balls, with Ravindra following shortly after off 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 taking three wickets in the first innings. Nicholls brought up his century soon after, reaching the milestone off 133 balls with his 14th boundary, driven through midwicket off Bethell. It was his 11th Test hundred in his 59th match and his second against England, having previously scored a century in Auckland in 2018. He had also registered back-to-back hundreds recently, including an unbeaten 150 in Zimbabwe last August. He acknowledged the applause, raised his bat, and carried on with calm assurance. By stumps, he was unbeaten on 119 from 164 deliveries, with Daryl Mitchell alongside him on 32 not out as New Zealand added 63 runs in the final 86 balls of the day without losing control. Earlier in the day, New Zealand’s position was built on a strong bowling effort led by Matt Henry, who claimed 5 for 80 to secure his seventh five-wicket haul in Tests. Returning strongly after back spasms ruled him out of the first Test at Lord’s, Henry was supported by sharp catching in the field as England were restricted to 291. England’s lower order showed unexpected resistance, with Matthew Fisher and debutant Sonny Baker frustrating the attack and adding 53 runs for the final wicket. Fisher remained unbeaten on 50 off 77 balls, earning applause from the Oval crowd despite England slipping into a large deficit.
