Oval Test: New Zealand close in on victory over England
What's the story
England's hopes of avoiding defeat in the second Test against New Zealand now rest on the shoulders of stand-in captain Joe Root. The Black Caps are just five wickets away from a series-levelling victory at The Oval. On Saturday, Root became only the second player in history to score 14,000 runs in Test cricket. Despite his remarkable achievement and an unbeaten 75-run knock on Sunday, England still have a long way to go with their target set at 463 runs.
Match progression
Root, Brook add crucial runs for England
England's innings took a hit when early wickets fell. England were reduced to 40/3 before Harry Brook joined Root and they added some hope with a third-wicket partnership worth 97 runs. Matt Henry dismissed Brook to break the partnership. After Brook departed, James Rew came in and alongside Root added a 43-run stand. However, Rew perished for 15 runs off 39 balls as England lost their 5th wicket. England are 182/5 at stumps and still need 281 runs to win.
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Jamieson leads New Zealand's charge
Kyle Jamieson bowled 14 overs and bagged 3/37. He clocked 4 maidens. Henry was superb and managed 1/26 from 13 overs. William O'Rourke managed 1/48 from 10 overs. Nathan Smith bowled nine overs and clocked 0/48. Rachin Ravindra bowled 2 overs and gave away 10 runs.
Brook
Harry Brook slams his 17th half-century in Tests
Brook smashed 10 fours and a six in his knock of 58. Earlier in the 2nd innings, he managed a 32-ball 24. Brook raced to 3,316 runs from 37 matches (64 innings) at 53.48. He clocked his 17th fifty (100s: 10). As per ESPNcricinfo, Brook now owns 817 runs from 7 matches against New Zealand at 62.84 (100s: 3, 50s: 5). In 101 First-Class matches (166 innings), Brook has amassed 6,897 runs at 44-plus. He recorded his 36th FC fifty. Brook also has 19 hundreds.
Runs
Root completes 2,000 Test runs against New Zealand
England star Root scripted history by becoming the first batter to complete 2,000 runs against New Zealand in Test cricket. He accomplished this milestone with his 20th run in the fourth innings. Across 23 Tests against the Kiwis, Root has scored over 2,000 runs at a fine average of 50-plus, as per ESPNcricinfo. Root owns six tons versus New Zealand and is aiming to convert his 10th fifty into a 7th hundred.
14,000
Root becomes second player with 14,000 Test runs
Root became only the second player to complete 14,000 runs in Test cricket. Root reached the landmark with his 2nd run on Day 4. The 35-year-old Root is now only behind India's Sachin Tendulkar in terms of Test runs. The Master Blaster bowed out with a record 15,921 runs from 200 Tests at an average of 53.78. In 165 matches (302 innings), Root averages 50-plus. In addition to 41 tons, he currently owns 67 fifties, batting on 75*.
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Root will look to hold his fort on Day 5
Root's unbeaten 75 off 137 balls was laced with 8 fours. Root is hanging in there and needs the tail to chip in and support him. New Zealand are the favorites to win this clash and for England, they would want Root to take it as close as possible.
NZ
New Zealand fold for 362
Earlier, New Zealand resumed Day 4 on a score of 252/3. England did a reasonable job, picking the last 7 wickets for 110 runs. Daryl Mitchell shone for the Kiwis. He smashed 68 runs off 108 balls. He resumed the day batting on 32 off 43 balls. Meanwhile, Nathan Smith frustrated the hosts with a fine 38. For England, Jofra Archer and Matthew Fisher claimed three-fers.
Daryl
Daryl Mitchell slams his 16th half-century in Test cricket
Mitchell scored 12 and 0 in the first encounter of the ongoing series at Lord's. In the ongoing match, he managed 44 and 68. Mitchell raced to 2,300 runs in Test cricket from 38 matches (60 innings) at 41.81. He slammed his 16th fifty (100s: 5). In 12 matches versus England, he has amassed 1,080 runs at 54. He clocked his 8th fifty (100s: 3). Meanwhile, in 19 away matches, Mitchell owns 1,240 runs at 42.75 (100s: 3, 50s: 8).
Archer
Archer gets to 65 wickets
Archer, who missed the first match versus New Zealand at Lord's, finished this clash with 5 wickets. Archer picked 3/62 from 16 overs in the 3rd innings. Earlier, he picked 2/61 from 20 overs in the 1st innings. Archer now owns 65 scalps from 19 matches at 29.67. In three matches against New Zealand, he owns 7 scalps at 47.42. As per ESPNcricinfo, 44 of Archer's 65 scalps have come at home. He averages 26.97.
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Fisher picks his maiden three-fer
Fisher also managed 5 wickets in this contest. He claimed 2/62 from 23.2 overs in the 1st innnings. From 2 matches, he now has 6 scalps for England at 31.83.
Twitter Post
Day 4!
Stumps on day four.
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) June 20, 2026
BLACKCAPS require 5 wickets to win on the final day tomorrow.
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