Smith, O'Rourke and Foulkes dismantle England in Nottingham Test: Stats
What's the story
England's batting lineup faltered on day three of the deciding Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge. The hosts, who were in a strong position at 223/2 overnight, collapsed to 354 all out by tea. This dramatic fall from grace allowed the Kiwis to take an 84-run first-innings lead. The pitch began to show its true colors after two days of calm weather, making New Zealand's advantage even more significant.
Match dynamics
England lost 8 wickets for 131 runs
The day started on a disappointing note for England as Joe Root, Jacob Bethell, and Jamie Smith were all dismissed within the first six overs. A brief resistance came from Harry Brook and Ben Stokes who added 56 runs for the fourth wicket. However, New Zealand's concussion substitute Zak Foulkes dismissed both men in quick succession. Brook was England's last hope of surpassing New Zealand's total but they lost their final three wickets for just four runs.
Pacers
NZ's pace trio share 10 wickets between them
Nathan Smith claimed 4/91 from 23 overs (2 maidens) and was the best performer. He got Ben Duckett on Day 1 and claimed the vital scalp of Root on Day 2. He also dismissed Smith before ending Jofra Archer's resistance. Will O'Rourke bowled six maidens from 20 overs and claimed 3/53. He dismissed Emilio Gay on Day 1. And on Saturday, he got Bethell and Gus Atkinson. Foulkes claimed 3/35 from 15.2 overs (2 maidens). Josh Tongue was his final scalp.
Numbers
Key numbers for the trio
Playing his 8th match for NZ (13 innings), Smith has raced to 32 wickets at 24.84. He claimed his 2nd four-fer (5W: 2). Overall in First-Class cricket, has amassed 206 wickets. He claimed his 7th four-fer (5W: 10). O'Rourke has raced to 49 wickets for NZ from 14 matches at 24.22. He has 106 FC wickets. Lastly, Foulkes now owns 18 scalps from 6 matches at 27. He owns 79 FC scalps.