Second Test D4: NZ 391 & 362; England 291 & 182-5Stand-in captain unbeaten on 75 after Jamieson haulWhat do you get if you pick three debutants, two more with just one cap each, a strike-bowler who is returning to Test cricket after two solid months of sending down four-over spells in India, and hand the captaincy to a guy who has spent the last four years with the job happily in his rearview mirror?Throw in a seasoned opposition side like Tom Latham’s New Zealand and the answer, England have discovered this week, is the need to knock off a monstrous fourth-innings target of 463 runs – or bat out nearly five sessions – to avoid a defeat that will invite questions beyond simply that optimistic selection. Continue reading...
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jun/20/joe-root-defiant-as-england-set-463-to-win-but-new-zealand-close-in-on-levelling-series
