England Crumble to 143 All Out in 3rd NZ Test After O’Rourke Blast

AFP/APP

Hamilton: Pace bowler Will O’Rourke ripped out three key wickets as England crumbled to 143 all out on Sunday, leaving New Zealand in command of the third Test in Hamilton.

The tourists lost their last eight wickets for 66 runs, trailing by 204 runs in response to the home side’s first-innings 347. New Zealand chose not to enforce the follow-on.

O’Rourke (3-33) ignited the collapse by dismissing the ICC’s first and second-ranked Test batters, Harry Brook and Joe Root, in a ferocious post-lunch spell. This handed New Zealand a rare position of ascendancy in a series they had already lost following heavy defeats in Christchurch and Wellington.

Jacob Bethell (12) was the first to fall to O’Rourke, caught at point. The towering pacer then removed the in-form Brook for a golden duck. After scoring match-changing centuries in the first two Tests, Brook played on to an in-swinger, drawing a roar of approval from the Seddon Park crowd.

Root departed for 32 in O’Rourke’s next over, caught at point off a limp cut shot from a ball that bounced sharply.

Spinner Mitchell Santner further strengthened New Zealand’s position by removing Ollie Pope (24) and captain Ben Stokes (27) in his first seven deliveries after the pair had put on 52 for the sixth wicket.

Pope edged to Daryl Mitchell at first slip.

Stokes was trapped lbw, losing balance as he attempted a sweep shot.

Brydon Carse was caught and bowled by Santner (3-7), while Matt Henry (4-48) dismissed tailenders Gus Atkinson and Matthew Potts as the last five wickets fell for just nine runs.

Earlier, Henry removed both openers to reduce England to 54-2 at lunch.

Zak Crawley fell to Henry for the fifth time in the series, caught-and-bowled for 21, continuing his underwhelming performance. Crawley’s 21 was his best score of the series, but he has only managed 47 runs at an average of 9.6.

Henry struck again in the same over, trapping Ben Duckett lbw for 11.

England had earlier taken more than an hour to claim New Zealand’s last wicket after the hosts resumed at 315-9. New Zealand faced an additional 15.1 overs, adding 32 runs before Santner was bowled for 76 by Potts.

O’Rourke remained unbeaten on five, helping frustrate the tourists in hot conditions with a final-wicket partnership of 44. Santner top-scored for New Zealand, adding 26 runs to his overnight score, while Potts recorded the best figures for England with 4-90.