England's aggressive approach paid off as Jonny Bairstow and captain Ben Stokes emphatically cast New Zealand aside on day five at Trent Bridge, securing a series victory.

Victory for England looked uncertain at the start of Tuesday's play, but Stokes' side put on a show in Nottingham to win by five wickets.

Stokes (75 not out) and Bairstow (136), who fell just short of setting the fastest Test century for England, were the stars, taking the game away from New Zealand in the final session.

New Zealand resumed on 224-7, leading by 238, but Stuart Broad (3-70) dismissed Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson to get England on their way.

Daryl Mitchell (62 n.o.) surpassed 50 but James Anderson (2-20) wrapped things up with England left needing 299 for victory.

England were unable to get through to lunch without loss, however – Zak Crawley falling to Boult (3-94) on a duck.

Ollie Pope was put down in the slips, though his fortune was out when he edged a wonderful Henry delivery through to Tom Blundell, and Joe Root failed to build on his superb first innings as he was caught and bowled by Boult on three, the former England captain's lowest Test score at home since he was dismissed for 0 at Old Trafford in the 2019 Ashes.

Opener Alex Lees' stand ended on 44 in the 26th over, and it seemed like the batting collapses that haunted Root's latter days as captain might not be confined to the past. Yet Bairstow and Stokes delivered a 179-run fifth-wicket partnership to turn the match on its head.

The damage was done in a sensational 10-over spell at the start of the third session, when England went from requiring 160 to just 50.

Bairstow set the tone by reaching his 50 with successive boundaries before reeling off five sixes in the space of three overs.

Stokes, hindered slightly by injury, did not let up on the aggression, though it was Bairstow's day when he clipped a shot through the offside to surpass 100.

Michael Bracewell was on the receiving end of two huge sixes and a one-handed four from Bairstow, whose incredible innings was ended by an edge from Boult.

Bairstow's partner in crime was on hand to, fittingly, finish matters off, though – Stokes slamming a four through the covers to seal one of England's finest Test victories.

Brilliance from Bairstow

Bairstow's post-tea onslaught was one for the ages. The Yorkshireman propelled England into pole position, delivering one of the all-time great Test innings in the style of a great white-ball thrash.

His 136 is the highest fourth-innings score by an England batter coming in at number five or lower, beating that famous knock of 135 from Stokes at Headingley in 2019 against Australia. The only disappointment for Bairstow is that he fell just one ball short of matching Gilbert Jessop's 76-ball hundred at The Oval in 1902, which still stands as the fastest Test century for England. 

Stokes era off to a flying start

After just one Test win in 17 matches, England have now won twice in the space of two weeks. Stokes and Brendon McCullum promised a fresh approach, and on this evidence, it will work a treat.

In total, 1,675 runs were scored over this Test match – the most ever seen at Trent Bridge, where the crowd were allowed in for free on Tuesday. That created a brilliant atmosphere, and they were rewarded with equally spectacular cricket, and England will go to Headingley next week aiming to wrap up a series whitewash.

James Anderson picked up his 650th Test wicket as England set up a push for victory in the second Test with New Zealand.

Joe Root set the tone on Monday by reverse scooping his second ball against Tim Southee for six, with England looking to score quickly to overturn an 80-run deficit.

Root fell on 176 shortly after, caught at cover off Trent Boult's bowling, while Stuart Broad (nine) followed to Michael Bracewell and Ben Foakes was run out after posting 56.

Boult completed his 10th five-wicket Test haul by bowling Matthew Potts (three) before Bracewell (3-62) dismissed Anderson (nine), with England all out for 539 – only trailing by 14 runs.

Anderson made a bright start as Tom Latham (four) left a straight one to hand the seamer his landmark dismissal, before Will Young and Devon Conway steadied the ship.

Conway's resistance ended when he fell for 52, caught attempting to sweep Jack Leach (1-78), before Henry Nicholls (three) directed a wide Potts ball to Alex Lees at gully.

England were boosted when a mix-up saw Young (56) run out, which brought Tom Blundell together with Daryl Mitchell, the pair who shared 236 in the first innings.

Blundell was then caught off a Stuart Broad (1-53) bouncer on 24, while Bracewell made a brisk 25 before being removed by Potts (2-32) and Southee (nought) was another to be needlessly run out.

Mitchell finished unbeaten on 32 alongside Matt Henry (eight not out), with New Zealand on 224-7, leading by 238 to tee up an enticing final day where all four results are possible. 

Awesome Anderson

Anderson shows no sign of relenting in the twilight days of his incredible career, picking up his 650th scalp in red-ball internationals.

Only Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708), both spinners, have taken more Test wickets than the England seamer across his 19-year international career.

Sorry Southee

Unlike the excellent Boult, who posted 5-106, seaming partner Southee struggled in Nottingham. He failed to grab a wicket from his 32 overs, bowling just one maiden and conceding 154 runs.

Southee became just the fifth New Zealand bowler to concede 150-plus runs without a wicket in an innings, while his wicketless figures were the most expensive in a men's Test match at Trent Bridge.

England star Moeen Ali admitted he would be open to joining Yorkshire, but not as a "publicity stunt" following the ongoing rebuild at Headingley after the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal.

Moeen has played for Worcestershire for 15 years and has captained the side, but his contract expires at the end of the season.

The 34-year-old has also made his intentions to return to Test cricket with England clear, announcing he was "officially unretired" after a conversation with new coach Brendon McCullum.

Yorkshire are reportedly interested in the all-rounder to bolster their white-ball side and County Championship outfit.

Widespread change is still ongoing at Headingley, with chairman Kamlesh Patel, director of cricket Darren Gough and coach Ottis Gibson appointed to oversee improvements.

The changes came after Rafiq suffered racial harassment and bullying while at Yorkshire, which was eventually brought to light and taken in front of a parliamentary select committee last November.

The former off-spinner also accused his former club and England of being institutionally racist, with several high-profile figures at the county resigning or being dismissed over the handling of the allegations.

Moeen insists that a move to Yorkshire would only be for "cricketing reasons" as he discussed his future.

 

"This is my last year at Worcester. I'm talking to them, I'm talking to other counties. I do love playing for Worcester, I've been there 15 years now," Moeen told BBC's Test Match Special.

"I moved from Warwickshire and they obviously helped me develop my game, play for England, but when the time comes I'll make a decision.

"I think Yorkshire are doing a good job and will continue to do that. I don't think they need to sign me to make it a publicity stunt, almost. If I ever left, it would be for cricketing reasons."

Harry Kane says the arrivals of Erling Haaland and Darwin Nunez in the Premier League will drive him to improve in an enticing Golden Boot race.

Kane has won three Golden Boot awards in the English top flight – in 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2020-21 – and managed 17 goals this season as Tottenham qualified for the Champions League.

Spurs team-mate Son Heung-min shared the accolade for the most Premier League goals with Liverpool's Mohamed Salah this season, the pair scoring 23 goals each.

Jurgen Klopp looks set to add more firepower to his attack at Anfield, with Nunez close to joining Liverpool for an initial fee of £64million (€75m) from Benfica.

Nunez has scored 48 goals in 85 games for Benfica in all competitions and averaged 1.2 goals every 90 minutes in the Portuguese Primeira Liga last season.

Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola bolstered his own wealth of attacking options with the Premier League champions Manchester City by triggering Haaland's release clause at Borussia Dortmund.

The Norway international scored 86 goals in 89 games for Dortmund since joining from Salzburg in January 2020, averaging a goal every 84 minutes across all competitions.

Kane cannot wait to compete with the duo next season as the Premier League adds more talismanic talent to their ranks.

 

"Look, I think the battle for the Golden Boot is always tough," Kane said at a pre-match news conference while on Nations League duty with England on Monday. 

"The Premier League has produced some top strikers around the world for a number of years now.

"I think every season I've been playing it's always been a tough battle to win that Golden Boot and it's no different.

"You expect the top strikers to want to play in the Premier League and with those two new signings, that's gonna be the case.

"I think it helps me as a player to have good competition, it drives me to improve and get better. I look forward to the challenge."

The build-up to Kane's 2021-22 campaign was filled with distraction as City tried and failed to secure the services of the England striker, attempting to replace the void left by Sergio Aguero at the Etihad Stadium.

Kane will likely have a smoother pre-season this time around and will look to utilise that to prepare for another campaign under Spurs head coach Antonio Conte.

 

"I try and focus on myself to begin with. Going into any season I have things I want to achieve and goals I want to reach," he added.

"I try not to focus too much on other players in that aspect, I can't control what they do.

"But what I will do is continue to work hard and improve and after this game have a nice break but then look forward to what will be a tough pre-season.

"And then I'll get ready for the new season as I have done for the last seven, eight years now."

New Zealand seamer Kyle Jamieson has been ruled out of day four of the second Test with England due to a back injury.

Jamieson pulled up during the 17th over of England's first innings at Trent Bridge on Sunday and was treated by New Zealand's medical staff.

The 27-year-old is awaiting further tests on the injury and will play no part on Monday.

"Kyle Jamieson won't take the field on day four as he awaits an MRI scan to determine the extent of the injury to his lower left back," a Black Caps statement read.

"Jamieson experienced sharp pain while bowling in the final session of day three forcing him from the field."

England enter day four 80 runs behind New Zealand on 473-5, with Joe Root unbeaten on 163.

The tourists trail the three-test series 1-0 after a five-wicket defeat at Lord's last week.

Impressive centuries from Ollie Pope and Joe Root helped England close in on New Zealand's imposing first innings total on day three of the second Test at Trent Bridge.

The pair put on a third-wicket partnership of 187 as the hosts closed on 473-5, still 80 runs shy of the tourists.

Alex Lees and Pope picked up where they left off from day two as Lees reached his maiden Test half-century in his ninth innings, before he edged a Matt Henry (1-128) delivery to Daryl Mitchell for 67.

Root arrived and did not hesitate in building his own big partnership with Pope, not just piling on runs but doing so at pace.

The former England captain followed up his match-winning ton at Lord's with another 100 here, with this one being the fastest of his illustrious career, coming from just 116 balls.

Pope was finally out for 145 after top-edging a hook shot up in the air off Trent Boult (3-89), which Henry caught well diving forward.

A successful review against Jonny Bairstow (eight) saw him back to the pavilion after ultra edge showed a very slight spike as a Boult delivery passed his glove, with skipper Stokes next in, blasting 46 from 33 balls before hitting Michael Bracewell straight into the waiting hands of Boult.

Ben Foakes (24 not out) steadied things as he and Root (163 not out) looked to move closer to New Zealand's total with an unbroken partnership of 68, leaving the Test match tantalisingly poised heading into day four.

Welcome to the McCullum and Stokes era

With Brendon McCullum arriving as head coach of England's Test side with Stokes as captain, it was always likely to lead to more excitement.

It was therefore not all that surprising to see England finally getting Test runs, scoring 383 on the day, while also going at a potent run rate of 4.14 across the innings so far.

Three could be magic number for Pope

Pope had never even batted above four in the order until the first Test at Lord's, where he scored 17 in his two innings coming in at three.

However, he looked every bit the option McCullum will want in that role during this knock, which included three sixes, and will have pleased Root in particular, who would much rather stay in his favoured role at four.

Moeen Ali has confirmed he has "officially unretired" and is available for the England Test side after a conversation with coach Brendon McCullum.

Moeen announced his retirement from the five-day game last September after struggling to maintain focus in red-ball outings and enjoying shorter-format cricket.

The 34-year-old mustered 2,914 Test runs at an average of 28.3 and collected 195 wickets at 36.7, including a hat-trick against South Africa at The Oval in 2017.

Only James Anderson and Stuart Broad managed more Test wickets for England during Moeen's time in the side, while the off-spinner ranked 12th for dismissals in the world in that same period.

Stokes has since been appointed captain as the successor to Joe Root, partnering with coach McCullum, who replaced Chris Silverwood after his dismissal.

That had led to suggestions of a potential Test return for white-ball star Jos Buttler and also Moeen, who acknowledged on Saturday he would be open to the idea of featuring again, adding "never say never".

Moeen then followed that up on Sunday by confirming, after a conversation with McCullum, he is available for selection as he eyes the Pakistan Test tour for a three-match series in September.

 

"I spoke to McCullum this morning, and we did discuss Pakistan this winter," he said on BBC's Test Match Special. "The door is always open, and yeah, I suppose I am officially unretired.

"He is a very difficult person to say no to. I find that very, very hard. He is very convincing and to be honest I would love to play under him and Ben Stokes.

"They are both very aggressive and I think I would suit their cricket a bit more. At the time I said I was retired I felt like I was done. I felt really tired with cricket."

Italy head coach Robert Mancini admitted he is surprised by his inexperienced side's start to the Nations League following their 0-0 draw with England on Saturday.

Without midfield lynchpin Marco Verratti and the likes of Federico Chiesa and Andrea Belotti, the Azzurri put in an encouraging performance in Saturday's Euro 2020 final rematch, earning a point at the Molineux Stadium.

With the majority of the squad earning less than ten caps before this international window, Italy lead Group 3 after three games on five points, ahead of Hungary, Germany and England, who are bottom of the group on two points.

While conceding Italy are in early stages of transition after their failure to qualify for the World Cup, Mancini revealed he expected this initial period to be more volatile.

"I’ll be honest, I did not expect this. I thought it would be worse," he confessed. "We still have a lot to work on, there’s a long road ahead full of dangers.

"We certainly need to score more goals and if Davide Frattesi had scored in the opening five minutes, it would’ve been a different game. He’ll get it next time.

"I didn’t expect us to do so well in these three weeks together. It’s important that we haven’t changed our style of football, even when the personnel did."

With relative experience compared to the new faces in the squad, Lorenzo Pellegrini has had to take on more responsibility for the Azzurri following their loss to Argentina in the UEFA/CONMEBOL Finalissima, scoring against Germany and Hungary.

More of a threat in the penalty area from midfield than a technical and creative fulcrum, the 25-year-old earned a third consecutive start on Saturday – something he had not done since 2018.

The Roma captain was praised for his versatility by his coach despite evident room for improvement.

“Pellegrini has his own style of football," Mancini said. "He’s not a 10 like Giuseppe Giannini, nor a 10 like Francesco Totti.

"I think he can become much better with time, because he is so good at both attacking and defending.

"At times he loses balls he shouldn’t, but if he improves that and a couple of other things, he can become simply extraordinary.”

Gareth Southgate dismissed suggestions England's recent struggles are down to a conservative approach, instead ruing a lack of sharpness in the final third. 

England drew 0-0 with Italy on Saturday as the Three Lions were left rooted to the foot of their Nations League group with just two points from three games. 

Across the trio of matches played this month, England have scored just one goal – Harry Kane's penalty in the 1-1 draw with Germany. 

The Three Lions' performances have been widely criticised, and while they did create chances against the Azzurri, they were at times second best to a team undergoing something of a transformation. 

A common criticism of England throughout Southgate's time in charge has been that they lack an identity beyond their often pragmatic approach, but he did not want to entertain such an idea this time. 

Asked if he saw the performance as cautious, Southgate told Channel 4: "I don't see how you can really. 

"We tried to move the ball through a very good, well-organised team. We've got the ball into our forward players and we've given all of them a go, tried to refresh it because we know the state of the season we're at. 

"So, I think at the moment that little bit of sharpness in the final third isn't quite there, but I was pleased with the general performance." 

Tammy Abraham started in place of Kane in attack, with the Roma striker supported by Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount and Jack Grealish. 

While Sterling and Mount each managed three shots and Grealish laid on a game-high four key passes, Abraham mustered only two shots. 

One was a harmless off-target header and the other a wasteful finish after robbing Italy of possession inside their own area, as he scuffed wide of the right-hand post. 

Nevertheless, Southgate seemed encouraged by Abraham's display. 

"I said earlier in the week, we've been too reliant on Harry and Raheem for our goals," he continued. 

"Other players have got to step into that phase. A number of them do it for their clubs but at international level they've not managed to convert that. 

"So we've looked dangerous without getting the goals that are needed in the bigger games. 

"I thought Tammy was fine. I haven't seen that chance back from right at the start, but that's probably the one [England should have taken]. 

"We felt we needed to refresh the team when we did it [brought Abraham off] but I wasn't unhappy with Tammy's performance at all." 

England will hope to finally get their first win of their Nations League campaign on Tuesday when they host Hungary, to whom they lost in Budapest last weekend. 

England's bid to gain a measure of revenge for their Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy fell flat as the Three Lions were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw by an experimental Azzurri outfit at Molineux on Saturday.

Exactly 11 months on from Italy beating England on penalties at Wembley, Gareth Southgate's men failed to kick-start their Nations League campaign against a side who have not qualified for Qatar 2022 and were battered by Argentina in the Finalissima.

England had chances but were arguably second-best in the first half, as they were cheered on by a massively reduced crowd made up mostly by children as a consequence of the crowd trouble at last July's final.

The hosts had the better of the second period but nonetheless slumped to three successive games without a win for only the second time under Southgate.

A gripping start saw Davide Frattesi and Tammy Abraham miss presentable close-range chances, before Gianluigi Donnarumma tipped a Mason Mount effort onto the crossbar all inside the first 10 minutes.

The flurry was followed by something of a lull, but Italy threatened again just before the half-hour mark as Aaron Ramsdale produced a fine stop to thwart Sandro Tonali from point-blank range.

Italy finished the half dangerously, too. Gianluca Scamacca smashed over from eight yards and Matteo Pessina saw his drive turned over.

England should have made it 1-0 early in the second half, but Raheem Sterling failed to convert from Reece James' delivery across goal.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo then made a mess of Lorenzo Pellegrini's lofted pass into the box, neither squaring to the unmarked Scamacca nor getting a shot away, and the game ultimately petered out to a goalless draw.

Daryl Mitchell fell just shy of a double hundred and Tom Blundell scored a century as New Zealand left England with an uphill battle in the second Test.

The tourists resumed day one on 318-4 with Mitchell closing in on a century, and he went well beyond that mark to post 190, the third-highest Test score by a New Zealand player in England.

He was joined on three figures by Blundell, who reached 106 before falling to Jack Leach as England toiled.

Matthew Potts finally brought an end to Mitchell's remarkable stay at the crease as New Zealand were bowled out for 553, their highest Test score in England. The hosts lost Zak Crawley (four) early in their reply before Alex Lees (34 not out) and Ollie Pope (51 no) guided them to stumps on 90-1, trailing by 463.

Mitchell treated the Trent Bridge crowd to one of the great New Zealand Test knocks, though the shot that brought his 184-ball hundred was not one to remember as he edged Potts for four.

Potts then dropped Mitchell on 104 at long-on, allowing a regulation catch to go to the boundary. Mitchell and Blundell continued to punish England following that missed opportunity, the latter reaching his century in 191 balls.

Their stand of 236 marked New Zealand's highest fifth-wicket partnership in Tests and was eventually ended when Leach removed Blundell, though the same bowler was on the receiving end of a barrage from Mitchell after lunch.

Michael Bracewell (49) took over the supporting role, but the wickets tumbled after he fell to James Anderson, with Mitchell receiving acclaim from England players and fans upon his exit.

Crawley went to a superb Trent Boult delivery in the second over of the reply, before Mitchell committed a pair of drops at first slip, the first a simple catch that would have dismissed Lees and the second handing a reprieve to Pope, who reached a fluid 66-ball half-century with a cut through backward point.

Mitchell masters with the bat... but fumbles in the field

Mitchell spent 477 minutes at the crease, hitting 23 fours and four sixes, but he may have been thinking more about his sub-par efforts in the slips as the teams left the field. New Zealand will hope his drops do not facilitate England denying them victory.

Crawley crumbles again

Crawley could not do much about a peach of a delivery from Boult. However, he continues to struggle opening the batting in 2022. It is now six single-figure scores in his past nine Test innings.

Gareth Southgate says he "will not outstay" his welcome as England manager as he once again hit back at criticism over his team selections.

England reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2018, the final four of the Nations League in 2019 and were runners-up at last year's Euro 2020.

Yet despite that, there have been continued calls for Southgate to adopt a more attacking approach by fielding the likes of Jack Grealish and Trent Alexander-Arnold more often.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's Nations League clash with Italy at a behind-closed-doors Molineux, however, Southgate refuted the idea that he is not gung-ho enough. 

"I've got to find a balance because I don't want to sit and be defensive, but some people have managed teams and others haven't," he said. 

"Until you've managed teams, you have a different view of the game. 

"What's needed to win football matches are the sorts of things [Mason] Mount did on [Joshua] Kimmich that allows other things to happen. 

"For the man that comes and stands on the terrace and pays his money, I totally understand he wants to see a Grealish with a [Raheem] Sterling with a [Bukayo] Saka. 

"But you've got to have a balance of the team, this is top-level football."

 

Southgate was appointed permanent England boss in November 2016 and signed a new deal seven months ago that runs through until the end of 2024.

"I've got to manage in the way I see fit. I won't outstay my welcome but I think I can do a good job for the team, and I think we've done a good job for the team," he added. 

"I think we'll continue to improve the team, which we've done over a consistent period of time, and we're also developing young players that will leave England in a good place."

England followed up a 1-0 loss to Hungary with a 1-1 draw away at Germany in their opening two Nations League matches.

Only once before, between July and September 2018, have the Three Lions failed to win three in a row under Southgate.

Asked why he felt the need to bring up his future, Southgate said: "If you look back, I've always said it. 

"I am not going to be here forever, am I? There will be another England manager… that's how I have always felt about it. 

"The major part of that is how the players are. Do I still feel the players give everything and respond to what we do? Yes, I do."

Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell's unbroken partnership of 149 put New Zealand in a commanding position on day one of the second Test with England.

With the tourists missing captain Kane Williamson due to a positive test for COVID-19, England elected to field at Trent Bridge, but were eventually made to regret that decision.

Each of the Black Caps' top four batsmen failed to build on positive starts and the hosts may have had hope of quickly getting into the New Zealand tail when they were reduced to 169-4.

But Mitchell (81 not out) - a centurion in the first Test at Lord's - and the similarly in-form Blundell (67 not out) turned the game firmly in favour of New Zealand, who closed on 318-4.

Stand-in skipper Tom Latham (26) and Will Young (47) laid a solid foundation for the tourists with an 84-run opening partnership.

England had toiled in search of a breakthrough and when it came, it was quickly followed by a second as Young was caught at second slip and Latham pulled James Anderson to midwicket.

Henry Nicholls (30) and Devon Conway (46) somewhat replicated the performances of the openers. Ben Stokes broke up their 77-run stand when he had Nicholls caught behind and Conway fell in the same way to Anderson.

Yet there was no further joy for England in their increasingly desperate search for wickets. The hosts wasted reviews and both Mitchell and Blundell enjoyed largely serene progress, significantly boosting New Zealand's hopes of setting up a third-Test decider at Headingley.

Another Mitchell-Blundell masterclass

Mitchell and Blundell produced the second-highest partnership by a New Zealand pair in England in the Black Caps' defeat at Lord's, putting on 195.

They are on track to go beyond that after impressing in Nottingham, both again surpassing 50 with the former 19 runs shy of a second successive century.

Broad blunted

It is a little under seven years since Stuart Broad's remarkable 8-15 against Australia at Trent Bridge. He might not remember this Test at his home ground with fondness if he cannot improve on his day-one efforts, the frontline seamer providing little threat in recording figures of 0-74.

England can look forward to a bright future as Gareth Southgate's Three Lions bid for World Cup glory in Qatar, according to Antonio Rudiger.

The new Real Madrid defender got a first-hand look at the Euro 2020 runners-up when Germany were held to a 1-1 Nations League draw in Munich on Tuesday.

It was the hosts who had the majority of possession but Harry Kane's late penalty – his 50th international goal – sealed a point for Southgate's men, cancelling out Jonas Hoffman's strike.

Rudiger, who signed for Madrid after his Chelsea contract expired, was impressed by England's strength in depth, and reserved special praise for Jack Grealish, who came off the bench in midweek.

"The England squad has great quality," he said.

"It's like [Bukayo] Saka comes out, Grealish comes in. I saw a lot of big, big names were on the bench.

"England have a lot to be optimistic about for the future. I think you people don't need to worry too much. The English players are definitely getting better.

"You have to think about it like this, that players like [Marcus] Rashford and [Jadon] Sancho didn't even make the squad.

"That tells you that you have a lot of depth in the English squad and you have big, big players like Harry Kane, [Raheem] Sterling and Grealish – big names, big players.

"I think Grealish gave the team a real impact – because he came on and he gave good one v ones and everything.

"He is a very dangerous player and those sort of players are going to win you games."

England will face Wales, Iran and the United States in Group B at the World Cup, which starts on November 21.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson will miss the second Test against England in Nottingham on Friday after testing positive for COVID-19.

The Blackcaps skipper will begin five days of isolation after returning a positive sample on a rapid antigen test on Thursday.

New Zealand Cricket confirmed the rest of the touring party returned negative tests.

Blackcaps coach Gary Stead shared obvious disappointment over losing his captain, while confirming Hamish Rutherford will join the squad.

"It’s such a shame for Kane to be forced to withdraw on the eve of such an important match," Stead said. "We’re all feeling for him at this time and know how disappointed he will be.

"Hamish was with the Test squad earlier in the tour and has been playing for the Leicestershire Foxes in the Vitality T20 Blast."

Williamson made scores of two and 15 in England's win in the first Test at Lord's, with Matthew Potts claiming his wicket in both innings.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.