The China Mail - Stokes falls cheaply as England collapse in New Zealand decider

England lost three wickets for 11 runs at the start of the third day's play as their overnight 223-2 was transformed into 234-5, with Joe Root (21) and Jacob Bethell (74) failing to add to their Friday scores.

Jamie Smith (one) and Stokes (15) were also dismissed before lunch, with England 314-6 at the interval -- still 124 runs behind New Zealand's first-innings 438.

Harry Brook, however, was still there on 51 not out with the series all square at 1-1.

Zak Foulkes, who only came into this match on Friday as a concussion substitute for Blair Tickner, captured the key wicket of Stokes during a miserly return of 1-24 in 10 overs.

Stokes was back in the side after being omitted from England's 253-run defeat in the second Test at the Oval for breaking a midnight curfew, along with teammate Gus Atkinson, while celebrating at a London nightclub following the first-Test win over New Zealand.

The all-rounder ended an opening partnership of 317 between New Zealand captain Tom Latham (151) and Devon Conway (157) that threatened to take the Black Caps to a total beyond 500 as he led from the front with 4-70, with the Black Caps losing their last eight wickets for 77 runs.

England resumed Saturday 215 runs behind after opener Ben Duckett made his first hundred in over a year on Friday.

- Double strike -

They had an early setback when Root was plumb lbw to fast-medium bowler Nathan Smith -- a dismissal upheld on umpire's call following the star batsman's review.

And in the next over England's 224-3 became 224-4 when left-hander Bethell, looking for his first Test hundred on home soil, edged a Will O'Rourke delivery outside off stump he might have left to Latham at second slip.

The early double strike was just what New Zealand needed after coming into this match without injured seamer Matt Henry, who took 11 wickets at the Oval, and in-form towering paceman Kyle Jamieson, rested as a fitness precaution, before Tickner was sidelined.

But there was more success for New Zealand on Saturday when Jamie Smith edged a booming drive off Nathan Smith (3-85) and was superbly caught low down at slip by Daryl Mitchell.

England were now in trouble at 234-5 but Brook got the scoreboard moving with a powerful pulled four off O'Rourke, one of five boundaries in a well-judged 66-ball fifty.

But Stokes, fresh from 95 for county side Durham, was clean bowled by an excellent Foulkes delivery that cut back sharply off the pitch to the left-handed batsman to end a partnership of 56, with England now 290-6.

New Zealand's bid to bowl out England was delayed by repeated problems with the bowler's run-up at the Stuart Broad End that saw a groundsman armed with a giant mallet make several visits in an attempt to flatten the affected area.

B.Carter--ThChM