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Stokes strikes as New Zealand make England feel the heat / Photo: © AFP
Stokes strikes as New Zealand make England feel the heat
England captain Ben Stokes stepped up his impressive return from international exile with a treble strike that took him to 250 Test wickets but New Zealand kept the hosts sweating in Nottingham on Friday.
New Zealand were 418-7 at lunch on the second day of the third and deciding Test, with the series level at 1-1.
Seam-bowling all-rounder Stokes had interval figures of 4-70 in 21 overs.
He was back in the side after being omitted from England's 253-run defeat in the second Test for breaking a midnight team curfew, along with team-mate Gus Atkinson, while celebrating at a London nightclub following the first Test victory over the Black Caps.
It was Stokes who had inspired a fightback late on the first day at Trent Bridge by dismissing Devon Conway (157) after he had put on 317 with New Zealand captain Tom Latham (151).
But Conway's exit sparked a mini-collapse that saw four wickets fall for 44 runs to leave New Zealand resuming Friday on 361-4.
And it was Stokes, 35, who again led the way for England on Friday with a return of 3-13 in eight overs.
Will O'Rourke had never scored more than five in his 23 previous Test innings.
But two boundaries in three balls off fast bowler Jofra Archer took him into double figures for the first time.
But Stokes should have had him out for 19 when O'Rourke edged behind, only for wicket-keeper Jamie Smith to drop a diving chance, with Joe Root unable to hold the rebound.
Yet on a day when temperatures reached 32C, Stokes once more got the breakthrough England needed when Daryl Mitchell (11) was caught behind in his next over.
Stokes struck again when O'Rourke, still on 19, tried to hit across the line only to sky the England skipper to point.
He then reduced New Zealand to 413-7 when a well-directed short-pitched delivery left Mitchell Santner in a tangle, with the ball ballooning to gully.
Santner, however, thought it had hit his arm guard and reviewed but the third umpire ruled it had come off the glove to give Stokes his 250th Test wicket.
Stokes is the only player other than retired South Africa great Jacques Kallis to score more than 7,000 runs, while also taking at least 250 wickets, in Test cricket.
K.Radomski--GL
