Zak Foulkes, New Zealand's first concussion substitute in Test cricket, played a pivotal role on day three at Trent Bridge, taking three wickets to help restrict England to 131 runs in their first innings. England had started strongly on day two, scoring 223 for two at 4.96 runs per over, but on Saturday they managed only 131 at 3.02 an over, losing eight wickets.
New Zealand's Boring Strategy Pays Off
Foulkes revealed that New Zealand's plan was to be "as boring as possible" to dry up the runs. "We just tried to stay as boring as possible really and try to dry out the runs," he said. "Yesterday they got off to a fast start and we had to peg it back and peg it back, and we knew if we could dry it up, things could happen in our favour." The strategy worked, with England's Shoaib Bashir describing the performance as "quite disappointing."
Foulkes' Wickets and Concussion Substitute Role
Foulkes dismissed Harry Brook and Ben Stokes, both bowled by deliveries that hit cracks. "I'm going to say they hit cracks, which is a good sign with us bowling last," Foulkes said. "We just had to pry away on that top of off and hopefully the odd one would do something and we'd get our reward." He acknowledged the luck involved, noting, "I don't think them doing that much is my doing really. I'm more of a swing bowler and there's not a lot of swing out there, so I've bowled a lot of three-quarter balls."
Foulkes replaced Blair Tickner, who was struck on the helmet by a Jofra Archer bouncer late in New Zealand's first innings. Tickner initially continued but later left the field with dizziness. Foulkes described the process: "As 12th man you still do your training in the morning, so I got through about seven overs at 8am, and then I was in the gym when we lost our last couple of wickets. It was a niggly one trying to switch on to actually be a part of the game."
New Zealand Build Lead on Deteriorating Pitch
New Zealand reached stumps on day three at 120 for three, a lead of 204. The pitch is showing signs of deterioration, with cracks assisting seam and spin. Bashir acknowledged the challenge for England: "I wouldn't put a number on it, especially with this side. We've got unbelievable cricketers in this team." The surface is expected to offer more assistance to bowlers in the remaining days, setting up a tense finish.
