Nottinghamshire: Ben Duckett capitalises on dropped catch to score century for England

By Thomas Beckwith · Senior Football Correspondent · June 27, 2026

By Thomas Beckwith — 27 June 2026 — 4 min read

England’s early struggles and missed opportunities

The second day of the Test match at Trent Bridge saw England face challenges under intense scrutiny and high temperatures. The stands were notably sparse as the opening batters took to the field, with many spectators seeking refuge from the heat. The conditions made every error on the field particularly noticeable, with runs flowing freely on an unforgiving wicket.

England experienced two significant fielding mistakes during the morning session. Jamie Smith missed a straightforward catch off Will O’Rourke while Ben Stokes was bowling. Shortly after, Shoaib Bashir, running in from deep square leg, failed to hold onto a looping top edge from Tom Blundell following a delivery from Jofra Archer. These missed opportunities were met with visible frustration from the bowlers, highlighting the pressure of the match.

Stokes reacted strongly to the first dropped catch, throwing his hands up and shouting. Archer, after Bashir‘s dropped catch, initially refused to celebrate when Nathan Smith was dismissed caught and bowled in the subsequent over, needing to be called in by his teammates. Despite the frustrations, Stokes delivered a strong performance during the morning session, bowling an eight-over spell that yielded three wickets for 13 runs from the Stuart Broad End, helping England regain some momentum.

Duckett’s crucial innings after a reprieve

The defining moment of England‘s innings occurred early on. After O’Rourke had dismissed Emilio Gay, Ben Duckett was engaged in a duel with Nathan Smith, who was effectively moving the new ball. Duckett managed to score two fours, bringing England‘s total to eight for one.

Smith then delivered a shorter ball that caught the edge of Duckett’s bat, flying towards third slip where Henry Nicholls was positioned. Nicholls, however, snatched at the waist-high catch, spilled it, and stumbled. This provided Duckett with a crucial reprieve. Following this, Smith attempted a similar delivery, but Duckett responded by punching it through the covers.

This dropped catch proved to be a turning point for Duckett. It had been over a year since his last Test century, which was against India at Headingley. His last Test fifty was recorded at the Oval in the same series. He had shown glimpses of form earlier in the year, including a strong start at Lord’s and a 36 at the Oval before being run out.

In the following over, Smith again beat Duckett with a moving delivery. Yet, Duckett responded by slashing the next ball through cover for a four. Smith found Duckett‘s edge once more, but the ball passed just wide of Nicholls‘ reach, going through the fourth slip area. After a leg bye, Duckett moved to the other end. O’Rourke appeared to struggle with his length, and Duckett capitalised by hitting a pull shot for his fifth boundary.

Duckett quickly found his rhythm, reaching his fifty off 40 balls and his century off 88 balls. His innings of 113 helped to stabilise England‘s position after an uncertain start to their innings.

Previous day’s play and New Zealand’s strong start

The previous day saw Ben Stokes return as England captain, but the team endured a challenging period before a late fightback. Stokes lost a crucial toss, allowing New Zealand to post 361 for four in hot conditions on a favourable batting pitch. The situation could have been worse for England, but 44 runs were added for the last four wickets, including two dismissals on the final two balls of the day.

Stokes received a warm reception from the Nottingham crowd. However, New Zealand‘s Tom Latham and Devon Conway scored centuries, with Latham making 151 and Conway 157. They formed a partnership of 317 runs over 73 overs, marking the highest partnership ever for New Zealand against England. Stokes eventually broke the partnership by dismissing Latham, and Joe Root‘s spin led to Conway‘s dismissal.

England‘s fielding on the first day also saw missed opportunities. They did not create a clear chance in the first session and failed to review an lbw appeal against Latham in the second. Jamie Smith dropped a catch when Latham was on 129, after Gus Atkinson had flicked Latham‘s glove. Smith misread the flight of the ball, adding to a series of dropped catches for England in the series. Henry Nicholls and Rachin Ravindra were also dismissed late in the day, providing England with some relief.

Despite injuries to key players Matt Henry and Glenn Phillips, New Zealand started strongly after winning the toss. By lunch, they had reached 108 without loss. An early chance was missed when Latham edged Archer through third slip shortly after Stokes had adjusted his field. Stokes‘s introduction to bowl in the 20th over was met with applause, but he was unable to break the Kiwi opening partnership, which added another 105 runs between lunch and tea.

The closest England came to a breakthrough in the afternoon session was when Latham, on 71, was hit in front of the stumps by Shoaib Bashir. Stokes opted not to use the DRS, a decision that, if made differently, would have resulted in Latham‘s dismissal. The early evening saw a period of rapid scoring, with costly overs from Bashir and Tongue adding 25 runs in two overs.

Source: theguardian.com

Thomas Beckwith

Senior Football Correspondent

As NewsUK's Senior Football Correspondent, Thomas Beckwith reports on the Premier League, the EFL and the England national side for readers across the country. He reported on three World Cups for a national news agency. He holds a degree in Sports Journalism from Sheffield Hallam University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Thomas lives in Sheffield, where he watches lower-league football most weekends. “Football writing is about the decisions, not just the result.”