Henry Nicholls of New Zealand (AP Photo)

henry nichols Made an immediate impact on his return to New Zealand colours, stepping in for the retired Kane Williamson and scoring a strong unbeaten century against England on the third day of the Test at the Oval to put his team in a dominant position. At stumps on Friday, New Zealand were 252 for 3 in their second innings and took their total to 352 after bowling out England for 291 just before lunch. Nicholls remained unbeaten on 119 runs and took the innings forward Rachin RavindraWho scored a fluent 76 before being out after tea. The pair added 161 runs in 201 balls and created a new record for the highest partnership for New Zealand at the Oval. His stand first stabilized the innings, then steadily took control before changing gears after tea, when he started scoring almost six runs per over with sharp timing and clean strokeplay. New Zealand’s position puts them firmly in control of the match, they still have seven wickets in hand and a chance to move towards a 500-run lead. This will leave England facing a tough challenge in the fourth innings, especially considering their history at the venue. His highest successful chase at the Oval is 263 runs against Australia in 1902, while his highest ever chase in the fourth innings is 378 for 3 against India at Edgbaston in 2022 during the baseball era. Nicholls, who arrived in London only last Sunday after Williamson’s shock retirement, admitted the change was unexpected. “(Williamson’s retirement) was a bit of a shock to everyone,” he said. “I’ve been lucky enough to play a lot of cricket with Kane. I’ll never be able to replace him. I’ve really enjoyed coming back to Test cricket, you want to contribute. It was fun, the partnership with Rachin and finally the partnership with Daryl (Mitchell).“ Walking early at 8 for 1, Nicholls faced jofra archer Had to bowl fast and tackle quickly. It survived the initial explosion, then was rebuilt after. devon conwayRavindra was out, playing a more attacking role while Nicholls provided stability. There were some early alarms, including a chance left on 7 by debutant wicketkeeper James Reeve, who endured a difficult outing behind the stumps. England’s bowling struggled to break stands in the middle session as both the attack and the crowd systematically sapped energy. However, the momentum changed dramatically after tea. Nicholls completed his half-century in 72 balls, soon followed by Ravindra, who completed his first half-century against England in 79 balls. Ravindra’s innings ended on 76 when he was lbw to Jacob Bethel, who once again proved decisive after taking three wickets in the first innings. Nicholls brought up his century soon after, reaching the milestone with his 14th four off Bethel over midwicket in 133 balls. This was his 11th Test century in his 59th match and his second against England, having previously scored a century in Auckland in 2018. He also recently recorded back-to-back centuries, including an unbeaten 150 in Zimbabwe last August. He accepted the applause, picked up his bat and carried on with calm assurance. At stumps, he was unbeaten on 119 off 164 balls, with Daryl Mitchell unbeaten on 32, as New Zealand added 63 runs from the final 86 balls of the day without losing control. Earlier in the day, New Zealand’s position was built on the back of a strong bowling effort matt henryWho took 5 wickets for 80 runs to get his seventh five-wicket haul in Tests. Making a strong comeback after missing the first Test at Lord’s due to back spasms, Henry was supported by sharp catching in the field as England were restricted to 291. England’s lower order showed unexpected resistance Matthew Fisher And debutant Sonny Baker thwarted the attack and added 53 runs for the last wicket. Fisher remained unbeaten on 50 off 77 balls and received a standing ovation from the Oval crowd despite England suffering a heavy deficit.