Henry’s 11 wickets level the series as New Zealand rout England at the Oval
Matt Henry’s career-best 11 for 109 bowled New Zealand to a 253-run win at The Oval, squaring the series 1-1 with the decider at Trent Bridge still to come.
Jun 22, 2026
New Zealand have hauled themselves level in the series with a thumping 253-run win over England in the second Test at The Oval, set up by a fast-bowling masterclass from Matt Henry. The result squares the three-match series at 1-1 after England had taken the opener at Lord’s by 115 runs, and leaves everything to play for at Trent Bridge from June 25.
Chasing an improbable 463, England were bowled out for 209 on the final day, undone by a New Zealand attack that found life in the surface long after the batters had filled their boots on it.
Henry runs through England
Henry was the difference. He took 5 for 80 in the first innings and 6 for 29 in the second for match figures of 11 for 109, the best a New Zealand bowler has returned against England. The damage on the last day came in a vicious burst of 5 for 3 inside a few overs, the sort of spell that turns a competitive position into a procession. It was the first ten-wicket match haul of his Test career.
What made the performance so striking was how little the pitch offered the seamers earlier in the match. Henry simply kept hitting the same length, waited for the ball to do a little, and was rewarded once England had to bat last on a surface starting to wear.
New Zealand’s batters set it up
The win was built on two big totals. New Zealand made 391 in the first innings, with Glenn Phillips bringing up a counter-attacking century, then piled on 362 second time around as Henry Nicholls anchored the innings for 121. Rachin Ravindra weighed in with 76 and Daryl Mitchell added 68, the pair turning a healthy lead into one England were never realistically going to run down.
England’s first innings of 291 had kept them in touch, but once Henry found his rhythm there was no way back. Joe Root offered the most resistance in the second innings, yet he too fell to the New Zealand quick, and the chase folded well short of its target.
A series, and points, on the line at Trent Bridge
For New Zealand this is a statement. Beaten in the series opener at Lord’s, they have hit straight back with their most complete performance of the tour, and they travel to Nottingham with the momentum and a decider in front of them. England, meanwhile, have a batting collapse to dissect and a slow over-rate that has already cost them in the World Test Championship standings, a competition where every deduction matters, with India among the sides in the hunt.
The third Test starts on June 25. Win it, and New Zealand take the series on English soil; England need it just as badly to avoid letting a 1-0 lead slip away at home.