England are very much in control of the ongoing third Test against New Zealand at Headingley in Leeds as they need only 113 runs on the final day with 8 wickets in hand. If they win the third match of the ENG vs NZ Test Series 2022, England will whitewash New Zealand in a Test series for the first time since 2013. The English side will also be getting very close to New Zealand’s PCT in the ICC Test Championship 2021–2023 points standings. The third match scenario is discussed in this article. England vs New Zealand Third Test 2022: Match Scenario Headingley is one of the venues in England where batters usually flourish and lots of runs are scored on this ground. When Kane Williamson won the toss, he didn’t have to think twice about batting first. However, New Zealand failed to score big in both innings, allowing England to take full control of the contest at the end of day 4. New Zealand First Innings  New Zealand had a really bad start to the innings, losing five wickets for 123 runs. Timely efforts by Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell in the middle-order helped the visiting side score more than 300 runs in the innings. The Mitchell-Blundell pair contributed 120 runs for the sixth wicket. Blundell made 55 runs, while Daryl Mitchell notched a century (109). New Zealand were all out for 329 in their first innings. Jack Leach of England picked up five wickets. Read: Bangladesh on the verge of another defeat vs WI England First Innings In reply to New Zealand’s 329, England had a horrendous start, even worse than their opposition. The hosts lost six wickets for only 55 runs in 12 overs. At that stage, New Zealand's campaign was hoping to bowl England out inside 100 runs and force them to follow on. However, a 241-run stand between Jonny Bairstow and Jamie Overton for the seventh wicket helped England to make a strong comeback in the innings. Bairstow, who played a match-winning knock in the second Test, was in an aggressive mood in this innings. The right-hand batter made 162 runs off 157 deliveries, while Overton contributed 97 runs. Besides, Stuart Broad played an important 42-run innings, which helped England score 360 in their first innings. Trent Boult was the most successful bowler for New Zealand. He picked up 4 wickets. New Zealand Second Innings Trailing by 31 runs, New Zealand had a solid start to their second innings. Skipper Kane Williamson and opener Tom Latham made 97 runs together in the second wicket, giving the visitors a good platform to extend the lead. But New Zealand saw a collapse in their innings as they were down to 161/5 at one stage. Read BAN vs WI Series 2022: West Indies dominate St Lucia Test Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell once again came out to the rescue for the Blackcaps, putting up a 113 run partnership for the sixth wicket. Mitchell made 56, while Blundell remained unbeaten on 88*. New Zealand were eventually bowled out for 326 after giving England a 296-run target to win. England’s Jack Leach picked up five wickets in this innings. England Second Innings Chasing a 296-run victory, England lost both their openers within 51 runs. However, the hosts have taken control of the game thanks to an unbeaten 132*-run third-wicket stand between Ollie Pope (81*) and Joe Root (55*). England finished the day on 4 with 183/2 runs on board. They needed only 113 runs to clinch the match as well as to whitewash the Kiwi side in the ENG vs NZ Test Series 2022. Read: Batters should learn from West Indies: Domingo England vs New Zealand Test Series 2022: Top Performers Daryl Mitchell and Trent Boult will end up leading the most runs and highest wicket-takers charts in the Test series despite the fact that their team, New Zealand, are now on the verge of being swept by the English team. Top 3 most runs in the series (as on June 26, 2022) Player Innings Runs HS Ave 100s Daryl Mitchell 6 538 190 107.60 3 Tom Blundell 6 383 106 76.60 1 Joe Root 6* 365 176 91.25 2    Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Read WI vs BAN 2nd Test 2022: Can Bangladesh Bounce Back to Level Series? Top 3 most wickets in the series (as on June 26, 2022) Player Innings Wickets BBI Ave 5W Trent Boult 6 16 5/106 27.18 1 Matthew Potts 6 14 4/13 23.28 0 Jack Leach 4 13 5/66 30.15 2      Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Bottom Line England have already sealed the series and, with the current scenario of the third Test, they are very much in pole position to whitewash the New Zealand side. The England Test team’s performance has improved significantly in the ENG vs NZ Test Series 2022. In other words, the England Test side has rejuvenated under the leadership of Ben Stokes. Read: Latham and Williamson defy England, NZealand reaches 125-1

England have gained control of the ENG vs NZ first Test 2022 at Lords at the end of day three. With five wickets in hand, the hosts just need 61 runs to win the match. England are hoping to win the match without losing any more wickets with Joe Root and Ben Foakes at the crease. Though, given the way the match has gone so far, another twist is likely on day 4. Let's have a look at the scenario for the first Test match between England and New Zealand. First Test Match Scenario between England and New Zealand New Zealand's regular captain, Kane Williamson, has returned to the Test team for the England series after missing numerous international matches owing to an elbow injury. On the other hand, leg-spinner Matt Parkinson and medium pacer Matthew Potts made their debuts for England. Additionally, this is the first series for both newly appointed Test captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum. Here is the ENG vs NZ first Test 2022 current match situation.  Read Shakib Al Hasan's Captaincy Record in Test Cricket: An Overview New Zealand’s First Innings New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson opted to bat first in order to put some runs on the board. However, the pitch was perfect for the pace bowlers to finish two innings on day 1. The English pacers exploited the pitch extremely well and picked up 6 wickets for 39 runs at lunch. New Zealand tried to make a comeback with a 41-run partnership between Colin de Grandhomme and Tim Southee for the eighth wicket. Their stand helped the visitors get past the 100-run barrier. The New Zealand batters were in an aggressive mood in the post lunch session and that helped them score some quick runs. They were eventually bowled out for 132 in 40 overs. Colin de Grandhomme remained unbeaten on 42*, while England's veteran James Anderson and newcomer Matthew Potts each took four wickets. Read Mitchell, Blundell combine to thwart England at Lord's England’s First Innings Unfortunately, England couldn’t take full advantage of their good work with the ball. Like the Blackcaps, the hosts also suffered a batting collapse in their first innings. They lost 7 wickets on day 1 for 116 runs. It took New Zealand only 6.5 overs in the first session of day 2 to pick up all of England’s wickets for 141 runs. England only managed to take a 9-run lead in the first innings. Openers Alex Lees (25) and Zak Crawley (43) gave England a good start by putting up 59 runs between them. But after their departures, England’s innings fell apart, and they continued to lose wickets at regular intervals. Tim Southee picked up 4, while Trent Boult got 3 wickets for New Zealand. Read Litton Das Reaches 12, Highest Ever Test Ranking in Career New Zealand’s Second Innings The pitch became a bit easier to bat on day 2. New Zealand once again found themselves in big trouble at the beginning of the innings. They lost 4 wickets for 56 runs. However, a magnificent 195-run stand between Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell for the fifth wicket took New Zealand's total to 251 runs. Blundell made 96 runs, while Mitchell made a century with 108 runs. New Zealand were eventually bowled out for 285 runs after giving England a 277-run target. Stuart Broad and Matthew Potts picked up three wickets each for England. Read Bangladesh vs West Indies Series 2022: Full Fixtures and Squads England’s Second Innings England started their chase in the first session of day-three and they tried to attack the Kiwi pacers from the beginning of the innings. Like in the first innings, the openers gave a solid start for England. But the hosts also saw a dramatic collapse in their second innings, losing 4 wickets for 69 runs. Joe Root and skipper Ben Stokes then repaired the innings with a 90-run stand between them on the fifth wicket. Ben Stokes lost his wicket to Kyle Jamieson after scoring 54 runs. Root (77*) and Foakes added 57 runs for the sixth wicket before the end of the day’s play, taking the total to 216. The pair will come on to bat on day 4 to chase down the 277 run target. Kylie Jamieson has been superb in the second innings for New Zealand. He has already picked up four wickets for the visitors. Read IPL 2022: Meet the Top Individual Performers Verdict  The English team is still in danger of losing the ENG vs NZ first Test 2022 after losing five crucial wickets. Besides, this particular pitch at the Lords is doing the bowlers a big favour. The batters have struggled to shine on this surface because of this. However, batting is becoming more comfortable in the second innings, which is an optimistic sign. With two days remaining, England must be watchful and calm in their pursuit of the winning target. Oppositely, New Zealand bowlers will have to give it their best to take all of England's wickets. That's the only way they will be able to win the game.