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

Before the ongoing New Zealand series, the English Test team won only one match and lost eleven of the last seventeen Test matches. The ECB made a necessary move to rejuvenate the squad. They handed over the captaincy to Ben Stokes and appointed Brendon McCullum as the new head coach. The combination has proved to be a magical one as the England team has regained their confidence. They have a 2-0 lead in the ENG vs NZ Test Series 2022 series after winning the first two matches. Will New Zealand be able to stop this confident England side in the third Test? The third match preview is discussed in this article. England vs New Zealand Third Test: Match Preview The third Test match is very important for both sides as it is a part of the ICC’s Test Championship. England can be very close to New Zealand in the points table if they whitewash them. On the other hand, New Zealand can increase their PCT if they finish the ENG vs NZ Test Series 2022 by 2-1. The third match of the series will start on Thursday (June 23) at Headingley, Leeds. The match will start at 4 p.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time). Both teams have met each other on eight occasions at this ground. England have edged the head-to-head contest at this venue with five wins. Head-to-head record at Headingley (England vs New Zealand)  Match England Won New Zealand Won Draw 8 5 2 1    Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Read ICC CWC Super League 2020-2023: Current Standings, Qualification Scenarios, Remaining Fixtures England The atmosphere of the English Test campaign is very positive at the moment. It seems that Captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum have managed everything pretty well. Former skipper Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow have done the job with the bat. The veteran James Anderson, Stuart Broad, and Matthew Pots are England’s premier wicket-taking bowlers in this series. One big news is that Anderson is unlikely to play the third match due to an injury concern. Jamie Overton may have his Test debut with the English side in this match. Predicted Playing XI Top-Order: Alex Lees, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope; Middle-Order: Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (captain), Ben Foakes (wicket-keeper), Matthew Potts; Lower-Order: Jamie Overton, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad. Read BAN vs WI Series 2022: How Bangladesh’s players fared in first Test New Zealand The Kane Williamson-led Kiwi Test side needs to finish high in the ongoing series with England. Losing the series 3-0 would be an embarrassing result for the Blackcaps. Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell have both done well with the bat. Skipper Kane Williamson needs to step up, along with Devon Conway. Trent Boult is the leading wicket-taker in the series with 12. But other Kiwi bowlers’ stats haven’t been impressive. In the final contest, Tim Southee, Wagner, and the other premier bowlers have to show their true potential in order to avoid a whitewash. Two changes in the playing XI are almost confirmed for the Blackcaps. Skipper will likely replace Michael Bracewell, while Neil Wagner may replace the injured Kyle Jamieson. Predicted Playing XI Top-Order: Tom Latham, Will Young, Kane Williamson (captain); Middle-Order: Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Tom Blundell (wicket-keeper), Tim Southee; Lower-Order: Neil Wagner, Ajaz Patel, Trent Boult. Read SL vs AUS 2022: Lankans eye first home series win over Australia since 1992 Weather and Pitch Condition There is a strong possibility of rain over the weekend in Leeds, and this may hamper the progress of the contest. Headingley is a classical surface which offers batters a chance to thrive for a big score. Therefore, the bowlers have to do their homework to put the batters under pressure. The toss-winning captain should bat first on this surface to score a big total in the first innings. Bottom Line The English side will play the match with no pressure as they have already sealed the ENG vs NZ Test Series 2022. This will give a significant advantage to England over the New Zealand team in the contest. On the other hand, the Kiwi side needs to find a strategy to outperform England during the match. This will put substantial pressure on the Blackcaps as the opposition side’s confidence level is currently very high. New Zealand's campaign will need exceptional performances from its players to prevent a whitewash. Read Stadium 974: FIFA’s Qatar World Cup 2022 brings world’s first transportable stadium