Jacob Bethell claimed two late wickets to halt New Zealand's momentum, with the tourists reduced to 291-7 at stumps on day one at The Oval.

With Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson unavailable pending an internal investigation, Joe Root took the captaincy as England made a solid start to their second Test.

Despite starting half an hour late due to morning drizzle, England started strong with the ball as Devon Conway (9) and Tom Latham (27) were both dismissed early on, with the latter taken by a stunning catch by Bethell.

England debutant Sonny Baker (2-63) helped by dismissing both Rachin Ravindra (33) and Daryl Mitchell (44), doing enough to break up some of the New Zealand momentum.

Tom Blundell's 51 kept the tourists steadily ticking along, though, as he put together a 75-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Glenn Phillips (49 not out).

However, Bethell's late intervention gave England some control heading into day two as he finished with figures of 2-8 after stopping Blundell's stint while also dismissing Nathan Smith (4).

Phillips will resume at the crease on Thursday, alongside Kyle Jamieson (6).

That’s it for day one

A brace late in the day from Jacob Bethell gets us into the tail heading into day two pic.twitter.com/NK0qSTpl2b

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 17, 2026

Momentum ebbs and flows at The Oval

England made both a strong start and finish to the day's action, with Bethell's strong finish ensuring they did not walk away too frustrated.

There had been moments where tensions threatened to bubble over, especially as England saw two reviews go against them.

Baker also provided a hint of optimism as one of three debutants in the side, while Jofra Archer earned a wicket on his return and Matt Fisher ended his four-year wait for a Test wicket.

It seemed Root's decision to bowl first paid off in the end as he took on the captaincy for the first time since 2022, but with Phillips looking strong at the crease, England will be keen to end his stand as early as possible when play resumes.