New Zealand bowler Matt Henry took 11 wickets in the second Test against England at The Oval in London on Sunday, guiding his team to a 253-run victory and leveling the three-match series 1-1 with one match remaining [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
England came into the final day of the match on 182 for 5 but were bowled out for 209 less than an hour after play resumed, collapsing under New Zealand's bowling attack [1, 4, 5]. Henry was the architect of that collapse. He dismissed Joe Root LBW for 77 with the first ball of his second over of the day, initiating the fall of the remaining wickets [4, 5].
Henry's figures for the match were a career best 11 wickets for 109 runs. In the second innings alone, he took 6 wickets for 29 runs, the best innings figures of his career and the best by a New Zealand bowler in an England Test [1, 3, 4, 5]. The BBC called Henry's performance "brilliant," highlighting all 11 wickets he claimed in the game [3].
England have now lost six of their last eight Test matches, continuing a difficult run. The team played the match without Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson, who were withdrawn from their County Championship matches after breaching a team curfew. Both players were left out of the second Test but are expected to be recalled for the third and final Test starting Thursday at Trent Bridge in Nottingham [4, 5].
The series now stands at 1-1, with everything to play for in the upcoming decisive match. The third Test will begin next week at Trent Bridge, Nottingham [4, 5].
