England vs New Zealand, Third Test Day 3 Live Score: While Ben Duckett grabbed the headlines with his century, Jacob Bethell quietly produced one of his most important Test innings. The young batter remained unbeaten on 74 at stumps after facing 128 deliveries, recording both his highest score on home soil and his best first-innings effort in Test cricket. Bethell shared a partnership of 179 with Duckett, helping England recover from the early loss of Emilio Gay for a duck. Once Duckett departed after dragging Nathan Smith onto his stumps, Bethell shifted gears and focused on batting through the remainder of the day alongside Joe Root, who finished unbeaten on 21. Their unbeaten stand ensured England ended the day without further setbacks and still had plenty of batting left heading into Day 3. On a pitch that Duckett described as “a good pitch to bat on,” Bethell now has the opportunity to turn his promising knock into a defining innings as England attempt to erase New Zealand’s first-innings lead.
