England fought its way back into the match with a flurry of late wickets after Tom Latham and Devon Conway had put on a mammoth 317 for New Zealand's first wicket on Day 1 of the third and final Test.
The Latham-Conway run fest made for a nightmarish return to the England team after disciplinary issues for captain Ben Stokes, who was part of an attack that was flayed to all parts of the ground on a flat, docile pitch at Trent Bridge.
With the series level at 1-1, Latham won the toss and went on to power his way to a 17th test century and an innings of 151 to help New Zealand reach 361-4 at stumps.
It was a welcome return to form for Latham after he had scored only 34 runs in four previous innings this series.
The opening stand was the highest by New Zealand in a Test match in England and the seventh of 200 runs or more by Kiwi openers in Test history.
Latham's fellow left-hander Conway was also in imperious form, compiling his eighth test century on the way to a knock of 157.
The two Kiwis have pedigree, too. They put on 323 for the first wicket against West Indies at Mount Maunganui in December.
Stokes, back in the team along with Gus Atkinson after they were dropped for the second test, could do little about it as the New Zealand openers made England toil on a baking hot day when uncommon temperatures in Britain were up to 31C.
Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir could have nabbed the wicket of Conway for 71 after lunch — when the score was 157-0 — after hitting his pad before bat in front of the stumps. England failed to review for lbw, though, when replays showed it was plumb.
Some of New Zealand's optimism generated from a dominant 253-run win in last week's second test at The Oval might have been punctured by losing two key players — top-ranked test bowler Matt Henry and middle-order batter Glenn Phillips — because of injury. Paceman Kyle Jamieson was also rested to manage his workload after recent back problems.
Jamie Smith dropped a simple chance when Latham was on 129 but the wicketkeeper made amends by catching the New Zealand captain off the bowling of Stokes.
Conway followed two runs later, with the score on 319, when he was caught in the deep off part-time spinner Joe Root.
England had looked to be down and out but suddenly they were revitalised and Smith took another catch behind the stumps off Atkinson after Rachin Ravindra had sliced the ball high into the air when on 7.
The home team's revival got even better when, off the final ball of the day, Jofra Archer had Henry Nicholls caught by Smith for 36.
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