New Zealand’s commanding first-innings lead has been jolted by a fierce new-ball burst from England, leaving the tourists 28 for 2 in their second innings and the Oval Test suddenly delicately poised.

Resuming with a cushion of 100 runs, New Zealand were rocked almost immediately. Jofra Archer, operating with sharp pace despite a strapped wrist, drew Tom Latham into a tentative prod outside off stump, the edge flying neatly to the cordon. If that was a statement, what followed from Josh Tongue was a thunderclap.

Introduced in place of Archer, Tongue struck with his very first delivery. Devon Conway, eyeing a booming drive to a ball that was never quite full enough, succeeded only in squirting a thick edge to Harry Brook at second slip. It was Tongue’s 12th first-over wicket in Test cricket, underlining his reputation as a strike-bowler who needs no sighters.

England’s young attack, missing Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson after their off-field incident earlier in the series, has embraced the responsibility. Debutant Sonny Baker has hustled in from round the wicket, consistently in the high eighties, while Tongue has probed relentlessly, beating the bat and finding uneven bounce that has kept Rachin Ravindra and Henry Nicholls in constant survival mode.

There was a pivotal moment when Tongue lured Ravindra into a drive, only for debutant keeper James Rew to spill a difficult, low chance to his left. A direct hit from Brook moments later briefly raised hopes of a run-out, but replays showed Ravindra’s bat grounded. He responded with a crisp clip through mid-on, an emphatic answer to the chaos.

In the commentary box, injured quick Mark Wood insisted the contest remains alive for England, pointing to the side’s belief under Brendon McCullum that almost any chase is possible. Yet he conceded that, with a triple-figure head start and wickets still in hand, New Zealand hold the stronger hand for now.

Joe Root has attacked with imaginative fields, including catchers on the drive and a speculative leg slip, gambling on the sluggish surface to produce miscued strokes. For all the pressure, Nicholls and Ravindra have begun to inch the lead forward, nudging and punching into gaps, determined to turn that 100-run advantage into something far more imposing.