England captain Ben Stokes was seen calling out Jofra Archer after the fast bowler did not join the team celebration following Shoaib Bashir's caught-and-bowled dismissal during the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge. Stokes gestured towards Archer and urged him to join the rest of the players.
New Zealand posted 438 in the first innings after choosing to bat, with Devon Conway and Tom Latham scoring centuries. England replied with a total of 354, conceding an 84-run first-innings lead. The visitors then reached 120/3 at stumps on Day 3 (Saturday) to extend their lead to 204 runs in the series decider.
Ben Stokes Urges Jofra Archer to Join Team Celebration
The incident took place during the 114th over of New Zealand's first innings when Shoaib Bashir dismissed Nathan Smith with a caught-and-bowled effort. As the England players gathered to celebrate, Jofra Archer stayed away from the team huddle.
Ben Stokes quickly noticed Archer's reaction and gestured for him to join the rest of the players. Fans later pointed to the likely reason behind Archer's frustration. Bashir had dropped a return catch from Tom Blundell off Archer's bowling in the previous over.
Archer appeared frustrated after the missed chance, especially after putting in a long spell in hot conditions. However, he responded in style in New Zealand's second innings. Archer struck early to reduce the visitors to 12/2, dismissing both first-innings centurions, Tom Latham and Devon Conway, for single-digit scores.
🚨Ben Stokes had some words for Jofra Archer after the pacer initially didn't join in the celebrations following Shoaib Bashir's caught and bowled. Bashir had dropped a catch off Archer's bowling the over before pic.twitter.com/7FiKNzQdKV
— SheR•ALI (@Sher__Ali) June 27, 2026
Ben Stokes Joins Jacques Kallis in Exclusive Test Club
Ben Stokes reached a major milestone with the ball in the first innings of the ongoing Test match. The England captain took 4/70 against New Zealand and became only the second player in Test history to score 7,000 runs and take 250 wickets.
Stokes joined South Africa legend Jacques Kallis in the exclusive all-rounders' club. Kallis finished his Test career with 13,289 runs and 292 wickets in 166 matches.
Stokes reached the 250-wicket mark in his 122nd Test. He has also scored 7,243 runs, including 14 centuries. The England captain recently went past Matthew Hoggard to become England's ninth-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket.
New Zealand Extend Lead After Early Collapse
Jofra Archer gave England a dream start in New Zealand's second innings by reducing the visitors to 12/2. He dismissed both first-innings centurions, Tom Latham and Devon Conway, for single-digit scores.
However, New Zealand recovered through Rachin Ravindra, who remained unbeaten on 60 at stumps on Day 3. His innings guided the visitors to 120/3 and helped them extend their overall lead to 204 runs.
Earlier, New Zealand earned an 84-run first-innings lead after bowling England out for 354. Concussion substitute Zak Foulkes starred with the ball, taking 3/35, including the key wickets of Ben Stokes and Harry Brook.
The third Test remains evenly balanced heading into the final two days. New Zealand will look to build a match-winning lead, while England face the challenge of chasing a big target to seal the series.
