Ben Stokes injured as Kane Williamson century puts England to the grinder

England will be glad to see the back of Hamilton. Bowled out cheaply on the second day, conceding a mighty first-innings lead, they were put to the grinder on the third by Kane Williamson, who made his 33rd Test hundred. Worse still, Ben Stokes left the field midway through the day clutching his left hamstring, the same one he tore so badly last August, an injury that took him more than two months to overcome.

Stokes’s injury made for England’s most damaging day of the tour. Despite losing the first session to rain, New Zealand stretched their overnight lead (340) to 657, with England’s bowlers looking totally cooked. In the final half-hour, they then dispatched Ben Duckett, who charged Tim Southee’s fourth ball, only to