Nottingham, June 24 (IANS) New Zealand captain Tom Latham has urged his side to summon ‘old‑school grit’ as they chase a Test series triumph against England, when they take the field for the third Test starting at Trent Bridge on Thursday.

The Blackcaps bounced back remarkably well from the sudden retirement of talismanic batter Kane Williamson just days after the 115-run defeat in the first game at Lord’s by sealing an emphatic 253-run victory in the second match at The Oval to level the three-match series 1-1.

“Any series you step into, the end goal is to be there at the end with the results that you want. What’s important for us is the work we do leading up to that point, and trying to stick to the things that we do well and stick to our style as best we can.

“It was a really good example of how we operated last week (which) was maybe slightly different to what the modern generation of Test cricket is, and how it’s been played. It was a little bit more old-school, and trying to do things for long periods of time and keep being a threat for long periods of time.

“If it’s required throughout this week to do something similar, then we’ll obviously be looking to do that. We’ve got better and better throughout the series, and hopefully we can keep improving on those performances,” Latham told reporters in the pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

The visitors will be forced to alter their playing combination as pacer Kyle Jamieson has been rested to manage his workload following a long rehabilitation from a back stress fracture.

His absence opens the door for left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner, who could spearhead a frontline spin attack for the first time in the series, after recovering from a shoulder injury and is also aided by the ongoing heatwave in the United Kingdom.

“He’s certainly not injured; there’s nothing there to worry about. It was always the plan for him to get through two Test matches. For Mitch to get himself ready for this tour… was testament to the work that he put in. He’s someone that spins the ball on many different surfaces. If we do go down that line, then we certainly know he’ll be a threat throughout the five days,” added Latham.

–IANS

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