NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — New Zealand is on the brink of clinching a test series victory over England and spoiling Ben Stokes' final act in international cricket.
England will begin the final day of the third and deciding test on 103-4, still needing 270 more runs in a seemingly forlorn chase of 373 to win on a deteriorating pitch at Trent Bridge. All hopes seem to rest with Joe Root, who is 9 not out, and he is alongside Emilio Gay (6 not out) in the middle as the only specialist batters left for England.
Not since 1999 have the New Zealanders won a series in England containing three tests or more, but they are huge favorites now to clinch a 2-1 win.
For England, it would be a first defeat in a home series of three or more tests since 2012 — and a sad way for Stokes to depart.
The allrounder announced Sunday — first to his stunned teammates in the dressing room before play, and then to the wider world via a statement just before the tea interval — that he'll be stepping down as England captain after four years and retiring from the international game completely.
The final day of his turbulent, era-defining England career will likely be spent watching the game from the balcony outside the team's dressing room, having already been dismissed for 30.
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England's Ben Stokes, second left, celebrates with teammates the wicket of New Zealand's Mitchell Santner on day four of the Third Rothesay Test in Nottingham, England, Sunday, June 28, 2026. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)
England's Ben Stokes walks off after being caught by New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell on day four of the Third cricket Test between England and New Zealand in Nottingham, England, Sunday, June 28, 2026. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli airstrike killed at least three Palestinians, including a child, in the Gaza Strip on Monday, after hitting a tent sheltering displaced people that Israel said housed a militant.
Health authorities in the coastal enclave said the strike hit a neighborhood in Deir al-Balah, one of the least damaged towns in central Gaza. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said the fatalities were two men and an 8-year-old while a third man was wounded.
Israel's military identified the target as Zaher Abu Salem, who it said was a member of Islamic Jihad and was involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that triggered the war.
While the heaviest fighting has subsided since a ceasefire took hold in October, Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes, killing 1,045 Palestinians, according to health officials in Gaza. Israel has announced a series of strikes targeting militants, including three over the weekend.
The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. But it does not give a breakdown of civilians and militants. Militants have carried out shooting attacks on troops, and Israel says its strikes are in response to that and other violations. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.
The Oct. 7 attack by militants on Israel killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,058 Palestinians, including those killed since the ceasefire, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.
Magdy reported from Cairo.
Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Mourners carry the body of Palestinian Abdullah Moussa, 30, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike, during his funeral in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
