A stunning 190 from Daryl Mitchell and an excellent 106 from Tom Blundell left New Zealand firmly in control of the second Test against England, with the visitors posting a first innings total of 553 before the hosts reached the close of play on 90-1.
After resuming on 318-4 with Mitchell unbeaten on 81 and Blundell 37 not out, New Zealand continued to build an imposing first innings score. Mitchell quickly brought up his second century of the series, reaching three figures with an edge for four of Matthew Potts.
It was another excellent innings from the 31-year-old, who arrived in England with just one Test hundred to his name but now has three after back-to-back centuries at Lord's and Trent Bridge. England could have finally sent Mitchell packing for 104 after he attempted to launch Jack Leach down the ground for six but was dropped by Potts.
Blundell, Mitchell's partner-in-crime for both of his centuries, then reached three figures himself after heartbreakingly falling short at Lord's with 96. However, his innings came to an end soon after when he miscued a shot off Leach and was caught by Ben Stokes at mid-off for 106.
Despite Blundell's departure, New Zealand continued to accumulate runs, with Mitchell passing 150 and debutant Michael Bracewell showing some fluency. Together, the pair pushed New Zealand close to 500, before Bracewell fell to Anderson just one run short of a first Test half-century.
It sparked something of a mini-collapse as New Zealand lost 4-24 in just 23 balls. However, number 11 Trent Boult struck around and shared a 33-run partnership with Mitchell, who was eventually dismissed for 190, getting caught behind off Potts as New Zealand were eventually bowled out for 553 - their highest ever score in England.
In response, the hosts lost the early wicket of Zak Crawley for just six but missed the opportunity to remove Lees for 12 when Mitchell dropped a sitter at first slip. Ollie Pope was also handed a lifeline by a Mitchell drop and managed to reach his half-century before the close, with England ending the day on 90-1.
Here are six talking points from the day's play...
Mitchell's back-to-back hundreds
Had Henry Nicholls not been sidelined by Covid-19 and a calf injury before the series began, Mitchell may well have not been picked by New Zealand. However, the all-rounder has made the most of his opportunity, scoring back-to-back centuries at Lord's and Trent Bridge.
Both times, Mitchell shared mammoth partnerships with wicketkeeper Tom Blundell and almost won New Zealand the game in the first Test, had it not been for Joe Root's match winning hundred. This time, Mitchell will be hoping his ton can lead New Zealand to victory and help them level the series.
It was an authoritative knock from the 31-year-old, who arrived in England with just one Test hundred to his name but now has three. And he went big, finishing unbeaten on 190.
Speaking on commentary for BBC Test Match Special, former New Zealand captain Jeremy Coney said: "A brilliant hundred. Coming in at a time where, while they had made a bit of progress, it wasn't emphatic from New Zealand. This has moved the game along."
Fielding struggles continue
England dropped four clear-cut chances on day one of the Test and their struggles in the field continued on day two when Mitchell was given a life shortly after bringing up his century. While on 104, Mitchell attempted to hit Leach for six down the ground but mishit the shot.
However, Potts was unable to take the catch, with the ball instead hitting him on the knee and going for four. And the drop proved very costly as Mitchell went on to make 190.
"If ever there was a bowler who needed that to be taken it was Jack Leach," Michael Vaughan said on BBC Test Match Special. "It's just gone through the hands of Matthew Potts and hit his knee and rebounded for four."
Blundell finally gets a hundred
After falling just four runs short of a hundred at Lord's, Blundell managed to reach three figures at Trent Bridge and score a thoroughly deserved third Test century. In the process, Blundell became the first New Zealand wicketkeeper to score a Test match hundred in England.
"It was such a controlled hundred by Tom Blundell," former England captain Sir Alastair Cook told BBC Test Match Special. "His celebration sums up his batting - under the radar, and all in a days work. He's steadily accumulated."
Together, Mitchell and Blundell put on the highest fifth-wicket stand in New Zealand's history, with their 236 run partnership surpassing Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan's 222 against Zimbabwe in 2000. The pair's 195-run stand in the first Test is also fourth on the list.
Leach's long wait comes to an end
It has not been a great series so far for Leach, who was forced out of the first Test at Lord's on the opening day after suffering a concussion while fielding. The 30-year-old was able to recover in time to take his place in the side at Trent Bridge, but has not had much joy with the ball in the first innings.
In total, Leach bowled 35 overs and picked up 2-140, with his first wicket coming when Blundell miscued one to Stokes at mid-off. It meant there had been exactly 1,000 days between Test wickets at home for Leach.
His last one came on September 15 during the final Test of the 2019 Ashes, when he took the final wicket of Josh Hazlewood to win England the match and level the series. Since then, Leach had now bowled at home for England, with Dom Bess favoured in 2020 and Moeen Ali in 2021.
Anderson's quality on show
Although taking 3-62 from 27 overs while New Zealand wracked up 553 will not go down as one of Anderson's most memorable displays for England, it is still a notable one. The 39-year-old picked up his three wickets at 20.66, while his teammates took the other seven at 67.7.
Since the start of 2021, Anderson has taken three wickets or more in an innings on nine occasions. Eight of those times, he has average less than one-third of the other England bowlers combined.
It is a stunning statistic and outlines just why it was madness that England even considered dropping him after the Ashes. Anderson has now picked up 649 Test wickets and is just 59 behind Shane Warne, who sits at second in the all-time list.
At this rate, who would bet against him overtaking Warne?
England make a promising start
After losing Crawley in just the second over, England fans would have been left fearing another top-order collapse. However, Lees and Pope were able to see the hosts through to the close at 90-1, with Lees on 34 and Pope on 51.
Part of that was down to two drops from Mitchell, who gave both players lifelines, but the pair deserve credit for making a solid start. Pope brought up his half-century with an excellent cut for four off Kyle Jamieson and the 24-year-old will be hoping to reach his second Test century tomorrow.
Lees, meanwhile, showed some positivity to make his highest score in an England shirt to date. The pair now desperately need to make the most of their starts on day three and help England whittle down as much of New Zealand's 463 lead as possible.
