Sonny Baker took his first Test wickets by dismissing Rachin Ravindra (33) and Daryl Mitchell (44) during the second Test between England and New Zealand at The Oval on June 16, 2026 [1, 2]. The 23-year-old fast bowler finished with figures of 2 wickets for 63 runs from 15 overs in the match [3, 2].
New Zealand scored 291 runs for 7 wickets on the opening day of the Test [1, 2]. Baker, making only his second Test appearance and 14th first-class game, had previously played for England in limited-overs formats but had not taken a wicket in either [3, 2].
England head coach Brendon McCullum praised Baker’s performance, saying, “Baker is going to be a cricketer the country really gets behind,” and adding, “I believed the second Test crowd at the Oval were about to fall in love with Sonny Baker” [3, 2].
Baker described feeling anxious and nervous before his debut but said he was proud to be authentic on the field. "Awesome, could you tell? I'm so thankful to have a proper debut that is reflective of where I'm at,” he said. “How do you think I enjoyed it? It was brilliant. Awesome.” [3, 2]
The Test continues with England seeking to build on Baker’s breakthrough and put pressure on New Zealand in the match at The Oval.
