decider with memories of New Zealand’s 2022 defeat

Southee believes those memories still linger in the minds of the New Zealand players who featured in that test.

“When you have guys who played in those games, there will probably be a few guys in the New Zealand changing room with that in the back of their mind,” Southee said.

“It’s something you don’t tend to forget too quickly ... It’s always there in the memory bank, so we’ll see how it unfolds.“

Latham, Conway, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell all played in that match, along with Southee.

Black Caps assistant coach Luke Ronchi dismissed suggestions that events from four years ago would have any bearing on the current contest.

“It’s a very different team compared to 2022,” Ronchi said.

“It’s different cricket. It’s a different surface. That hasn’t really come into it. It’s four years ago.

“The boys are being in the moment, understanding what is needed each ball and how they want to go about it. That’s all we can ask of each other.”

The memories did not appear to affect Latham and Conway, whose opening stand set the tone before England capitalised late in the day, taking two wickets with the final two balls of play.

New Zealand won the crucial toss and made the most of the batting conditions, with England forced to toil with the ball in extreme heat as temperatures reached the 30s.

Latham’s century was the 17th of his career, moving him level with Martin Crowe on New Zealand’s all-time list.

Only Kane Williamson (33) and Ross Taylor (19) have scored more test centuries for New Zealand.

After losing the opening test by 115 runs at Lord’s, the Black Caps responded with a comprehensive 254-run win at the Oval to level the series.

A series victory would be a significant achievement for New Zealand.

No visiting side has won a test series of three matches or more in England since 2012.

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