The Athletic has launched a Cricket WhatsApp Channel. Click here to join.At 5.22pm, after a day spent toiling in extreme heat without reward, this looked destined to become England’s worst first day of a home Test since Geoff Marsh and Mark Taylor batted all day on this same Trent Bridge ground in 1989 and Australia did not lose a single wicket.They had looked helpless as New Zealand’s opening pair, Tom Latham and Devon Conway, remorselessly added 317. A deciding Test England and their returning captain Ben Stokes cannot afford to lose looked all but surrendered.Yet, by 5.29pm and almost out of nowhere, both century-makers had gone, and when two more New Zealand wickets fell just before the close Test cricket had provided one of those unlikely twists that only the five-day game can offer. But even though the late drama meant England were just about alive and kicking at the close, this, at 361-4, was New Zealand’s and undisputedly Latham and Conway’s day.The searing heat, clearest of skies and the flattest of Trent Bridge pitches ensured batting was the easiest decision Latham will ever have to make upon winning a toss as captain. Once he had called correctly, all England’s protestations of togetherness after a tumultuous two weeks, and all their hopes of avoiding their first defeat in a major home Test series for more than a decade, were under threat.The scoreboard at Trent Bridge has New Zealand 317 without loss (Philip Brown/Getty Images)This was as one-sided as it gets, at least for the 72.1 overs that Latham and Conway were together accumulating the highest partnership for New Zealand against England, beating the 276 by Stewie Dempster and John Mills at Wellington back in 1930.It was only 21 runs short of the highest opening partnership ever against England, by Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith for South Africa at Edgbaston in 2003, when Stokes finally found Latham’s edge. Latham loudly shouted “no” in disbelief as the ball went through to Jamie Smith.Conway, cramping up in his legs and hands, followed an over later trying to hit Joe Root for six but, by then, the damage had been done and New Zealand were well on their way to the highest number of runs they have scored in a Test day in England.Rarely have England looked so toothless and bereft of ideas under Stokes. They may have “got the band back together” with the return of their errant captain and his late night drinking partner, Gus Atkinson, but they kept on hitting bum notes.Far from the re-set England hoped they were making this summer after their Ashes debacle, this was just as bad as anything they experienced in being beaten 4-1 in Australia — even if conditions were perfect for New Zealand to grind them into the dust.Ben Stokes watches Tom Latham (left) and Devon Conway make hay (David Rogers/Getty Images)When they did get Conway ‘out’ on 71 when Shoaib Bashir, having his first bowl for England in a year, hit his pad, England barely appealed. Smith indicated to Stokes that the ball had hit Conway’s bat first, and the chance to review Rod Tucker’s not out decision was passed up. Replays indicated the decision would have been reversed had they gone upstairs.