England's bowling attack struggled without Ben Stokes as they face a likely defeat in the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval. Josh Tongue acknowledged the team's missed leadership, with England trailing badly in their chase of 463. The home side finished Saturday on 182-5, relying heavily on Joe Root's unbeaten 75 to avoid a four-day loss.

Without Stokes' all-round capabilities, England made tactical compromises fielding Jordan Cox as a specialist number seven and dropping spinner Shoaib Bashir. The injury to Ollie Robinson and Jamie Smith's paternity leave left Root captaining a side featuring three debutants with their lowest combined experience in seventeen years. Tongue praised Root's leadership but conceded Stokes' absence was felt.

The situation stems from disciplinary issues after Lord's, where Stokes and Atkinson violated curfew celebrating the first Test victory. A security staff member was struck by a Saracens player during the incident. Both players face investigation but remain available for Thursday's third Test at Trent Bridge, where Stokes is expected to reclaim the captaincy.

This represents England's third consecutive Test defeat at The Oval, exposing squad depth concerns ahead of crucial summer fixtures.