Nottingham: New Zealand sealed a memorable Test series triumph over England with a commanding 160-run victory in the third and deciding Test at Trent Bridge on Monday, spoiling Ben Stokes’ final appearance in international cricket and condemning the hosts to their first home defeat in a Test series of three matches or more since 2012.
Chasing a tough target of 373, England got bowled out well short after starting the final day at 103/4. They had already wasted much of their chance with a careless batting collapse late on day four. New Zealand had scored 438 in their first innings and then bowled out England for 354. Enjoying a lead of 85 runs, the Black Caps declared at 288/9 in their second innings, leaving England to chase a massive target.
This loss marked England’s seventh defeat in their last nine Tests. It will likely increase the criticism of the bold ‘Bazball’ style that has characterised the team over the past four years.
Fans expected to see Stokes deliver one last classic performance after announcing his retirement on the fourth afternoon. Instead, the sparse crowd at Trent Bridge, which received free tickets, only saw Jamie Smith’s determined half-century as England’s innings ended weakly.
England’s struggles began the night before when Stokes was out after scoring a quick 30 off 20 balls. Jacob Bethell went out for a duck, Harry Brook made 21 off just nine balls, and Ben Duckett added 36 off 42. This left the hosts with a steep task overnight.
New Zealand’s players could hardly believe England’s approach. Stump microphones picked up the visitors asking, “What are they doing?” after Brook lost his wicket with an ill-advised shot to deep fine leg.
England’s slim hopes rested on Joe Root, but they quickly faded on the final morning. Nathan Smith, who ended the series as the top wicket-taker with 16 wickets, first dismissed Emilio Gay for 10 after finding the outside edge.
Just four balls later, Root’s fight ended when Henry Nicholls made a brilliant direct-hit run out while losing his balance, sending the former England captain back for 18.
Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson briefly delayed the inevitable with a stubborn 75-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Smith played aggressively, hitting a great straight six off Mitchell Santner during his innings of 60 from 90 balls. Atkinson batted for 70 balls to score 19.
Their partnership temporarily lowered the target below 200 before Santner trapped Atkinson lbw just before lunch.
New Zealand faced a brief challenge when paceman Will O’Rourke hurt his hamstring midway through the morning session, adding to an already weakened pace attack, but the visitors stayed in control.
After lunch, England’s lower order collapsed quickly. Jofra Archer edged behind, and Josh Tongue was brilliantly run out by Santner shortly after Smith reached his fifty from 87 balls with three consecutive boundaries. The wicketkeeper-batter eventually holed out in the deep off Santner, ending the match and the series.
The victory capped an impressive overall performance from New Zealand. Their disciplined bowling, sharp fielding, and steady batting proved too much for England throughout the three-Test series.
For England, the loss not only marked a disappointing end to Stokes’ brilliant international career but also raised new questions about the team’s approach following a dramatic decline, losing seven of their last nine Test matches.
Brief Scores:
New Zealand 438 & 288/9 decl. beat England 354 & 212 (Jamie Smith 60; Zakary Foulkes 3-52, Mitchell Santner 2-54, Nathan Smith 2-64) by 160 runs.
(IANS)
