All-round dominance gets England a historic series victory
With the massive 323-run win, England have taken an unassailable 2-0 series lead over New Zealand, ahead of the final Test in Hamilton.
New Zealand v England, 2nd Test, Scorecard
Despite Tom Blundell’s valiant hundred (115 off 102), the England bowlers were all over the home side on Day 3 to grab their first series win in New Zealand since 2007/08.
New Zealand got off to a poor start in the chase as Brydon Carse and Chris Woakes ripped through their top-order, leaving Devon Conway, Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra walking back to the dugout for single digit scores.
Blundell, joined by Nathan Smith forged a 96-run partnership for the seventh wicket but England’s bowling arsenal proved to be too strong, bowling out the Kiwis for 259.
England skipper Ben Stokes led the way with a brilliant 3-5, accompanied by a brace each from Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse and Shoaib Bashir that saw them clinch victory and go 2-0 up in the series.
Also Read: World Test Championship - State of Play ahead of 2025 final
England take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series with a big win in Wellington 💥#WTC25 | #NZvENG 📝: https://t.co/7v7q9gnPSA pic.twitter.com/ivZSW5x5wy
— ICC (@ICC) December 8, 2024
England resumed Day 3 on 378/5 and picked up right where they left off. Joe Root made his way to his 36th Test century, before being dismissed on 106, that also saw the end of England’s innings as Stokes declared and set a mammoth 583-run target for the home side to get back on level terms.
The England captain stepped in with a blazing cameo as well, which saw him remain unbeaten on 49. Earlier in the innings, Jacob Bethell (96), Ben Duckett (92) and Harry Brook (55) contributed stylish half-centuries to take England to 427/6.
ICC World Test Championship 2025 Standings
Stokes was full of praise for Harry Brook, Ollie Pope and Jacob Bethell at the post-match presser as the batters made an indelible mark on the game after England found themselves struggling at 40/4 on day 1, before Brook smashed a game-changing 123.
“Amazing to be standing here winning the series after being 40 for 4 on day one. The way Harry Brook and Olllie Pope played on day one set up this game for us. Jacob Bethell has certainly shown us what he's about and shown the world what he's about,” said Stokes.
Both teams are effectively out of the race to make it to the World Test Championship final in Lord’s, but England’s win meant that they moved to fifth on the table, while New Zealand dropped a place to sixth.
The final Test will be played at Seddon Park in Hamilton, from Saturday, 14 December.