Joe Root’s 36th Test century helps England claim series with big win over New Zealand | New Zealand v England 2024

Whether it was a warm-up match to England's specifications in Queenstown, a failed eighth-inning catch in Christchurch, or a merry field where Harry Brook's eye-popping stats kept the crowd entertained throughout. England have rarely felt so welcome in New Zealand, be it from the announcers. . Whatever happens on the other side of the Tasman this time next year, it's hard to imagine the latter happening.

And what did England do in return? Despite still having a third Test to go, the road to winning a new Crowe Thorpe Trophy in seven days has been quite a bulldozer. A blistering 323-run shutout in windy Wellington on Sunday gave England their first series win on these shores since 2008 – on a tour that, like this year, saw a return to attack – and on the road. It will be the first since Pakistan in late 2022. .

Ben Stokes, whose Kiwi mum Deb joined the Barmy squad this week, also won 19 games as England's Test captain, one win behind Mike Brearley's 18 in the same number of games (31). After a 2-1 defeat in Pakistan in October, after a tour that had drained him of his fitness and the stress of a robbery on his return, Stokes was rejuvenated in the country of his birth, back to bowling, running and smiling. .

That smile was on the third morning at Basin Reserve as Stokes, who chose to press on with an overnight lead of 533, watched from afar as Joe Root hit his latest Test century. I was so happy at the time. In 1998, the much-maligned reverse ramp was back, with Will O'Rourke taking a gloved shot against the ropes, and Root could barely contain his laughter. All New Zealand players celebrated the milestone, even though the chase brought further misery.

Morale in the attack is low and, given the circumstances of the match, means Root's 130-ball 106 is unlikely to make the best-of montage. But it was still another waypoint in his ongoing climb. He is currently level with Rahul Dravid's 36 Test centuries and ahead of him are Kumar Sangakkara (38), Ricky Ponting (41), Jacques Kallis (45) and Sachin Tendre. Karl (51 years old) is the only one. 6th place in 2024 also matched Root's personal best for the calendar year. It's that remarkable year of 2021, when the weight of the captaincy and the impact of the pandemic were extremely strong.

The question was whether New Zealand could take this game into the fourth day, staring down a ridiculous target of 583 points. Perhaps they can restore some of the pride that has been hurt since the historic 3-0 win in India. And after Chris Woakes and Brydon Kearse picked up two cheap wickets each before rain forced an early lunch for four at 59, the aim was to simply reach the evening session. Fixed.

New Zealand at least got there, with Tom Blundell's defiant 102-ball 115 from number six beginning to evoke violent memories of Nathan Astle's 222 defeat against Christchurch in 2002. Shoaib Bashir was manhandled a bit and Blundell sent him flying over the fifth rope. times. But the off-spinner, who had already driven Glenn Phillips, finally got his revenge thanks to Ben Duckett's brilliant promise at slip and a dab from Blundell that rocked him to leg-and-pouch in his second attempt. Ta.

After pushing back for 96 runs for the seventh wicket alongside Nathan Smith, Blundell's block finally changed when Jacob Bethell held a swirler in the deep to remove Matt Henry, England's superior Catching was once again emphasized. Stokes was the bowler here, quickly beating Smith (42) and Tim Southee for the win, finishing with 3-5. New Zealand bowled 125 in the first innings and 259 in the second, giving them a total batting average of 89 overs in the match.

Despite a mountain of runs in his wake and Blundell's rearguard, a particularly strong wind interrupted the run-up, making Bashir's job difficult and forcing the stewards to run away to rescue a blown-off hat. Considering that, England were competent. Setting the tone was a perfect new ball spell from Woakes, who threw an out-of-form Devon Conway for a duck from the inside edge and tickled the other side of Kane Williamson's bat for four fours. This trip made my Kingfisher allergy feel a little better.

Kearse was the tallest player across the two Tests, even if that included initially crouching low for a smart, reflexive return catch on Tom Latham. Kaas, who also ran away from Rachin Ravindra, took 25 wickets in his first four Tests, all of which came from home. For context, James Anderson and Stuart Broad's best winters were 25 wickets (2017/18 and 2015/16 respectively). Sixteen years after the alliance began with victory in New Zealand, England found a new ally.