New Zealand have pulled off one of their finest results in the long history of test cricket, beating England by 160 runs at Trent Bridge on Monday to take the three match series 2-1 and end Ben Stokes’ international career with a heavy defeat rather than the fairytale he wanted.
The win in Nottingham made the Black Caps the first team in test history to come from behind to win a three match series in England. After losing the first test, Tom Latham’s side levelled the series and then produced a commanding all round performance in the decider to seal the campaign. It was only New Zealand’s fourth series victory in England across 20 attempts, and just their second after going a test down.
The foundation was laid on the opening day, when Latham and Devon Conway put on 317 for the first wicket. Conway made 157 and his captain 151, with both men passing 150 in the same innings to drive New Zealand to a first innings total of 438. England replied with 354, leaving the tourists a useful but not decisive lead heading into the second half of the match.
What followed was the innings that defined the test. Daryl Mitchell battered and bruised by a relentless England pace attack, dug in for an unbeaten century in the second innings. He was struck several painful blows on the body but refused to give his wicket away, finishing 100 not out and earning the player of the match award. Rachin Ravindra chipped in with a fluent 94 that took the game further out of England’s reach before New Zealand declared, setting the home side a target of 373.
That total always looked beyond an England team that has lost its way in red ball cricket. On the final day the Black Caps bowlers and fielders chipped away patiently, and a run of sharp run outs hastened the end. Mitchell Santner produced one direct hit and the fielding unit added more, with Joe Root run out for 18 in a moment that summed up England’s afternoon. Jamie Smith offered resistance with 60 and Stokes gave the home crowd a brief thrill with 30 from 20 balls including two sixes, but England were bowled out well short of their target and beaten by 160 runs.
For Stokes it was a deflating way to bow out. The 35 year old announced on Sunday that he was retiring from international cricket, saying he felt burnt out after four years as England captain. He will continue to play county cricket for Durham. “It would have been great to have gone out with a series win and a win,” Stokes said, “but that’s in a perfect world and this world certainly isn’t perfect.”
The defeat extended a grim run for England, who have now lost seven of their last nine tests and suffered their first home series loss across three or more tests since 2012. The aggressive style that brought them so many wins in recent years has been picked apart by sides willing to soak up pressure and bat long, and New Zealand did exactly that across the three matches.
For the Black Caps it was a result to savour. “This is very special for our group, we came over here with a goal of winning and doing it in a style that suits us as Black Caps,” Mitchell said afterwards.
The character of the win will please New Zealand coaches and selectors as much as the scoreline. Latham and Conway provided the platform with the bat, Mitchell supplied the grit when the match was in the balance, and Ravindra showed again why he is rated among the most exciting young batters in world cricket. The bowling and fielding then closed the door, with run outs and disciplined lines doing the job on a final day when patience mattered more than fireworks.
Coming from behind to win in England carries a weight that goes beyond a single series. New Zealand have long punched above their weight in test cricket, winning the inaugural World Test Championship final in 2021, but series wins on English soil have been rare and hard earned. Doing it after losing the opener, and against a side desperate to send its captain out a winner, gives this group a result that will be talked about for years.
Attention now turns to the rest of a busy winter and the build up to future assignments, with several of these players also central to New Zealand’s white ball plans. For now, though, the focus is firmly on a test series win in England that will rank among the most satisfying the Black Caps have managed.
You can read more on the match and series at the NZ Herald, Stuff and RNZ Sport.
What did you make of the Black Caps’ series win in England, and where does it rank among New Zealand’s great test results? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job 🙂
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