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England cruised to a back-to-back win Wellingtonwhere Joe Root’s 36th career century went New Zealand faced with a heavy defeat in the second Test.
Root hit 106 to rank fifth on the all-time hundred scorers list, allowing the tourists to declare with a huge lead of 582.
New Zealand, increasingly unsettled, slumped to 59 for four, Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse sharing the wickets, before Tom Blundell kept the attack going.
Carse dropped him at nothing off Jacob Bethell and the wicketkeeper responded with a gutsy 86 not out as the Black Caps reached 199 for six at tea. However, it looked like his resistance would be little more than an exhibition, with England closing in on an unassailable 2-0.
If they get the job done, it would end a two-year wait for a second away series win in the baseball era, following a 1-1 draw on their last trip to New Zealand and defeats in India and Pakistan this year.
England’s progress was mostly calm, but the afternoon was tricky Shoaib Bashirwho took one for 73 from 14 overs bowling in a strong wind at Basin Reserve.
England’s position looked impregnable at the start of the game, 533 ahead and with five wickets in the second innings still in hand.
Incredibly, after only two days of action, they found themselves weighing their likely statement. First, however, they wanted Root to reach his landmark of equaling India’s Rahul Dravid’s centuries.
He didn’t keep his teammates waiting long, turning his overnight 73 off just 21 balls to make it six in 2024. With New Zealand going through the motions, he helped himself to five boundaries, the last of which saw him reach his hundred on a cheeky way.
In the 98th he dropped to his knees to play a reverse ramp against Will O’Rourke, fell to the floor and just cleared the keeper. It wasn’t his most elegant moment, but he saw the funny side, grinning as he charged over to celebrate with Stokes at the non-striker’s end.
Root hammered the next ball for four but was caught one-handed by Blundell from the one after that and Stokes promptly wrapped up the innings despite sitting on 49 not out.
The winning line looked impossibly far away, but New Zealand would be hoping to improve on their dreadful first try of 125 all out. It was more of the same though as Devon Conway played around the seams of a delivery from Woakes to make a duck.
The left-hander has become a go-getter for England, making 21 runs in four innings so far, but Williamson remains the most valuable scalp. Woakes got it for just four, taking Williamson’s outside edge with one that shaped up and held his line.
The tame resistance continued as Carse came into the attack and bowled exactly two deliveries to open his account, rolling to his right to hold the return catch with one hand as home skipper Latham drove with a crooked bat.
And Carse added a fourth before lunch when he tempted an out-of-form Rachin Rachin Ravindra to catch behind with just six to his name.
England could have wrapped it up in the afternoon session if Bethell had held Blundell when he fenced Carse in the cordon, but he cashed in on his extra life to hit 11 fours and three sixes.
Bashir came in for some tough shots as he tried unsuccessfully to lock down the end in blustery conditions, but bowled Glenn Phillips (16) to bring England closer. Atkinson, who finished New Zealand’s first innings with a hat-trick on Saturday, was left behind by Daryl Mitchell.