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

England has hardly been made to feel more popular in New Zealand, if the game warms up to the specification in Queenstown, those eight drops are caught in Christ Church, or the festive announcer of the royal spectators with Harry Brook’s statistics popped out of his eye. . Whatever happened on the other side of the Tasman this time last year, it’s hard to imagine that it happened later.

And what did England do? The very fair bulldozed their way to the new Crowe-Thorpe Trophy in the space of seven days and with the third Test still to play. Sealed with 313 runs in a windy Wellington thrashing on Sunday, he made it England’s first series in these mouths since 2008 – a tour, like this year, that saw the attack being rebooted – and first on the road after Pakistan in late 2022.

Ben Stokes, whose Kiwi mother Deb was in the Barmy host this week, also moved to 19 victories as England Test captain, one 18 of the same number of games held by the famous Mike Brearley (31). After the 2-1 defeat in Pakistan in October, in which his fitness and attack cost him home, Stokes was renewed in the country of his birth: bowling, running again and smiling.

That smile was never wider than on the third morning at Reserve Basin when, after opting to plow into an overnight lead of 533, he watched Stokes. Joe Root to bring an end to the age of the last witness from the last. In 98 it was the return of the ramparts of offense very evil with the delivery of Will O’Rourke glued to the rope and Radix can hardly suppress a smile. The New Zealand players all applauded Stone, despite the extra misery his pursuit had brought.

The loose attack and fit condition means the Root 130-ball 106 is unlikely to make the best of the montage. But it was yet another station step in the perpetual ascent. Now tied with Rahul Dravid’s 36 Test centuries, only Kumar Sangakkara (38), Ricky Ponting (41), Jacques Kallis (45), and Sachin Tendulkar (51) are above him. Sixth 2024 also equaled the personal best root in the calendar year: that of 2021 was amazing, when the weight of the leadership and the hands of the pandemic were so intense.

Chasing a daunting target of 583, it was always just a matter of whether New Zealand could force this match into its fourth day; perhaps it will restore some of the lost pride because their historic 3-0 win over India. And once Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse had whistled two cheap wickets before the rain brought lunch to 59 for four in the morning, the goal had been revised to reach the evening session.

New Zealand at least got it, Tom Blundell’s defiant 102-ball 115 from the No6 that started the memory of Nathan Astle’s violent 222 in defeat at Christchurch in 2002. Shoaib Bashir handled it a bit, sending Blundell over the rope for five. times But when Glenn Phillips had already stormed the fort, he finally got his offside courtesy of a super expected slip from Ben Duckett which saw him shimmy leg and dab Blundell’s leg at the second try.

Blundell finally changed the check after a 96-run push for the seventh wicket alongside Nathan Smith, and England’s top catch was confirmed again when Jacob Bethell held on in the deep round to remove Matt Henry. Stokes was the bowler here, getting quick runs from Smith (42) and Tim Southee to complete the victory and finish with three for five. New Zealand scored 125 in the first innings and 259 in the second innings, having scored 89 balls in the match.

Even with the mountain running behind them, and yet England in the rear of Blundell’s garrison, given the no less strong winds, which they saw abortive, made Bashir’s job difficult, and the stewards ran to rescue the caps which had blown away. The tone was set by Woakes’ immaculate new ball delivery, throwing Devon Conway for a duck on the inside edge and tickling the other side of Kane Williamson’s bat for four. That Kookaburra-allergy relieved this trip a touch.

Although it is Carse who has stood the longest through the two tests, although, here, he also involved himself when he was initially let down to receive a reflex kick from Tom Latham’s return. Carse, who also nicked Rachin Ravindra, now has 25 wickets from his first four Tests, all of which came from home. For context, James Anderson and Stuart had two best 25-wicket winters (2017/18 and 2015/16 respectively). Sixteen years after the winning year in New Zealand, which had begun their partnership, they found another England.