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England secured their first away series in two years with a 323-run victory over New Zealand, Joe Root marking the occasion with a 36th Test century.
The tourists followed up their eight-wicket haul in Christchurch with a three-day thrashing in the Wellingtoncelebrating success on the road for the first time since their trip to Pakistan in December 2022.
Having lost seven of their previous 10 matches overseas, Ben Stokes’ side have now rediscovered a winning touch and are back on track ahead of next winter’s crucial Ashes contest.
It was a thunderous victory in the Kiwi capital, bowling the hosts out for 259 in pursuit of a colossal target of 583 and taking the honors 2-0 in next week’s final in Hamilton.
On 427 declared for six on the third morning, Root marked the sixth hundred of another prolific year to join India’s Rahul Dravid in fifth place on the all-time list.
Stokes called time on the innings as soon as Root fell for 106, eager to get his bowling side going despite having an unbeaten 49 of his own and was not short of time to add more.
Only a defiant knock of 115 from Tom Blundell delayed England’s inevitable triumph and things would have ended much quicker if Jacob Bethell he didn’t drop the keeper to anything.
Stokes finished things off on his own, taking three for five to end the innings after that Shoaib Bashir finally fired Blundell. Bashir had a tough time trying to contain the strong winds at Basin Reserve, conceding seven sixes en route to a figure of two for 110.
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. However, they wanted Root to reach his landmark first.
He didn’t keep his teammates waiting long, turning his overnight 73 in just 21 balls to reach six tons in 2024. The New Zealander went through the motions, helping himself to five boundaries, the last of which took him to his table in cheeky fashion.
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 immediately drew the innings to a close.
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 Chris Woakes to make himself love for a duck.
The left-hander has become a wicket-taker for England, making 21 runs in four attempts, but Kane Williamson remains the most valuable scalp. Woakes got that one for just four, taking his outside edge with one that shaped and held his line.
The tame resistance continued when Brydon Carse came into the attack and took two deliveries to open his account, rolling to his right to hold a return catch with one hand as home skipper Tom Latham drove with the wrong bat.
And Carse made it 59 for four before lunch when he tempted the off-spinner Rachin Ravindra to take a catch behind him.
England might have wrapped it up in the afternoon session if Bethell had held Blundell when he fenced Carse into the cordon, but the shot squeezed every drop out of his extra life.
He hit a hundred off 96 balls, with five sixes and 13 fours. He saved his greatest hits for Bashir, who was entrusted with a long and difficult spell in stormy conditions.
He bowled too many loose deliveries and found New Zealand in a ruthless mood. He lasted long enough to bowl Glenn Phillips in his tenth over and eventually exacted some revenge on Blundell.
It was an unconventional departure, caught by the alert Ben Duckett after Ollie Pope parried a miscued kick, but Bashir was only too happy to stem the tide.
Stokes then chose his moment by sending back Nathan Smith, Matt Henry and Tim Southee in the space of 11 deliveries to ensure he took home the newly minted Crowe-Thorpe Trophy.