England needed just 15.2 overs to knock off the remaining 113 of their 296-run target on the fifth day of the third Test against New Zealand at Headingley, with local heroes Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow playing the lead.
England successfully gunned down a third-straight target of 275-plus in the three-match series against the Black Caps – a one-of-its-kind sequence in Test cricket history – to complete a clean-sweep and mark a glorious start to the Brendon McCullum-Ben Stokes era. It’s worth noting that they’d won just one of the 17 Tests in buildup to the home summer.
The final day of the Test had a delayed start due to early morning rain and dampness, with early lunch being called. England’s positive approach on Day 4 had placed them at a strong 183/2 by stumps, with Root (55*) and Ollie Pope (81*) at the crease in pursuit of 296.
The Kiwis struck early, as Tim Southee breached Pope’s defence with a sharp nip-backer to send the off-stump cartwheeling on just the fifth ball of the day. That didn’t deter local boys Root and Jonny Bairstow, who collected two fours each in the next over off Trent Boult, as the left-armer struggled for accuracy.
Bairstow, especially, walked out with familiar intent, giving Boult a runaround while smashing Southee for a six downtown with disdain. Kane Williamson switched to Michael Bracewell’s off-spin, but even that couldn’t stem the flow with the pair carrying on with the carnage.
Bairstow took down Craig for a six downtown, before a flowing straight-drive off Southee got him to his fifty in just 42 minutes and just 30 balls. It’s the second-fastest for England in terms of balls faced after Sir Ian Botham, who had got to the mark off 28 deliveries against India in Delhi in 1981.
The 32-year-old smashed a four and a six off consecutive balls off Bracewell to seal England’s seven-wicket win in just 54.2 overs. He finished 71* off 44 with nine fours and three sixes, following his splendid resurrecting 162 in the first innings.
It came a week after his 92-ball 136 had powered England to gun down a 299-run target in 50 overs on the final day of the second Test at Trent Bridge. Root remained unbeaten at 86 to take his series tally to 396.
It was England’s first series win over NZ since 2013 and the first whitewash of the opponents since 2004 – both coming at home. Blackcaps, the inaugural World Test Championship winners, suffered their first series defeat since their 0-3 clean-sweep against Australia in 2019/20.
The hosts will now face India in the rescheduled fifth Test at Edgbaston from July 1, while New Zealand’s next assignment is a white-ball tour of Ireland, featuring three ODIs and as many T20Is from July 10 to 22.
Brief scores
New Zealand 329 (Mitchell 109, Leach 5/100) and 326 (Blundell 88*, Leach 5/66) lose to England 360 (Bairstow 162, Overton 97, Boult 4/104) and 296/3 (Root 86*, Pope 82, Bairstow 71*, Southee 1/68) by seven wickets
