New Zealand sealed a famous Test series win over England after a 160 run victory in the third Test at Trent Bridge on Monday. The visitors won the three match series 2-1 and ended Ben Stokes’ England career on a losing note.
England began the final day on 103 for 4. They needed 373 runs to win. But the chase never gathered pace. New Zealand bowled them out for 212 shortly after lunch to complete a comfortable victory.
This was New Zealand’s fourth Test series win in England. Their earlier series wins came in 1986, 1999 and 2021.
Stokes had already confirmed that this would be his final Test as England captain. On Sunday, he announced that he would step down after four years in charge. He also said he was retiring from international cricket after a 15 year career. He scored 30 after opening the batting in England’s second innings before getting out late on the fourth day.
England struggled throughout the final innings. Joe Root’s run out after a sharp piece of fielding from Henry Nicholls gave New Zealand an early boost. Jamie Smith tried to fight back, but England kept losing wickets and never looked close to the target.
The defeat ended England’s strong home record. It was their first home series loss in a series of three or more Tests since 2012.
England are also going through a poor run in Test cricket. They have now lost seven of their last nine matches. The results will increase the pressure on head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director of cricket Rob Key as the team looks to rebuild after Stokes’ retirement.
