England power to series win in New Zealand

Second Test, Wellington (day 3 of five)

England 280 (Brook 123; Smith 4-86) & 427-6 dec (Root 106, Bethell 96)

New Zealand 125 (Atkinson 4-31, Carse 4-46) & 259 (Blundell 115; Stokes 3-5)

England won by 323 runs; lead three-match bid 2-0

Scorecard

England powered to a bid triumph complete New Zealand pinch an emphatic 323-run triumph wrong 3 days of nan 2nd Test successful Wellington.

After mounting nan location broadside a mammoth 583, England battled precocious winds, nan threat of showers and Tom Blundell's swashbuckling 115.

Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse reduced New Zealand to 59-4 earlier Blundell lit up a grey time pinch his battle connected off-spinner Shoaib Bashir.

The wicketkeeper deed Bashir for 4 sixes until his attempted expanse astatine nan aforesaid bowler was brilliantly caught by nan quick-thinking Ben Duckett moving astir from slip.

Ben Stokes ran done nan tail for 3-5, his champion Test figures successful much than 2 years, to time off New Zealand 259 each out.

The separator of triumph is England's biggest successful position of runs against New Zealand. It gives Stokes' broadside their first distant bid triumph successful 2 years and their first triumph successful this state since 2008.

England already had this lucifer successful their grasp connected Sunday, erstwhile they resumed connected 378-5 successful their 2nd innings and a lead of 533.

Joe Root, 73 not retired overnight, completed his 36th Test period pinch a trademark reverse-scoop disconnected gait bowler Will O'Rourke.

Root was retired for 106 successful nan aforesaid over, prompting England to state connected 427-6. Stokes near himself unbeaten connected 49.

One insignificant interest for England is nan fittingness of Harry Brook, who did not return nan section connected Sunday arsenic a precaution complete a sore ankle.

England will person nan opportunity for a cleanable expanse successful nan 3rd Test successful Hamilton connected Saturday (22:00 GMT Friday).

New Zealand, connected nan backmost of an historic 3-0 bid triumph successful India, started this bid arsenic favourites only to beryllium steamrollered successful hardly 7 days of Test cricket.

England enjoyed immoderate luck successful their eight-wicket win successful nan first Test, benefitting from 8 dropped catches successful Christchurch.

Bar being reduced to 43-4 connected nan first greeting here, nan visitors person dominated a one-sided affair, acold removed New Zealand's classical one-run win nan erstwhile clip these 2 sides met connected this ground.

Brook made a scintillating period connected nan opening time and Gus Atkinson's hat-trick rammed location England's advantage. On nan backmost of a large first-innings lead, Jacob Bethell's 96 continued nan awesome commencement to his Test profession and Root helped himself to his sixth ton of nan year.

England now caput to Hamilton pinch nan opportunity to go only nan 3rd visiting broadside to triumph a three-Test bid 3-0 successful this country.

Stokes, 35 not retired overnight, swung astatine everything, yet connected pinch virtually nothing. Root's advancement to an inevitable period was serene.

Stokes was celebrating Root's period from nan infinitesimal he connected pinch nan audacious reverse-scoop. Now only 4 players successful history person much Test tons than Root.

England could person batted connected and on, but were alternatively bowling 45 minutes into nan day. Their trio of seamers person been unerring successful their execution of observant plans and nan Kiwi top-order again succumbed.

Woakes bowled Devon Conway from information nan wicket and went wide of nan crease to return nan separator of Kane Williamson. Carse showed agility to clasp Tom Latham one-handed successful his follow-through, past suckered Rachin Ravindra into edging a wide one.

Blundell had not passed 50 successful his erstwhile 8 Test innings and was dropped connected nought by diving third-slip Bethell disconnected Carse. Reprieved, Blundell bludgeoned his measurement to a 5th Test hundred.

Bashir was clobbered consecutive connected to nan writer bank. Nathan Smith joined successful pinch 2 sixes of his own. Blundell under-edged nan aforesaid bowler past wicketkeeper Ollie Pope to reached 3 figures from 96 balls.

Stokes did not relent. Bashir was kept connected for a 17-over spell. When Blundell attempted a paddle-sweep, Duckett anticipated superbly and held nan drawback astatine nan 2nd attempt. Stokes was effusive successful his celebrations pinch his spinner.

Only erstwhile Bashir had his man did Stokes himself travel into nan attack. Matt Henry hoicked nan skipper to heavy quadrate leg, Smith pulled to Pope to autumn for 42 and O'Rourke was nan last man to autumn to Stokes' bouncers.

Given their triumph successful India is small much than a period ago, it is funny that New Zealand find themselves pinch truthful galore issues 2 Tests into their location summer.

Blundell's runs are welcome, yet Conway's shape astatine nan apical of nan bid continues to deteriorate.

The left-hander's mean has fallen year-on-year since a prolific commencement to his Test profession successful 2021. He averages little than 22 successful 2024 and could travel nether threat from Will Young, nan subordinate of nan bid successful India.

Tim Southee's 4 wickets successful this bid person costs 61.5 runs each and successful different circumstances his spot whitethorn travel into question.

The 35-year-old, New Zealand's second-highest wicket-taker, will extremity his Test profession connected his location crushed successful Hamilton.