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

England could scarcely have been made to feel more welcome in New Zealand, be it a warm-up game tailored to their specifications in Queenstown, those eight dropped catches in Christchurch, or the cheery ground announcer regaling spectators with Harry Brook’s eye-popping statistics throughout. Whatever happens on the other side of the Tasman this time next year, it is hard to imagine the latter taking place.

And what have England done in return? Pretty much bulldozed their way to securing the new Crowe-Thorpe Trophy in the space of seven days and with a third Test still to play. Sealed with a 323-run hammering in windy Wellington on Sunday, it made for England’s first series victory on these shores since 2008 – a tour, like this year, that saw the attack rebooted – and their first on the road since Pakistan in late 2022.

Ben Stokes, whose Kiwi mother, Deb, was among the Barmy Army this week, has also moved to 19 victories as England’s Test captain, one clear of Mike Brearley’s 18 from the same number of games (31). After the 2-1 defeat in Pakistan in October, a tour where he was consumed by his fitness and the stress of a burglary back home, Stokes has been rejuvenated in the country of his birth: bowling, back in the runs, and smiling.

That smile was never broader than on the third morning at the Basin Reserve when, having opted to plough on with an overnight lead of 533, Stokes watched Joe Root bring up his latest Test century from the far end. It came on 98 with the return of the much-maligned reverse-ramp, with Will O’Rourke’s delivery gloved to the rope and Root barely able to suppress his laughter. New Zealand’s players all applauded the milestone, despite the extra misery its pursuit had brought.

A demoralised attack and the match situation means Root’s 130-ball 106 is unlikely to make a best-of montage. But it was still another staging post in his ongoing climb. Now level with Rahul Dravid’s 36 Test centuries, only Kumar Sangakkara (38), Ricky Ponting (41), Jacques Kallis (45), and Sachin Tendulkar (51) are above him. A sixth in 2024 also matched Root’s personal best in a calendar year: that remarkable 2021 when the weight of the captaincy and the grip of the pandemic were so intense.

Staring at a preposterous target of 583 to win, it was only ever a case of whether New Zealand could force this match into its fourth day; perhaps restore some of the pride that has been dented since their historic 3-0 win in India. And once Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse had whistled up two cheap wickets apiece before rain brought an early lunch at 59 for four, that goal had been revised to simply reaching the evening session.

New Zealand got there at least, Tom Blundell plundering a defiant 102-ball 115 from No6 that was beginning to trigger memories of Nathan Astle’s violent 222 in defeat at Christchurch in 2002. Shoaib Bashir was manhandled a bit, Blundell launching him over the rope five times. But having already castled Glenn Phillips, the off-spinner finally got his revenge courtesy of a superb piece of anticipation at slip by Ben Duckett that saw him shimmy to leg and pouch Blundell’s dab at the second attempt.

The Blundell blockage finally shifted after a 96-run pushback for the seventh wicket alongside Nathan Smith, and England’s superior catching was again underlined when Jacob Bethell held a swirler in the deep to remove Matt Henry. Stokes was the bowler here, swiftly bouncing out Smith (42) and Tim Southee to complete the victory and finish with three for five. New Zealand, bowled out 125 in their first innings, and 259 second time around, had batted for a combined 89 overs in the match.

Even with a mountain of runs behind them, and Blundell’s rearguard notwithstanding, England were efficient not least given the strong winds that saw run-ups aborted, made Bashir’s job difficult, and had stewards running off to rescue hats that had flown off. The tone was set by an immaculate new ball spell from Woakes, castling the form-bereft Devon Conway for a duck off the inside edge and tickling the other side of Kane Williamson’s bat for four. That Kookaburra-allergy has eased a touch on this trip.

Although it is Carse who has stood tallest across the two Tests, even if, here, that also involved stooping low initially to hold a smart reflex return catch off Tom Latham. Carse, who also nicked off Rachin Ravindra, now has 25 wickets from his first four Tests, all of which have come away from home. For context, James Anderson and Stuart Broad’s best winters were 25 wickets (2017/18 and 2015/16 respectively). Sixteen years on from the win in New Zealand that began their alliance, England have found another.