NZ win first Test series against England in five years
What's the story
New Zealand claimed a 2-1 Test series win after beating hosts England in the decider. At Nottingham's Trent Bridge, England perished for 212 in an attempt to chase down 373 on Day 5. NZ prevailed despite missing Matt Henry, Glenn Phillips, and Blair Tickner due to injuries. Meanwhile, the match was marked by England skipper Ben Stokes's sudden international retirement on Day 4.
Match
How the match panned out
England to bat, NZ rode on a 317-run opening stand between Devon Conway and Tom Latham. However, Stokes took a four-fer, triggering NZ's lower-order collapse (438). England responded with 354 on the back of Ben Duckett's ton. Nathan Smith took four wickets. Daryl Mitchell's gritty ton powered NZ to 288/9 in the second innings. Despite a counter-attacking start, England didn't have answers.
Retirement
Stokes announces retirement
Stokes announced his international retirement midway through the fourth day. The skipper informed his squad about his decision before the start of play on June 28. Stokes said: "The reasons can wait, why, but I've had many trips to the well before for this team, for you blokes, for people beforehand, and I've got one more trip to do."
Numbers
A look at his numbers
Stokes, who took 4/70 and 2/49 at Trent Bridge, concluded his Test career with 252 scalps from 122 matches at 31.03. The all-rounder opened in his last innings, with England staring at a mammoth target. He smashed a counter-attacking 30 off 20 balls (2 fours and 2 sixes). The veteran has finished with 7,273 Test runs at an average of 34.46 (14 tons).
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Stokes joins Jacques Kallis
During the match, Stokes became just the second all-rounder in Tests with the double of 7,000 runs and 250 wickets. He joined former South Africa stalwart Jacques Kallis in this illustrious list (recorded 13,289 runs and 292 wickets).
Partnership
Mitchell-Ravindra stand bolsters NZ
Despite gaining a decent first-innings lead, NZ were down to 51/3. Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra then added an innings-defining 129-run stand. While Rachin fell six runs short of his ton, Mitchell returned unbeaten on 100 (241). Mitchell clocked his sixth Test century, reaching 2,411 runs from 39 matches. And Ravindra slammed his seventh half-century in the format. He now has 1,865 Test runs.
Century
Duckett's whirlwind ton
A counter-attacking 113 (99) from Ben Duckett led England's fightback after NZ compiled 400-plus runs. Duckett, who was dropped on 8, hammered 19 fours. The English opener raced to his seventh Test century. He now has 3,320 runs at 40. Duckett shared a massive 179-run partnership with Jacob Bethell, who smashed 74 off 133 balls. It was his fourth half-century in Tests.
Information
NZ finally beat England
As mentioned, NZ have won their maiden Test series against England in over five years. Their last series win over this opposition came in June 2021. England won in 2022 and 2024, while the 2023 series was drawn.