LEEDS, United Kingdom —
Jonny Bairstow led England to a whitewash of
Test world champions New Zealand with a stunning fifty on his Headingley home
ground on Monday.
اضافة اعلان
Bairstow made a
blistering 71 not out, England’s second quickest Test fifty of all time, to
follow a majestic 162 that helped revive the hosts from a first-innings
collapse after they had slumped to 55–6.
Former captain
Joe Root, largely reduced to the role of a spectator by Bairstow, was 86 not out
after sharing a partnership of 111 with his Yorkshire team-mate, having started
the day unbeaten on 55.
England reached
their target of 296 with just three wickets down to complete a 3–0 series clean
sweep in a first campaign under their new leadership duo of captain Ben Stokes
and red-ball head coach
Brendon McCullum, a former New Zealand skipper.
“To walk away with
a 3–0 win over the best team in the world is very special,” said Stokes at the
presentation ceremony.
“The team has been
phenomenal. For me when I took over this job it was about more than results, it
was about changing mindsets towards Test cricket.
“I wanted them to
have fun and enjoy representing their country.”
‘Incredible series’
New Zealand captain
Kane Williamson added: “It’s been an incredible
series.
“In all three
matches we had our opportunities and we were ahead of the game at times in each
one but credit to England, they chose to counter-attack when they were under
pressure and they did it well, especially in this match.”
Rain washed out
the morning session to leave England, 183–2 overnight, with a nominal 78 overs
in which to score the remaining 113 runs they needed for victory.
But they took just
15.2 overs, scoring at a rapid rate of 7.43 an over, with Bairstow sealing
victory in storybook style with a six off spinner Michael Bracewell.
Ollie Pope, 81 not
out overnight, was bowled off the fifth ball of the day by Tim Southee to end a
sparkling stand of 134 with Root.
But that was as
good as it got for New Zealand, with Trent Boult’s first over of the day
costing 17 runs.
Brilliant Bairstow
Bairstow came into this match having made a remarkable 136 during
England’s victorious run chase in the second Test.
His purple patch
continued Monday as he got off the mark with two boundaries off successive
deliveries from left-arm quick Boult.
Bairstow then
‘picked’ a slower ball from Southee as he disdainfully drove the Black Caps
spearhead for six.
He was equally
severe on Bracewell, preferred to frontline spinner Ajaz Patel, sweeping the
off-break bowler’s opening ball of the day for four before driving him for six.
Bairstow then
completed England’s second-fastest fifty when he drove Southee for a sixth four
in 30 balls faced.
Only outstanding
all-rounder Ian Botham, with a 28-ball half-century against India at Delhi in
1981, had made a quicker Test fifty for England.
New Zealand made
326 in their second innings, Tom Blundell top-scoring with 88 not out and
Daryl Mitchell making 56 as the pair shared their fourth century partnership this
series.
Mitchell finished
the series with a record total of 538 runs, the most scored by an overseas
batsman in a campaign of three or fewer Tests in England, including three
hundreds, at a huge average of 107.60.
But after he was
dismissed on Sunday, player of the match Jack Leach mopped up the tail on his
way to 5-66 for a match return of 10–166 — the first time the left-arm spinner
had taken 10 wickets in a Test.
A year ago,
England did not attempt to chase a target of 273 in a first Test draw with New
Zealand at Lord’s during a two-match series they lost 1–0.
But they have
become a transformed team under Stokes and McCullum, with England chasing down
stiff targets of 277 and 299 earlier in the series while recording five-wicket
wins at both Lord’s and Trent Bridge.
England will not have long
to rest on their laurels, however, with the COVID-delayed final Test of last
year’s series against India starting at Edgbaston on Friday.
Read more Sports
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
