England thrash New Zealand in second Test to win series

Wellington: An aggressive England dominated from start to finish to thrash New Zealand by 323 runs yesterday in the second Test and emphatically win t...

Wellington: An aggressive England dominated from start to finish to thrash New Zealand by 323 runs yesterday in the second Test and emphatically win the series with a match to go.

Joe Root scored a century before England’s bowlers knocked over New Zealand for 259 in the final session of day three, clinching a series on New Zealand soil for the first time since 2008.

As with their eight-wicket loss in Christchurch, New Zealand were outplayed for long periods, although Tom Blundell showed some late resistance with a century as he fought bravely in the unlikely pursuit of a winning target of 583.

The wicketkeeper was dismissed for 115 soon after tea, caught brilliantly by slip Ben Duckett off spinner Shoaib Bashir to spark a tail-order collapse.

Nathan Smith (42) and Matt Henry (4) both fell to Ben Stokes (3-5) before the England skipper removed Tim Southee (8), caught in the deep in the game’s final act.