An injury-depleted New Zealand demolished England by 160 runs in the third Test at Trent Bridge on Monday, as Ben Stokes’s final appearance in international cricket concluded with a heavy defeat. The victory handed New Zealand a 2-1 series win — only their fourth triumph in England across 20 attempts, and just the second time they had come from 1-0 down to clinch a series, following their 1999 success. It also marked England’s seventh loss in nine Tests and their first home series defeat in a three-or-more match campaign since 2012. The match was overshadowed by Stokes’s dramatic retirement announcement on Sunday. The 35-year-old all-rounder cited feeling “burnt out” after four years leading the side, though he confirmed he would carry on playing county cricket for Durham. New Zealand Completes Dominant Test Series Win Over England.
TOSS
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat.
PLAYING XI
New Zealand: Tom Latham (c), Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (w), Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Ben Sears, William O’Rourke
England: Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (w), Ben Stokes (c), Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
DAY 1
With a flat pitch baking under the heat, Latham’s decision to bat first paid handsome dividends. Despite the absence of key contributors from the previous week’s Oval win—Glenn Phillips (side strain) and Matt Henry (calf injury)—New Zealand posted a commanding 361 for 4, fuelled by a colossal opening stand between Latham (151) and Conway (157). It was their third-highest opening partnership in Test history.
Conway was gifted a significant reprieve on 71 when England opted against reviewing an LBW appeal. Bashir had beaten the bat and struck the pad, but Smith was persuaded behind the stumps that an inside edge had occurred, talking Stokes out of the challenge. Smith then grassed a straightforward catch, handing Latham a second life on 129 off Atkinson’s bowling.
Latham went on to register his 17th Test century before pushing on to 151, while Conway, relatively quiet earlier in the series, rediscovered his best form with his eighth Test ton. The pair surpassed 300 as England cycled through various plans without finding much assistance from the surface.
The breakthrough finally arrived after the Tea interval, courtesy of Stokes, who had looked England’s most dangerous bowler throughout. Latham edged behind for 151, bringing a 72.1-over partnership to an end. Root struck in the very next over, dismissing Conway for 157, suddenly presenting England a glimmer of hope after two long sessions.
The second new ball yielded further rewards. Atkinson removed Rachin Ravindra — aided by Bashir’s brilliant boundary save to keep him on strike — before Archer had Henry Nicholls caught behind with the last delivery of the day.
DAY 2
Starting at 361 for 4, New Zealand’s remaining batting proved a sharp contrast to the previous day’s riches. Daryl Mitchell nearly played on in the second over while attempting a belated leave, though night watchman William O’Rourke frustrated the seamers with stubborn resistance, even cracking a crisp cover drive off Archer. With little reward for Archer and Tongue using the second new ball, Stokes introduced himself for a probing spell, generating consistent seam movement.
He should have had O’Rourke when an edge flew to Root at first slip, but Smith dived and got in the way. Stokes then coaxed a nick behind from Mitchell, overturning the on-field decision, before O’Rourke chipped one tamely to hand the England captain his second of the session. A disputed moment followed when Santner’s review proved fruitless after being bounced out by Stokes. Santner believed the ball had deflected off his arm guard — as a side-on replay seemed to support — though it was dangerously close to his glove’s sweatband, which was the TV umpire’s conclusion. Stokes finished with 3 for 13 from eight overs, the last of those lifting him to become the ninth Englishman to claim 250 Test wickets.
Blundell and Nathan Smith survived to Lunch, before Bashir shelled a catch at deep backward square leg to give Blundell a lifeline. The spinner redeemed himself, however, holding onto a return catch off Smith at the second attempt before pinning Blundell LBW via a reverse-sweep yorker. Archer then mopped up with Sears’ wicket, as New Zealand surrendered their final wickets for just 121 runs — a disappointing end to an innings rich in early promise.
England’s reply began briskly, with Duckett stroking two boundaries in the opening over. However, O’Rourke strangled Gay down the leg side with a short delivery for a duck. The defining early moment came when Nicholls spilled a straightforward catch at third slip with Duckett on 8. The left-hander made New Zealand pay dearly, as their seamers were too generous with both line and length — either too full or too wide — allowing Duckett and Bethell to build fluently. England surpassed 50 in the 11th over, with Duckett racing to a 40-ball half-century.
The hosts enjoyed another productive session, reaching 73 for 1 by Tea, after which Bethell stepped up a gear to record his highest first-innings score in his brief Test career. Santner, introduced into the attack, was erratic, spraying full tosses and half-volleys that Duckett punished freely, even as he edged a couple of deliveries past slip to the boundary. The debutant Sears was equally wayward, and England’s scoring rate climbed above six per over as the 100-run partnership was raised.
New Zealand’s troubles deepened when Tickner left the field suffering nausea following a blow to his helmet while batting. He was eventually replaced under concussion protocols by Zakary Foulkes. The visitors turned to the short ball through O’Rourke, but even that was handled with ease. Bethell reached his fifty before Duckett blazed his way to a seventh Test century off just 88 deliveries, celebrating with visible emotion after a barren run of recent scores.
Once again, the tactic of bringing the keeper up to the stumps proved decisive, as Smith had Duckett chopping onto his stumps for 113. The bowlers then reined in the scoring with some tidy overs, including consecutive maidens from Smith and Foulkes — though Sears overstepped twice in a single over to add to his frustrations. Foulkes beat Bethell’s outside edge three times with the keeper up, yet the all-rounder survived to stumps unbeaten on 74, with a composed Root keeping him company.
DAY 3
England endured a wretched opening to the third day, losing Root and Bethell inside the first three overs. Root failed to advance his overnight 21, trapped LBW by Nathan Smith, while Bethell was caught at second slip off O’Rourke for his overnight 74. Nathan Smith then had Jamie Smith caught at first slip, leaving England reeling at 234 for 5 after resuming at 223 for 2.
Brook launched a flurry of boundaries, supported by Stokes in a half-century stand that offered England some rebuilding hope. Stokes himself survived a difficult chance when Conway grassed a tough opportunity off Nathan Smith, but the England captain was eventually bowled by Foulkes, a delivery cutting back sharply and staying low. Brook reached his half-century as England crossed the 300-mark, going to Lunch at 314 for 6.
Five overs into the afternoon session, New Zealand made a crucial breakthrough as Brook was bowled by Foulkes, the ball slipping past his outside edge to clip off stump. Even as New Zealand burned both remaining reviews and claimed the second new ball, Atkinson and Archer chipped in with useful lower-order contributions — despite a couple of dropped chances in the field. Nathan Smith ended the eighth-wicket stand by having Archer caught at slip off the glove, the ball rearing sharply from a length. O’Rourke and Foulkes shared the remaining wickets as England’s innings folded just before Tea.
New Zealand’s second innings got off to a shaky start when Latham was trapped in front by Archer in the very first over. Conway and Nicholls attempted to stabilise things, but the pitch was producing inconsistent bounce, and Conway took a helmet blow attempting to deal with an Archer delivery that leapt alarmingly. He fell in the same over, poking outside off to give first slip a catch.
Even as Archer continued to extract unsettling lift, Ravindra found boundaries off Atkinson and Tongue to push New Zealand’s lead past 100. Nicholls, meanwhile, struggled, even benefiting from a dropped chance when Brook misjudged a slip catch believing the keeper would take it after Tongue found the edge. His discomfort finally ended when Brook clung on sharply to an Atkinson delivery.
Ravindra, by contrast, looked increasingly authoritative, striking successive fours off Tongue. Mitchell offered solid, if unspectacular, support as the pair steadily built a meaningful stand. Stokes brought himself on in tandem with Bashir, but neither could prise apart the partnership as it advanced past 50, with Ravindra reaching his half-century via a boundary off Stokes. A late burst from Archer towards the close yielded nothing.
DAY 4
New Zealand safely navigated a disciplined opening session despite England’s best efforts. The hosts conceded just 60 runs across 25 overs but managed only one wicket, as Mitchell and Ravindra ground them down on a surface still offering unpredictable bounce. The pair extended their fourth-wicket partnership to 129 before it was broken in the penultimate over of the session.
Mitchell survived an LBW decision in the second over, successfully reviewing to stay at the crease, though he endured a testing time as deliveries repeatedly reared awkwardly from a length. Ravindra looked the more composed of the two, reading the conditions well and capitalising on scoring chances as he moved into the nineties. Just as a century appeared inevitable, Bashir intervened in his first over of the spell, beating Ravindra with one that went straight on to trap him LBW for 94, leaving New Zealand at 180 for 4 at the interval.
The irregular bounce continued to assist England’s pace attack after Lunch, with Mitchell stalled on 49 for a prolonged period even as Blundell occasionally found the boundary. Archer eventually ended Blundell’s stay with a top-edge on the pull. Mitchell then reached his 17th Test fifty, but wickets continued tumbling at the other end — Santner caught behind after Smith convinced Stokes to review, and Nathan Smith edging a short ball through to the keeper to give Archer his fourth wicket. Despite relentless pressure and difficult scoring conditions, Mitchell and Foulkes dug in to push New Zealand’s lead beyond 300.
England squandered a review when Stokes sent a caught-behind appeal upstairs, only for replays to reveal no contact off Foulkes’ bat. Stokes bowled an uninterrupted 11-over spell and ultimately broke the resistance, having Foulkes caught at slip. The wicket arrived shortly after Stokes’s retirement announcement reverberated around the ground, prompting players from both sides to gather and offer their congratulations before he led England off for Tea, with New Zealand positioned at 234 for 8 after adding just 54 runs in 23 overs.
Stokes returned for the final session to a guard of honour formed by both teams, the New Zealand batters and the on-field umpires. Mitchell, resuming on 64 from 214 balls, shifted into a higher gear, striking a four and a six off Tongue along with further boundaries off Atkinson and Archer. Sears collected a couple of boundaries before retiring hurt after an Archer delivery struck his glove, though he returned promptly after O’Rourke’s dismissal as Mitchell zeroed in on three figures. A boundary and a single off Atkinson brought up Mitchell’s century, and New Zealand declared shortly after.
Stokes walked out to a second guard of honour — this one provided by the New Zealand side. Already without Sears at the start of the fourth innings, New Zealand also lost O’Rourke after a fierce drive from Stokes struck his finger. Foulkes, completing the over, was launched for a six over his head by Stokes, who also edged one past both the keeper and slip. Stokes continued to dazzle, scoop-flicking Nathan Smith for another six before edging Foulkes through the boundary.
England rattled past fifty quickly, but Stokes’s exhilarating cameo ended when he drove a Foulkes delivery to mid-on and left the field for the very last time, greeted by rushing New Zealand players eager to shake his hand, before making his way to the pavilion to a prolonged standing ovation. Bethell departed in the same over, LBW for shouldering arms and burning England’s remaining review in the process. Brook strode to the crease, opened with a six off Nathan Smith and added three more fours, before pulling a short Foulkes delivery straight to fine leg for a rapid 21 off nine balls.
Root announced himself with a deft reverse scoop for four off Nathan Smith, while Duckett also kept the boundaries coming as England’s positive intent continued. Sears, back on the field, struck in his first over to have Duckett caught at slip for 36. Gay managed a boundary off Santner in the final over of a richly eventful day.
DAY 5
Resuming on 103 for 4, England required a further 270 runs to win the series decider, but their batting order unravelled around one substantial contribution from half-centurion Jamie Smith.
Root carved boundaries in each of the first two overs under overcast skies, but a two-wicket burst in the third over tilted the match decisively in New Zealand’s favour. Nathan Smith struck first, with Blundell snapping up a sharp low catch behind the stumps to remove Gay for 10. Moments later, a brilliant piece of fielding from Nicholls ran out Root for 18, leaving England in serious trouble at 116 for 6.
Jamie Smith was joined by Atkinson, who played the ideal supporting role as the pair constructed a crucial 75-run stand that frustrated New Zealand for over an hour. Jamie continued to find the boundary, targeting Nathan Smith and Santner in particular, but Atkinson’s patient 70-ball vigil came to an end just before Lunch when Santner trapped him cleanly in front for 19.
New Zealand needed only three more wickets after the interval to seal the match. As Nathan Smith persistently nibbled away at the lower order — removing Archer and Tongue in swift succession — Jamie brought up his half-century with the first of three consecutive boundaries off Santner.
The left-arm spinner ultimately had the final say. After conceding runs to Jamie’s spirited counterattack, Santner wrapped up proceedings by dismissing him for a gutsy 60. Jamie was the last to fall, as England were bundled out for 212, handing New Zealand a momentous series victory.
Brief Scores:
New Zealand 438 & 288/9 decl. beat England 354 & 212 (Jamie Smith 60; Zakary Foulkes 3-52, Mitchell Santner 2-54, Nathan Smith 2-64) by 160 runs.
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