NOTTINGHAM, England : New Zealand underlined their trademark resilience and depth by beating England by 160 runs in the third test on Monday, sealing the series despite being without several key players.
Set 288 to win at Trent Bridge, England were bowled out well short as New Zealand completed an emphatic victory after overcoming the absence of some of the architects of their series-levelling win in the second test.
The tourists were without former captain Kane Williamson, New Zealand’s highest test run-scorer, who retired unexpectedly after the opening test defeat at Lord’s.
They also lost leading pace bowler Matt Henry and all-rounder Glenn Phillips, who scored his maiden test century at The Oval, to injuries before the match, while fast bowler Kyle Jamieson remained sidelined as he continues his recovery from a back stress fracture.
Those absences opened the door for Nathan Smith, Will O’Rourke and Zak Foulkes, who entered the match as New Zealand’s first concussion substitute after Blair Tickner was struck on the helmet by a Jofra Archer delivery.
The inexperienced trio rose to the challenge on a Trent Bridge surface that became increasingly difficult to bat on during the heatwave that gripped England over the opening four days.
Nathan Smith was named player of the series after an all-round performance across the three matches and praised wicketkeeper Tom Blundell for his contribution behind the stumps.
The decisive moment of the match came on Sunday when Darryl Mitchell produced an unbeaten century of determination and patience to steer New Zealand into a commanding position.
Mitchell’s innings unfolded while attention around the ground was dominated by the surprise announcement from England captain Ben Stokes that he would retire from test cricket at the end of the match.
His unbeaten 100 helped New Zealand set England a target of 288, which proved beyond the hosts as the tourists completed a memorable series triumph built on discipline, adaptability and contributions throughout the squad.
