Hosts New Zealand suffered a record margin Test defeat against England at Wellington, which ended England’s 16-year-long wait for a Test series win in New Zealand. This crucial Test series defeat also hurt New Zealand’s qualification hope for the 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship final. 

Joe Root scored 36th Test century

Day three of the Wellington Test started with England’s second innings total of 378/5. Former English Test captain Joe Root climbed to the joint fifth position of most Test centuries with the legendary Indian batter Rahul Dravid by hitting his 36th Test century. 

Root and captain Ben Stokes had a 100-run partnership for the sixth wicket. After Root was gone for 106 runs in 130 balls (11 fours), Stokes declared the innings at 49 not out when England scored 427/6.

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England set 583-run target 

Hosts New Zealand had to chase the mammoth 583-run target in the fourth innings to win the Test and level the series. The Blackcaps lost their first four wickets for only 59 runs, as the opener Devon Conway (0), Kane Williamson (4), and Rachin Ravindra (6) were dismissed for single digits, while the other opener and skipper Tom Latham was out for 24 runs. 

Tom Blundell scored century

While Daryl Mitchell (32) and Nathan Smith (42) provided some fights, wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell hit his fifth Test century. New Zealand were all out for 259 runs, where Blundell scored 115 off 102 balls with 13 fours and five sixes. 

English captain Ben Stokes bagged three wickets in 2.2 overs after conceding only five runs. Chris Woakes (2/20), Brydon Carse (2/53), and Shoaib Bashir (2/110) got two wickets each. Gus Atkinson, who took four wickets during New Zealand’s first innings (4/31), including a hat-trick, picked up one wicket in the fourth innings (1/68).  

New Zealand suffered their largest home Test defeat

England won the Test by 323 runs. It was New Zealand’s largest home Test defeat by runs. Their previous record was losing by 299 runs against Pakistan in the 2001 Auckland Test. Meanwhile, it was the Blackcaps’ third-largest Test defeat by runs, just behind the 372-run defeat against the hosts India (2021 Wankhede Test) and the 358-run defeat against the hosts South Africa (2007 Johannesburg Test). 

England won the Test series in New Zealand after 16 years

As England are leading the three-match Test series by 2-0 with one to go, they have already secured the away Test series. Previously, England won a Test series in New Zealand in 2008 (by 2-1). While their 2013 tour ended in a draw, hosts New Zealand won the next two series in 2018 and 2019. Before the ongoing Test series, England previously toured New Zealand in 2023, which ended in a draw. Finally, England won a Test series in New Zealand after 16 years.