England chased down more than 250 runs for the third straight test against New Zealand, beating them by seven wickets in the third test.
Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow played unbeaten knocks of 86 and 71, respectively, as England chased down 296 with seven wickets in hand in the third Test against New Zealand in Headingley. As a result of this win, England won the series 3-0.
This is for the first time in the Test history that a side has won all the three tests chasing a target of more than 250 runs. In the first Test, Joe Root was the chief architect in the chase, while in the second test, it was Jonny Bairstow. In the third test, both of them combined to demolish the NZ attack.
The result means the current World Test Champions are out of the race for the finals this time.
Earlier, Day 5 of the ongoing third Test between England and New Zealand has finally resumed, and New Zealand made a perfect start as Tim Southee removed Ollie Pope. The batter departed after scoring 82. However, Jonny Bairstow changed the complexion of the game with his 30-ball 50. Earlier, brilliant half-centuries from Ollie Pope and Joe Root put
England well on their way to a 3-0 series whitewash over the visiting New Zealanders.
At stumps on Day 4, Pope was unbeaten on 81 and Root 55 not out, with England needing 113 more runs to win the third and final Test at Headingley and complete a series sweep.
Going into Day 5, New Zealand will be praying for a miracle with the English firmly in control. England will be firm favourites to wrap up a 3-0 series success over Test world champions New Zealand after chasing down stiff targets of 277 and 299 in five-wicket wins at Lord’s and Trent Bridge, respectively.
Under the new coach Bendon McCullum, England displayed an aggressive brand of cricket throughout the series, which surprised NZ as they did not have the answer for England’s batters.
After this win, England have moved ahead of NZ on the table.
The Player of the Series for England is Joe Root. He says that the way Jonny is playing is outstanding, and he is in ODI format mode. He continues by saying that the whole dressing room knew he was a good player and is showing it to the world now. Says they enjoy watching him play with so much confidence. Says he plays what is in front of him and claims that the team was getting confident as the series progressed, and they all enjoyed playing under this new regime.
