Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root completed England's third blistering chase in a row to kick-off their riotous new era under coach Brendon McCullum with a series whitewash over New Zealand at Headingley.
Root barely broke a sweat as he finished with 86 not out and fellow Yorkshireman Jonny Bairstow continued the form of his life as he cracked an unbeaten 77 to seal a seven-wicket win and a 3-0 scoreline.
“To walk away with a 3-0 win against the best team in the world is very special,” said England captain Ben Stokes after a dream start to his captaincy.
“The team has been absolutely phenomenal, I don’t know how we’ve won that from 55-6. It’s about the change of the mindset of the lads towards Test cricket.
“To say that we have done it so quickly is unbelievable. We’ve said we’ll go out and play a certain way regardless of the situation and it’s worked for us. Huge credit to Brendon and the backroom staff.”
In keeping with their astonishing efforts over the past month, England needed just 15.2 overs and a shade over an hour to score the 113 runs required for victory, with a pair of local boys fittingly at the fore.
Bairstow, following up two unforgettable attacking centuries, blazed the second fastest Test 50 in English history just a week after claiming the second fastest hundred.
He brought up his half-century in 30 balls, two more than Sir Ian Botham's 1981 record, and finished the game with the last of three huge sixes.
Root said of Bairstow: “It was like some of the 50-over stuff. He's a phenomenal player. He has been hitting the ball really well … it’s great to see him do that, to bat with the confidence and freedom.”
Stokes and McCullum took over as captain and head coach at the start of the summer hoping to revitalise the fortunes of a side that had won just one of their past 17 Tests, and have started their reigns with a hat-trick of remarkable victories at Lord's, Trent Bridge and now in Leeds.
The Black Caps, reigning Test world champions have set stiff targets on each occasion – 277, 299 and 296 – only to find their hosts in irresistible form at every turn. Here they completed the chase at a manic average run-rate of 5.54.
England had finished Day 4 in control, making light of a wearing pitch as a century stand between Ollie Pope and Root took them to 183-2 at a rampant rate of scoring.
That left just more than a hundred still to get, a challenging fifth-day ask in ordinary times but a seemingly trifling figure given to a team who are making a mockery of conventional cricketing wisdom in these changing times.
The entire morning session was washed out by persistent rain in Leeds, but the fans who took advantage of Yorkshire's offer of free tickets were rewarded when play got under way at 1.30pm.
Pope, who had been in wonderful touch on Sunday evening, saw his hopes of a second century in the series halted in emphatic fashion, with Tim Southee nipping one back through the gate to take out off stump.
But any New Zealand hopes of dramatic fightback were ended by the ruthless Root and Bairstow who banished any home nerves with an unbroken stand of 111.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson said: “It’s been an incredible series, There is a new theme to England's approach and they won those fine margins that went a long way in perhaps deciding the outcome of the match.
“In every match, we've been in positions where we've found ourselves ahead of the game and in positions of strength but, credit to England for the way they've come out and played the game and counter-attacked.”
England v New Zealand: third Test, day four
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THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
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Tank warfare
Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks.
“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.
“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”
Quick facts on cancer
- Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases
- About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime
- By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
- 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries
- This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030
- At least one third of common cancers are preventable
- Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers
- Up to 3.7 million lives could be saved annually by implementing the right health
strategies
- The total annual economic cost of cancer is $1.16 trillion
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.