da casino： Fighting hundred only delays inevitable as visitors end long wait for victory in New Zealand
da bwin： Alan Gardner07-Dec-2024The winds came howling into Wellington off the Cook Strait but they were only blowing one way. England rolled through New Zealand inside three days at Basin Reserve to secure their first Test series win in the country since 2007-08. They were buffeted by a blistering hundred from Tom Blundell but could not be knocked off course.New Zealand had two notional targets: score 583 to win or survive almost nine sessions for a draw. Neither was a hot ticket, especially after they had shipped four wickets inside the first 14 overs of their innings. The card was given some respectability by Blundell’s counterattack, although it didn’t make much of a dent in the margin of victory. New Zealand’s next-highest score was the 42 contributed by Nathan Smith at No. 8.Sitting on an already formidable lead, England made a brief show of batting on, thereby enabling Joe Root to notch his 36th Test hundred, before getting down to the business of bowling out New Zealand for a second time. Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse made the initial incisions, before Ben Stokes himself finished things off with a trio of short-ball dismissals against the tail.The main resistance came from Blundell, who crashed 13 fours and five sixes in an innings that might have borne comparison with Nathan Astle’s famous 2002 Christchurch assault had he sustained it for another hour. Shoaib Bashir came in for severe punishment but was the bowler to eventually see Blundell off, albeit plenty of credit should go to Ben Duckett, who anticipated Blundell’s attempt to scoop and ran around from slip to intercept it down the leg side at the second attempt, after palming the ball up.New Zealand had been 59 for 4 when rain took the players off for an early lunch, and Blundell might have been dismissed third ball after the resumption. Jacob Bethell, at third slip, was unable to cling on to a thick outside edge off Carse, and Blundell was rock solid from that point on, initially in a steadfast partnership with Daryl Mitchell and then with increased abandon as he and Smith slammed 96 from 82 balls.Blundell’s fifth Test hundred, raised from 96 balls shortly after the tea interval, may not have altered the result but it was still a significant personal milestone, coming after a 22-month period in which he had averaged 13.52 from 14 Tests, with one half-century.Ben Stokes picked up three wickets to hasten the end•Getty Images
His dismissal, Bashir’s second wicket after that of Glenn Phillips during the afternoon session, was the cue for New Zealand to run up the white flag. Matt Henry launched Stokes’ fourth ball into the hands of the diving Bethell at deep midwicket, before Smith gloved a pull behind and Tim Southee, in his last Test appearance at Basin Reserve, fell swinging to leg.By that stage, England were content to wait for victory to fall their way – but they had begun the day in a hurry, Root gamboling to his hundred before Stokes’ declaration gave them time to knock over New Zealand’s top four before lunch.No team had successfully chased down more than 418 in the fourth innings of a Test – in fact, only in the timeless Durban Test of 1939 have more runs been scored, regardless of the result. That there was still the better part of three full days left in this game underlined the scale of the challenge for New Zealand.That only increased as Woakes, bowling into the wind, struck with his seventh delivery. Devon Conway perhaps made it look better than it was, leaving a big gap between bat and pad, but there was much to admire about Woakes’ wobble-seam nip-backer that kissed the top of off. Woakes then claimed the prize scalp of Kane Williamson with one that kicked up and left the New Zealand No. 3 for a thin edge through to Ollie Pope.Tom Latham fell to Carse, plunging acrobatically to his right in his follow through to hold a return catch off a leading edge. Mitchell responded with a salvo of boundaries before Carse had Rachin Ravindra edging behind trying to force a cut, the batter looking to the skies as the rain began to fall.England had resumed in an unprecedented position of comfort, sitting on a record second-innings advantage of 533 after two days of play. There was time to play for milestones, although only 6.1 overs were needed for Root to get to his hundred; Stokes then walked off with an unbeaten 49 to his name.Root’s innings had been a serene affair, but he went to three figures in somewhat ungainly fashion, tumbling over on to his backside while attempting his infamous reverse-ramp. Fortunately there was enough contact with his gloved hand for the ball to clear Blundell and bounce away for four, allowing Root to celebrate with an impudent smile. He was caught behind two balls later, at which point he and Stokes charged off and the main event could begin.
