England’s hopes of completing a whitewash of New Zealand were quickly dashed on the second day in Hamilton, with an error-filled batting collapse in the third Test leaving them adrift.
The tourists looked a shadow of the team that had won in Christchurch and Wellington to secure the series, as they were bowled out for 143 in just 35.4 overs at Seddon Park.
England failed to even clear the follow-on mark as the Black Caps increased their first-innings total to 347 with a stubborn last-wicket stand.
They were spared the humiliation of being re-introduced but struggled to remain competitive until the end of the match, with New Zealand slumping to 136 for 3 to ease their lead to 340.
England have endured worse days with the bat in 2024, skittled for 112 in Rawalpindi and 122 in Rajkot, but they have rarely underperformed so noticeably in mild conditions. The sun was shining overhead, the pitch was manageable and points were awarded to those with the necessary determination. Instead, Joe Root’s 32 was too easily tied up as the high watermark on an underwhelming card.
By 77 for 2 they had collapsed without a trace, and Surrey-born seamer Will O’Rourke began a chaotic afternoon with three wickets in the space of eight deliveries. He tore a heart out in the middle order, working over Jacob Bethell and scoring Harry Brook’s first golden duck in international cricket, finishing his work with a key dismissal from Root.
Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes attempted to fight back from a stand of 52, but England were sorely disappointed as they added just nine runs and lost their last five games. Matt Henry finished off a deserved four and spinner Mitchell Santner cleaned up three cheap wickets in as many overs.
The left-armer started the day with the bat in hand, joining O’Rourke in a stubborn 10-wicket partnership of 44 in total. Stokes and England were unusually passive, but after 15 unenjoyable overs and an hour of unproductive toil, Matthew Potts finally made 76.
The change in innings immediately turned attention to Zak Crawley, who has struggled in the opener in recent weeks. He started brightly, hitting four boundaries in Tim Southee’s first over to give himself a much-needed boost at the retiring veteran’s expense.
But his troubled tour continued as Matt Henry dismissed him for the fifth time in five attempts and made a powerful run to take the lead in his chase. The 21 not out took his series tally to 47 and his average hovered at a low 9.40.
Henry soon put England in opposition by adding Ben Duckett, lbw, to a textbook seaming delivery. Bethell and Root put on 44 at lunch, with the team’s least and most experienced players briefly united before everything went to shit.
O’Rourke was the catalyst who swept the rug from under England’s feet with a spectacular explosion. He worked over Bethel with a series of short throws before throwing a fuller and allowing the 21-year-old to dutifully carve it to backward point. Bethell showed glimpses of his wealth of talent in his first outing at the top level, but first-innings scores of 10, 16 and 12 meant he was yet to prove himself at number three.
Brook was in trouble as the newly-appointed number one batsman in the world, only to fall back to the ground seconds later as he diverted the first ball into the stumps.
O’Rourke’s inspired work continued with a vital dismissal from Root that saw Brook come through the ranks. Root, pressed back inside by a sharp rising ball, rather than take evasive action, veered towards deep third and picked out Glenn Phillips.
Pope (24) and Stokes (27) ended the chaos briefly as they looked to strike of their own, sharing 10 boundaries, but Santner tormented them both as things ended in a blur.
Pope was nudging the spinner uncertainly to slip straight and Stokes was pound as he lost his feet in the sweep. Unlike New Zealand, Gus Atkinson, Bryden Cass, and Potts came and went in quick succession, causing the tail to fly in a hurry.
There was absolutely no realistic opportunity for follow-up. That means your bowling boots will need to be tied again soon. Despite his hard-earned fatigue, Atkinson bowled Tom Latham on an inside edge for 40 and Stokes picked up Will Young with a bouncer for 60.
Stokes added a second as O’Rourke went on night patrol, but England were in more serious trouble than they could have imagined earlier in the day and Kane Williamson hit an unbeaten 50 with the promise of more. will come
Read more: England were ‘unravelled by a very special and truly hostile Test bowling spell’.
