Racing
League
Rugby
Cricket
Golf
Motorsport
Combat Sports
Football
Netball
Basketball
Other Sports
Sport Nation
Blackcaps tear through England after lunch to secure emphatic third-Test triumph
Sport Nation • December 17th, 2024 4:00 pm
Photo: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport
The Blackcaps have rolled through England after lunch on day four to secure an emphatic 423-run win in the third and final Test in Hamilton.
The New Zealanders needed less than 40 minutes to mop up the English tail, taking the remaining four remaining wickets - excluding injured captain Ben Stokes - and sending the retiring Tim Southee off in style.
Southee finished with 2/34 in his red-ball finale, with Mitchell Santner snaring 4/85 and Matt Henry claiming 2/62.
After some stern early resistance from the tourists - Joe Root and Jacob Bethell combining for a century-plus stand - New Zealand nabbed three critical wickets to leave England 193/5 at lunch - still facing a daunting deficit of 465.
Will O'Rourke gets the better of the World No. 1 Test batter | Sport Nation
But Root, Harry Brook, and Jacob Bethell were each eventually sent back to the pavilion before lunch.
New Zealand made a shaky start, squandering one clear-cut opportunity for a breakthrough, NZ skipper Tom Latham dropping a straightforward catch at slip off Tim Southee that would have dispatched Root at 18.
Bethell raised his second Test half-century from just 63 balls, including eight fours and a six.
Smithy's 'Starc' warning for England of next year's Ashes I Sport Nation
Root followed suit a few overs later, notching his 65th Test half-century from 59 balls, featuring nine fours.
Shortly afterwards, Santner broke the burgeoning partnership, successfully reviewing a rejected appeal for LBW from a missed sweep by Joe Root (54) to take the score to 122/3.
O'Rourke then ensured dangerman Brook's stay was very brief, undoing the towering batter with searing pace and enticing an edge to Daryl Mitchell at second slip at the expense of a solitary run.
Brendon McCullum reflects on NZ Test tour | Sport Nation
Twenty minutes before lunch, England's anchor Bethell was drawn into a rash shot, mistiming a lofted square drive and sending a comfortable catch directly to Glenn Phillips at backward square for Southee's second wicket of the innings.
Bethell departed for 76 off 96 balls, with the score at 167/5.
England lasted 10 minutes after lunch before suffering further damage, Matt Henry clattering Ollie Pope's stumps as he attempted an outlandish reverse ramp shot. (215/6)
That triggered a rapid-fire collapse for the tourists, losing their final three wickets for just three runs.
Braces provides day four pitch report at Seddon Park
Sport Nation has live ball-by-ball commentary of all the second Test between the Blackcaps and England - available on all NZ frequencies and the new Sport Nation app - available on App Store and Google Play.
FREQUENCIES:
Auckland 1476AM, Wellington 711AM, Christchurch 1260AM, Hamilton 954AM, Rotorua 1548AM, Taupo 91.2FM, Taranaki 97.2FM, Nelson 990AM, Westport 93.3FM, Wanaka 106.8FM, Oamaru 89.6FM, Timaru 1242AM, Greymouth 93.9FM, Hokitika 89.1FM, Queenstown 93.6FM, Dunedin 1206AM, Ashburton 1071AM, Alexandra 104.7FM, Masterton 91.1FM, Palmerston North 828AM, Hawke's Bay 549AM, Gisborne 1485AM, Whakatane 96.1FM, Tauranga 873AM, Kapiti 93.5FM, Invercargill 1224AM.
Auckland 1476AM, Wellington 711AM, Christchurch 1260AM, Hamilton 954AM, Rotorua 1548AM, Taupo 91.2FM, Taranaki 97.2FM, Nelson 990AM, Westport 93.3FM, Wanaka 106.8FM, Oamaru 89.6FM, Timaru 1242AM, Greymouth 93.9FM, Hokitika 89.1FM, Queenstown 93.6FM, Dunedin 1206AM, Ashburton 1071AM, Alexandra 104.7FM, Masterton 91.1FM, Palmerston North 828AM, Hawke's Bay 549AM, Gisborne 1485AM, Whakatane 96.1FM, Tauranga 873AM, Kapiti 93.5FM, Invercargill 1224AM.
