New Zealand finalized the proceedings on the fourth day, securing victory in the Hamilton Test by a margin of 423 runs, concluding the series with a score of 1-2. This victory marked New Zealand’s largest Test win by runs in their history and served as an ideal farewell for one of their esteemed veterans, Tim Southee. The former captain held onto a stump as a keepsake while leading the team off the field during the second session, following England’s loss of their ninth and final wicket.
New Zealand post a decent target in the first innings
An evenly contested day of Test match cricket concluded at Seddon Park on Day 1, with New Zealand finishing at 315 for 9 after having been reduced to 212 for 6 at one point. England displayed commendable bowling performance for the majority of the day; however, they conceded 76 runs in the final eight overs. Mitchell Santner contributed significantly to the hosts’ total by scoring a valuable fifty.
Matthew Potts and Gus Atkinson each achieved three-wicket hauls, while Brydon Carse secured two wickets. Captain Tom Latham and Mitchell Santner both scored half-centuries, with Santner remaining not out as Day 2 approached. Several other New Zealand batsmen made promising starts but failed to convert them into substantial scores.
Earlier, under overcast skies and on a greenish pitch, England chose to bowl first. The home team made a change at the top of the batting order, introducing Will Young in place of the out-of-form Devon Conway. The opening partnership of Latham and Conway had struggled this year, averaging just 17 runs, and the decision to include Young paid off immediately.
Latham and Young began their innings positively, striking several boundaries following eight extras bowled by the visitors. The trend of the batters finding the boundary continued throughout the first session, characterized by both elegant drives and fortunate edges. England also squandered a review for a caught behind against Tom Latham, as the ball merely straightened on its path to the wicketkeeper. The hosts enjoyed a successful session, accumulating 93 runs without losing a wicket by the time Lunch arrived.
The subsequent session appeared to follow a similar trajectory, with Latham hitting Carse for three boundaries. However, Atkinson succeeded in getting one to swing away from Young, resulting in a catch to slip after Young had scored a commendable 42. Latham soon reached his half-century, while Williamson looked in excellent form once again. Stokes and Potts applied pressure with a couple of maiden overs before Potts dismissed Latham, who was caught down the leg side.
Rachin Ravindra entered the fray aggressively, scoring four boundaries in quick succession to reach 17 off just 12 balls. Unfortunately, he fell victim to the same pattern that had plagued him throughout the series, chasing a wide delivery and edging it to Ben Duckett at wide gully just before Tea.
At the Tea interval, the hosts were positioned at 173 for 3, with Kane Williamson showcasing some elegant drives. However, his innings concluded abruptly when he inadvertently deflected the ball onto his stumps. Daryl Mitchell, after facing 19 balls, finally got off the mark with consecutive boundaries but was dismissed shortly thereafter, caught by Ben Stokes off an aerial drive from Atkinson. Notably, Atkinson became only the second player to achieve 50 wickets in his debut Test calendar year.
Glenn Phillips and Tom Blundell fell victim to the same issue of chasing wide deliveries, resulting in their dismissals to backward point, as the hosts slipped to 212 for 6. With England in a dominant position, Santner, initially cautious, began to counter-attack with drives through cover and straight down the ground, finding the boundary. Tim Southee contributed a quick 23 runs off 10 balls in his final Test match, hitting three sixes and bringing his career total to 98 Test sixes. Santner concluded the day with a six over mid-off, reaching his half-century off just 54 balls as New Zealand concluded their innings at a score of 347 runs.
England surrender early at a mere score of 143
The English openers displayed impressive strokeplay, with Ben Duckett executing a cut shot off Henry that reached the boundary in the very first over. Zak Crawley followed suit, hitting Tim Southee for four boundaries in his initial over, propelling the visitors to a swift 30 without loss after just three overs. However, Henry managed to induce a leading edge from Crawley, who was caught by the bowler diving forward. This partnership marked England’s highest opening stand in the series at 32 runs. Shortly thereafter, Henry struck again, trapping Duckett LBW as the batter misjudged a fuller delivery that swung back in.
Joe Root appeared to be in excellent form during his innings of 32, effortlessly finding the boundary behind square on the leg side. Jacob Bethell, who had faced pressure from O’Rourke during a maiden over, was dismissed after chasing a wide delivery. The situation deteriorated for the visitors when Harry Brook, the series’ top scorer, was bowled on his first ball, leaving England at 77 for 4.
O’Rourke narrowly missed out on a hat-trick but secured the crucial wicket of Root, who played a late cut directly to the fielder at gully. In an effort to stabilize the innings, Ben Stokes and Ollie Pope formed a partnership of 52 runs, managing to disrupt O’Rourke’s rhythm. This prompted Tom Latham to shift to Santner, who struck in his first over by dismissing Pope, who edged a catch to slip. The astute left-arm spinner then claimed Stokes in his second over, trapping him LBW after a failed sweep shot.
Henry and Santner subsequently took the last three wickets as England crumbled to a total of 143, having lost their final five wickets for a mere nine runs. Despite holding a 204-run lead, the hosts opted not to enforce the follow-on, allowing Will Young to begin the New Zealand innings with a gift delivery on the pads. With the game heavily tilted against them, the English bowlers overcompensated on length, resulting in a series of boundaries during the opening overs.
Kane Williamson's ton help New Zealand generate a massive lead
England benefited from a fortunate moment when Atkinson dismissed Latham. Much like in the first session, Kane Williamson appeared to be in excellent form, starting with two boundaries. The home team capitalized on the favorable batting conditions, achieving an impressive 89-run partnership in under 18 overs. Young justified the selectors’ confidence in him by scoring a commendable 50, but he was dismissed for 60 after misplaying a pull shot to deep mid-wicket. Nightwatchman O’Rourke had a brief stay at the crease, but Williamson reached his half-century in the final over of the day, leaving the hosts with a commanding lead of 340 runs.
Williamson, achieving his 33rd Test century, served as the cornerstone of the New Zealand innings, forming significant partnerships of 107 runs with Rachin Ravindra (44) and 92 runs with Daryl Mitchell (60). This performance exacerbated England’s difficulties as New Zealand’s lead exceeded 500, showcasing a relentless batting display. Furthermore, England faced challenges due to the absence of captain Ben Stokes, who departed the field during his 13th over while clutching his left hamstring, leaving the team one bowler short.
This situation allowed New Zealand to settle in and wear down the bowling attack, with Williamson and Ravindra setting the initial tone. Williamson survived a close LBW appeal and witnessed a few mishits evade fielders against Shoaib Bashir’s offspin, yet he maintained a calculated approach. He reached his century with a six straight down the ground off Jacob Bethell, marking his seventh Test century at Seddon Park, including an unprecedented five consecutive centuries at this venue. This performance continued his successful tour, having previously scored two fifties.
Ravindra, in search of runs, found himself in an ideal position to play largely risk-free cricket, facing minimal pressure to accelerate the scoring. This allowed him to complement Williamson effectively during much of the first session. However, just as Ravindra began to find his rhythm against the spinners, he fell unexpectedly while attempting to whip Matthew Potts, resulting in a leading edge to mid-off.
Nevertheless, Williamson, now past his century, became more aggressive alongside Mitchell. He began to take on the spinners and quickly advanced to 150. However, with the second new ball approaching, he was dismissed while top-edging a sweep off Bashir to fine leg. England adopted more defensive field placements as the lead continued to grow, but Mitchell managed to maintain the momentum with aggressive shots, reaching his own fifty before eventually falling while attempting to hit Jacob Bethell down the ground, granting the left-arm spinner his first Test wicket.
Mitchell Santner effectively utilized the long handle while batting lower in the order, scoring 49 runs alongside Tom Blundell as England opted to introduce their part-time bowlers. Joe Root, despite conceding over 20 runs in his initial over, succeeded in dismissing Santner, who was caught in the same over. This brought Tim Southee to the crease for his final Test match. England honored him with a guard of honour in front of an enthusiastic crowd; however, the innings concluded swiftly thereafter, with Bethell taking the wickets of both Southee, caught at long-on, and Matt Henry in consecutive deliveries. Consequently, England was left with a daunting target of 658 runs to achieve.
England fold down at a score of 234 as New Zealand win the match
In the brief interval remaining before the conclusion of play, England experienced the loss of both their opening batsmen. Ben Duckett struck a boundary off Southee, sending the ball down the ground, yet the seasoned bowler ultimately prevailed by having Duckett chop the ball onto his stumps in the same over. Zak Crawley, who had fallen victim to Matt Henry on five previous occasions in the series, managed to survive an LBW appeal against the same bowler after a review. However, Henry soon delivered another delivery that nipped in and trapped Crawley in front, with the review confirming the on-field umpire’s decision, thereby solidifying New Zealand’s advantage by the conclusion of the third day.
With Ben Stokes sidelined due to injury and opting not to bat, England commenced the day already one batter short, facing a daunting target of 659 runs. Having lost their openers the previous evening, the team began the day with Jacob Bethell and Joe Root leading the charge against the opposition.
The pair adopted an aggressive approach, which yielded some success, albeit with a few narrow escapes. Root was dropped by Tom Latham off Southee when he had scored 19, but he quickly moved past that moment as he and Bethell engaged in a flurry of boundaries. Their partnership amassed 104 runs in just 125 balls, with both players reaching half-centuries. However, England’s promising start was short-lived.
Root was dismissed LBW after misjudging a sweep off Mitchell Santner, and Harry Brook soon followed, caught in the slip cordon off Will O’Rourke’s bowling. Meanwhile, Bethell continued to counterattack, striking three boundaries in one over from O’Rourke as he surged into the seventies. Unfortunately, his aggressive play led to his downfall when he hit the first delivery of a new spell from Southee directly to deep point. At 166 for 5, England’s position was precarious.
Gus Atkinson and Ollie Pope attempted to maintain the offensive until Pope was bowled while attempting a reverse lap against Matt Henry. Atkinson inflicted some damage on Santner’s bowling but ultimately fell victim to a catch while trying for another big shot. Matthew Potts followed suit shortly after, and Brydon Carse was stumped, giving Santner his fourth wicket of the innings and seventh of the match, which also secured him the Player of the Match accolade.
New Zealand completed the formalities on the fourth day as they clinched the Hamilton Test by 423 runs as the series ended 1-2. This was New Zealand’s biggest-ever Test win in terms of runs, and was the perfect send-off for one of their veterans and stars in Tim Southee. The former captain clutched a stump as a memento as he led the team off the field in the second session after England had lost their ninth and final wicket.
SCORECARD: New Zealand 347 (Mitchell Santner 76, Tom Latham 63; Matthew Potts 4-90, Gus Atkinson 3-66) and 453 (Kane Williamson 156, Will Young 60, Daryl Mitchell 60; Jacob Bethell 3-72) lead England 143 (Joe Root 32, Ben Stokes 27; Matt Henry 4-48, Mitchell Santner 3-7) & 18/2 by 640 runs
