New Zealand beat England by 160 runs, win series 2-1

TRENT BRIDGE: England captain Ben Stokes’ international career ended in a bitter defeat as New Zealand defeated the hosts by 160 runs to win the three-match series 2-1.

In the third and final Test at Trent Bridge, it was only New Zealand’s fourth win in 20 series in England, while it was the first time since 1999 that the Kiwi team had won the series despite going 0-1 down.

On the other hand, England suffered a defeat in a series of three or more Test matches on home soil for the first time since 2012.

A day before the match, Ben Stokes had suddenly announced his retirement from international cricket. The 35-year-old all-rounder had said that he was mentally and physically exhausted from continuous cricket, but he would continue to represent Durham in county cricket.

England had been given a target of 373 runs to win, but the entire team was bowled out for 212 runs. Ben Stokes unusually opened the innings, scoring 30 runs off just 20 balls, but he could not save his team from defeat.

The New Zealand bowlers performed brilliantly. Nathan Smith took important wickets while Mitchell Santner also scored at crucial moments. Jamie Smith played a resilient innings of 60 runs for England, but he too could not save the team from defeat.

Earlier, in the first innings of New Zealand, captain Tom Latham played a brilliant innings of 151, and Devon Conway played a brilliant innings of 157 runs, putting on a 317-run partnership for the first wicket, thanks to which the team made a strong total of 438 runs.

Zac Foulkes, who came in as a connection replacement for New Zealand, played an important role in the team’s success by taking a total of 6 wickets in both innings.

Thus, Ben Stokes’ 16-year international career ended in defeat, while New Zealand left England with a historic series victory.