England limp to series defeat to New Zealand in anti-climactic finish for Stokes
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- England were beaten by 160 runs at Trent Bridge, losing the three-Test series to New Zealand 2-1 after winning the first Test at Lord's by 115 runs.
- Ben Stokes announced his retirement on the fourth afternoon of the match, with England head coach Brendon McCullum revealing he had tried to talk Stokes out of the decision.
- Jamie Smith scored 60 off 90 balls as England's lone meaningful resistance on day five, while the top order folded cheaply: Stokes (30 off 20), Harry Brook (21 off 9), Ben Duckett (36), Emilio Gay (10) and Joe Root (18, run out) all fell before the chase gained traction.
- New Zealand's fielding proved decisive, including a direct hit run-out from Henry Nicholls to remove Root, with Nathan Smith finishing the series as leading wicket-taker on 16 wickets and Mitchell Santner taking 2-54 in the innings.
- The result marks England's seventh defeat in their last nine Tests and their first home series loss in a three-Test series or more since 2012.
- The defeat came at the same venue where Bazball was launched four years earlier with a stunning run chase against the same opposition, with the source noting it 'potentially triggered the end' of that era on the day of Stokes' exit.
Why it matters: England's seventh loss in nine Tests and first home series defeat in a three-Test series or more since 2012 lands on the exact day Stokes walks away, at the very ground where Bazball was born against the same opponents in 2022 - leaving the captaincy, the team philosophy, and England's red-ball direction all up for grabs simultaneously.
Ask SkimNews
