ENG VS NZ TESTS

That's all we have from this swashbuckling game as England went on to take an unassailable 2-0 lead. The final Test of the series starts on 23rd June (Thursday) at Headingley, Leeds. The first ball will be at 3.30 pm IST (10 am GMT), but you can join us in advance for the build-up. Until then, it's goodbye and cheers!

JONNY BAIRSTOW IS THE PLAYER OF THE MATCH! The tormentor-in-chief this evening says that it was just great fun to be out there. Adds that after Tea it was a bit like do-or-die and they had to go for it. Talks about being in the zone and that's where you need to get as a batter. When asked what he had at Tea, Jonny smiles and shares that he had cheese and ham toastie, and a coffee. Further shares that Ben Stokes told him to not even think about hitting one down, as he wanted Jonny to hit it into the stands. Tells that when you have so many runs scored in the game, you don't look at it as a record run-chase, and they took it as a one-day game. Mentions that this is the brand of cricket they are looking to play and he is eager to see what will happen in the next few months.

Ben Stokes, the victorious captain of England, comes up for a chat and is greeted with a massive cheer from the crowd. Smiles and says that he doesn't want to take full credit for this win and credits his boys for this phenomenal show. Adds that it was a perfect day for them, they ran into the danger, rather than standing still. Credits Alex Lees for his knock up front. Mentions that you have to execute your skills and they wanted to put pressure on New Zealand who were a seamer down. Smiles and adds that once Jonny Bairstow gets in, there is no stopping him. Praises Ben Foakes and calls him the best keeper in the world and is pleased with his progress with the bat. Tells that there were a lot of changes in plans and they wanted to be proactive. Shares that he is doing fine and his injury isn't big. On Ollie Pope, Stokes replies that he was very clear about having him once he got the captaincy. Calls Pope a fantastic player and having some senior players around him will help him get even better. Stokes gives a huge shoutout to the Nottingham Cricket Club for doing what they did (made entry free on Day 5). Signs off by saying that they will come even harder at Headingley.

Tom Latham, the Kiwi skipper, says that it will be a hard pill to swallow. Adds that at Tea, it was still in the balance but credits Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes for the way they batted and took the game away from them. Calls it a great surface to bat on and wickets were hard to come by. Feels that a couple of wickets after Tea and it could have been a different story. Adds that being a bowler down didn't help. Mentions that it will take some time to sink in, and they will try to come back in the next Test match. On Daryl Mitchell's batting, Tom replies that he has batted superbly and takes his opportunity wherever he bats and calls him a fighter. On losing two on the bounce, Latham says that there is a bit of time off for them, they will reconnect with the families and then get back to the thick of the things again.

Stay tuned for the presentation...

Usually, in a Test match, when two teams score 500-plus runs, we rarely head to the final day with some hope for a result. But since the scoring rate of both the teams was so impressive, it allowed this Test match to reach its tipping point. With New Zealand pressing the self-destructive mode in the second essay of their batting, England gained a glimmer of hope on an otherwise unresponsive surface. That said, plenty of catches went down in this Test match, 11 to be precise, and it, in a way, contributed to making this pitch look more like a road. Had the catching been neat and tidy, there was a big chance that we could not have seen both teams scoring 500-plus. Sometimes flaws make things lovely. In total 1675 runs were scored in this Test match, and we must praise Trent Boult here who picked 8 wickets amidst domination from the batters.

End of a contrasting Test match, if you compare it with the Lord's. Bat dominated proceedings on a placid surface, and the lightning outfield only made life difficult for the fielding team. Firstly, New Zealand racked up a mountain of runs courtesy of fine centuries from Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell, and then England also replied strongly with Ollie Pope and Joe Root leading the charge with daddy hundreds. The hosts could have gone on to gain a handy lead had they not lost their last five wickets for 66 runs in their first innings.

It was total carnage in the last session! Both teams would have been optimistic about their chances when they walked out after Tea, however, it became evident that Jonny Bairstow had his own plans! He took the attack to the New Zealand bowlers and narrowly missed out on the fastest century for an English player in Test cricket, ending his innings at 136 of just 92 balls! He shared a 179-run partnership with Ben Stokes off just 121 deliveries thereby putting the chase to bed. Ben Stokes took England home with a mature unbeaten knock despite carrying an injury. New Zealand looked helpless and shell-shocked in this session with none of the bowlers looking effective against the onslaught. They dearly missed the services of Kyle Jamieson who is known for his economical spells.

The crowd erupts in joy! What a match! What a finish! England needed 160 off 38 overs in the final session and started by hammering 59 runs off the first four. That set the tone and they won by consuming only 16 overs out of the possible 38. Insane hitting as England completed the highest successful chase at this ground in Test cricket.

FOUR! ADMONISHED! Back of a length, around off, Stokes steps back to make room and whacks it through covers for a cracking boundary. ENGLAND WIN BY 5 WICKETS!

FOUR! England are one hit away now! A low full toss around middle and leg, Stokes flicks it with great timing and beats the mid-wicket fielder easily. A boundary results.

Beaten all ends up! Boult fires a full ball around off, Stokes swings his bat at it but connects only with thin air. Boult goes down in his followthrough.

SIX! Up and over! Fuller in length, around off, Stokes clears his front leg and rifles it over long on for a biggie. 8 more needed.

Back of a length, on off, Stokes steps back and plays late but still finds the point fielder.

Short and angling down the leg side, Stokes tries to pull but misses.

Drifting down the leg side, Ben Foakes attempts to flick but misses.

Gets on the front foot and pushes it to covers.