England’s hopes of a clean sweep in New Zealand are all but over after a feeble display on the second day of the third Test in Hamilton.
Continuing a growing trend of woeful performances in series finales, the tourists were shot out for 143 inside 36 overs in blameless conditions.
Overall, England lost their last eight wickets for 66 runs either side of a stand of 52 between Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes. The final five wickets went for only nine runs.
Matt Henry took 4-48, but the real damage was done by three wickets in eight balls from Surrey-born pace bowler Will O’Rourke. Spinner Mitchell Santner continued his fine return to the Kiwi side with 3-7.
Santner and O’Rourke had earlier been confronted by some baffling tactics from England, who needed more than an hour to take the final wicket of the New Zealand first innings.
Faced by nine men on the boundary before he received a ball on Sunday morning, Santner moved to 76, adding 44 with O’Rourke. When Santner was eventually bowled to give Matthew Potts his fourth wicket, New Zealand were 347 all out.
The Black Caps were batting again after tea, England’s weary bowlers asked to charge in once more.
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Will Young made 60 and Kane Williamson is unbeaten on 50. New Zealand were 136-3 by the close, leading by 340 and with the game in their grasp.
Start well, end badly
It is to England’s huge credit they have already won this series. Their victory in the opening Test in Christchurch continued an impressive run of winning the first match in all five away series since Stokes became captain.
England have also developed a habit of finishing badly. This year alone they have ended series away to India and Pakistan, and at home to Sri Lanka, on a whimper.
In the coming days a horror show in Hamilton will join that list, with England blowing their chance to become the third visiting side to secure a 3-0 clean sweep in this country.
By any measure, the batting was appalling, yet the tone for the day was set in a first hour that handed all the initiative to New Zealand. Santner and O’Rourke added 32 runs and the momentum of the morning made an England collapse feel inevitable. So it proved.
Leading by 204 runs on first innings, New Zealand opted against enforcing the follow-on even though Monday’s weather forecast is mixed.
Either way, there is more than enough time left for the hosts to take something from the series, ending England’s year in defeat.
