Joe Root

England completed a seven wicket win over New Zealand in the third and final Test of the series at Headingley, with Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow guiding them ...

Root ended up unbeaten on 86, with Bairstow's quick-fire knock denying him the chance to score a 28th Test century. After resuming on day five needing a further 113 runs to win, it seemed almost inevitable that England would comfortably win the match. Having taken over a team that had won just one of their last 17 Test matches, McCullum and Stokes have got England winning again while also playing a much more positive brand of cricket.

England romp to victory on the final day of the third Test against New Zealand at Headingley to seal a superb 3-0 series win.

but credit to England for the way they've come out and played the game and counter-attacked." Former England captain Michael Vaughan: "The chase was never in doubt. England captain Ben Stokes: "To walk away with a 3-0 win over the best team in the world is very special. England limited-overs spinner Moeen Ali: "It is amazing how the fortunes for both teams has changed so quickly because it was only last summer that New Zealand were world champions. Tom Blundell and Daryl Mitchell were the only members of the top six to average more than 30. "I don't know how we've won that from 55-6.

Jonny Bairstow lit up Headingley once more as England raced to a seven-wicket victory over New Zealand in the third Test.

it is really brilliant for the game of cricket." "I think it is important we enjoy this series win. You just try and play what is in front of you and one of the great things about this series is the guys seemed to just get more and more confident and at ease. We are all loving playing it and it is great. England player of the series, Joe Root: "(Bairstow) is playing with such confidence and freedom. Joe Root finished unbeaten on 86 and Jonny Bairstow (71no off 44 balls) blasted England's second fastest Test fifty as Ben Stokes' side completed a 3-0 series sweep of New Zealand with a seven-wicket win in the third Test at Headingley

PAUL NEWMAN AT HEADINGLEY: It was somehow apt England galloped to the most emphatic whitewash on the day Eoin Morgan was being lauded on his impending ...

What a contrast to the dark days of winter when an embarrassing Ashes was followed by the new low of defeat in the Caribbean. But something seismic and significant has begun in this series and, as Rob Key urged, we all just need to buckle up and carry on enjoying the ride. They kept on coming when set to score 277 at Lord’s, they obliterated a target of 299 in Nottingham after conceding 553 in the first innings. They have scored their runs throughout the series, for goodness sake, at more than four and a half an over. If not then cricket, real cricket that is, not artificial entertainment in the form of new ever shorter formats, is not for them. England began the day needing 113 more runs on a last day pitch which had started to offer sharp spin and with cloud cover seemingly aiding swing. And they kept on coming here despite crashing to 21 for four and 55 for six in their first innings in reply to 329. Ben Stokes scored 411 runs in South Africa in 2015-16, but at a strike-rate of 109. If Root is privately wondering why it was so tough for him as captain and how everything has suddenly changed then he is not showing it. Seven of England’s top 12 chases have now come against New Zealand, and the other five against Australia. Not that the former captain will mind one bit. - This was England’s first Test whitewash since winning 3-0 in Sri Lanka in 2018-19.

The era of 'Bazball' is here - and England are a team transformed! It's been a perfect start under the new regime with world Test champions New Zealand ...

A first Test wicket under his belt, Leach's wickets this week might mean he has to wait a while for the next one but Parkinson did well enough to keep himself in contention as and when England are looking at their other spin options. A dream debut at Lord's saw him claim Kane Williamson as his first Test wicket - and he dismissed him twice more before the series was done - and he has not looked back. He was rewarded with a first home five-for and backed it up with another in the second innings to claim a maiden 10-wicket match haul in Tests. After a tough couple of years, Leach and England will hope this is the start of a more productive period for him. The 23-year-old Durham pacer was arguably the pick of the England bowlers in Leeds and the skill, consistency and intelligence with which he bowled across the three matches should be enough to excite fans going forward. A century at Lord's, his first in the fourth innings of a Test match, got the new era off to a winning start, another followed in Nottingham and had Bairstow not been in such a rush on day five at Headingley, there is every chance he would have notched a third. He played brilliantly in an England record 241-run stand for the seventh wicket and fell agonisingly short of the century that those inside Headingley were willing him to reach. He will hope to recover from the bout of Covid-19 that saw him withdrawn midway through the series finale in time to retake his place against India. In the space of a couple of weeks, Bairstow played two of the most remarkable innings you could wish to see. Having relinquished the captaincy, Root's role in the side has been simplified to scoring runs - and he continues to do so at a staggering rate. All the shots are there but choosing when to play them remains an issue, with his eagerness to drive proving to be a real problem area of late. Since the second innings at Lord's, he has batted positively and has begun to look increasingly comfortable at this level. The era of 'Bazball' is here - and England are a team transformed!