ENG vs NZ: New Zealand despoil Ben Stokes’ farewell with 160-run win in third Test, seal series 2-1

Ben Stokes’ legendary international career came to a disappointing close on June 29 as New Zealand clinched a 160-run win in Nottingham, wrapping up the three-match series 2-1. Just a day after the talismanic captain shocked the cricket world by announcing his sudden retirement, England’s capitulation at Trent Bridge exposed a team in deep distress. Chasing a monumental target of 373, the hosts had already crippled their own chances on Sunday evening by collapsing to 103-4, making the final-day defeat feel entirely inevitable.

Sad end to Stokes' era with England's Test series defeat vs NZ

Any faint hopes of a heroic rearguard action were completely erased within the first four overs of the morning. Emilio Gay was dismissed early, but the definitive blow came courtesy of pure fielding brilliance from Henry Nicholls, whose spectacular direct hit ran out Joe Root. Though Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson showed some resilience with a fighting 75-run partnership to delay the inevitable, Atkinson’s dismissal just before the lunch break broke the resistance.

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Smith went on to battle through for a rare half-century—his first in nearly a year—but New Zealand’s fielding excellence remained relentless. Mitchell Santner pulled off another remarkable direct hit to remove Josh Tongue, and Smith was eventually caught at long-off to bowl England out for 212. The victory secured a historic achievement for a heavily depleted Black Caps side, marking only their fourth-ever Test series win on English soil and making them the first visiting team to win a three-match series in England in 14 years.

For Stokes, a phenomenal 15-year international career and a four-year captaincy stint ended on a bitter note, marking his first-ever series defeat at home. The result underscores a brutal reality for England, who have now lost seven of their last nine Tests and have not won a series since 2024. With a white-ball series against India starting this Wednesday, the team has no time to breathe, yet the relentless schedule will do little to quiet the mounting questions regarding the future of England’s team management.