New Zealand significantly strengthened their prospects of reaching next year's World Test Championship final following a commanding 160-run victory over England in the third and final Test at Nottingham. The clinical performance wrapped up a 2-1 series triumph for the visitors on Monday. Tasked with chasing a daunting target of 373 on the final day, England's batting lineup crumbled to 212 all out. Zak Foulkes spearheaded the bowling attack with three crucial wickets, while Nathan Smith and Mitchell Santner provided excellent support with two scalps each. Despite the dramatic result, New Zealand and England maintain their respective positions of third and seventh in the official WTC 2025/27 standings.
New Zealand solidifies WTC final ambitions
While the overall table positions held steady, the win-percentage metrics saw a major shift. New Zealand's points percentage (PCT) climbed to an impressive 72.22%, keeping them within striking distance of the top tier. Conversely, England's dismal run caused their percentage to plummet further to 24.36%. At the summit of the leaderboard, Australia and South Africa continue to set the pace in first and second place, holding commanding percentages of 87.5% and 75%, respectively.
Beyond the immediate implications for the World Test Championship, the victory marks a historic milestone for Kiwi cricket as it represents only their fourth-ever Test series win in England. The heavily depleted Black Caps side now joins an elite group of New Zealand teams to have conquered the English in their own backyard. Prior to this 2-1 triumph, the only other New Zealand squads to secure series victories on English soil were the historic touring sides of 1986, 1999, and most recently, a brief two-match campaign in 2021.
|
Pos |
Team |
Played |
Won |
Lost |
Draw |
Ded |
Points |
PCT |
|
1 |
Australia |
8 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
84 |
87.50 |
|
2 |
South Africa |
4 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
36 |
75.00 |
|
3 |
New Zealand |
6 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
52 |
72.22 |
|
4 |
Bangladesh |
4 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
28 |
58.33 |
|
5 |
India |
9 |
4 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
52 |
48.15 |
|
6 |
Sri Lanka |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
16 |
44.44 |
|
7 |
England |
13 |
4 |
7 |
1 |
14 |
38 |
24.37 |
|
8 |
West Indies |
9 |
1 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
16 |
14.81 |
|
9 |
Pakistan |
4 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
8 |
4 |
8.33 |
How did the match unfold on Day 5
England’s slim chances of a final-day rescue mission rested squarely on the shoulders of Joe Root and Emilio Gay. As the overnight specialist batter made their way out to the middle, the surrounding boundary boards flashed a tribute reading, "Thank you Ben Stokes." However, any sense of a fairytale fightback was brutally snuffed out in the very fourth over of the morning. Gay was caught behind for 10, and shortly after, England's all-time leading run-scorer Root was dismissed for 18, courtesy of a sensational piece of fielding and a direct hit from Henry Nicholls.
Following the catastrophic start, Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson dug in to offer some desperate resistance. The pair stitched together a fighting 75-run partnership for the seventh wicket, effectively delaying the Black Caps' charge in the buildup to the lunch interval. The stand was finally broken when Atkinson was trapped leg-before for 19 by left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner. The end arrived swiftly just fifteen minutes into the afternoon session when the lone warrior Smith was finally dismissed for a hard-fought 60, bringing a definitive close to the match.