England beat New Zealand 3-0: Key stats from the series
England thumped New Zealand in the third Test at Headingley to ensure a 3-0 clean-sweep. Chasing 296 seemed well in reach for the hosts, given their hostile approach in the first two Tests. Ollie Pope (82), Joe Root (86*), and Jonny Bairstow (71*) starred for England in the run-chase. England marked their 51st Test win over the Kiwis. Here are the key stats.
Bairstow's hostile touch overpowers New Zealand
Jonny Bairstow had a series to remember. His belligerent approach paved way for England's triumph in the second and third Tests. The middle-order batter belted 394 runs in the series at an awe-striking rate of 120.12. Notably, he smashed 51 fours and 10 sixes. His inning-wise tally read 1, 16, 8, 136, 162, and 71*. He raced to 5,195 Test runs at 36.07.
Boult excelled on the wicket-taking front
England seamers usually dominate the wickets column at home. However, the three-match series saw New Zealand pace spearhead Trent Boult troubling the English batters. The left-arm fast bowler finished as the leading wicket-taker of the series. He scalped 16 wickets at an average of 28.93. Interestingly, no other Kiwi bowler took even 10 wickets in the series.
650-plus wickets for Anderson
Although an injury ruled out James Anderson from the third Test, the veteran had considerable damage in the first two duels. The seamer clipped 11 wickets averaging a laudable 18.63. He raced to 651 Test scalps at 26.45. He has become only the third bowler to breach the 650-wicket mark beside Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708).
Root races to 27 Test tons
Joe Root smashed match-winning hundreds at Lord's (115*) and Trent Bridge (176). Later, he clocked an unbeaten 86 at Headingley to wind up the run-chase. He bashed 396 runs in the series at 99.00. With that, Root steered to 10,285 runs in 120 Tests.
Root attains 10,000 runs in Tests
Root got to 10,000 Test runs in 218 innings. He became the fastest Englishman to 10,000 runs, bettering the record of Alastair Cook (229 innings). Root also bettered the likes of Allan Border (235), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (239), and Steve Waugh (244). The likes of Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, and Kumar Sangakkara share the record for fastest to 10,000 runs (195 innings).
Leach dazzles against the Kiwis
Jack Leach claimed two five-fors in the third Test. He managed figures of 5/100 and later 5/66. The left-arm spinner was at the top of his game, recording his first 10-wicket haul in a match (10/166). He concluded as the third-highest wicket-taker in the series, garnering 13 wickets at 30.15. Overall, he has 92 Test scalps at 31.64.
Mitchell, Blundell enter record books
Mitchell and Blundell fetched a 113-run stand for the sixth wicket in the second innings of third Test. With that, they became only the fifth pair to post four 100-plus stands in a series in Test cricket. David Boon-Mark Waugh (Australia), Jack Hobbs-Herbert Sutcliffe (England), Vijay Hazare-Rusi Modi (India), and Mohammad Yousuf-Younis Khan (Pakistan) are the others to have attained the feat.
Four fifty-plus scores for Blundell
Tom Blundell was class apart and ended up hammering the fourth-most runs in the series. Averaging a stellar 76.60, the wicket-keeper batter amassed 383 runs across six innings (one hundred, three fifties). His scores in this series read 14, 96, 106, 24, 55, and 88*. Versus England, he has compiled 417 runs at 69.50. He now has 1,192 Test runs at 41.10
Mitchell's rise as a Test cricketer
Daryl Mitchell hammered 538 runs in this series while averaging a prolific 107.60. He struck three hundreds and two fifties. As per ESPNcricinfo, the all-rounder became the first visiting batter to score over 500 runs in a series involving three or fewer Tests in England. His scores in the series read 13, 108, 190, 62*, 109, and 56.
Potts shines in his debut series
23-year-old Matty Potts couldn't have asked for a better run in his debut series. He finished as the highest wicket-taker for England, scalping 14 wickets at 23.28. Overall, the right-arm quick concluded with the second-most scalps in the series. His figures in the series read 4/13, 3/55, 1/126, 2/32, 1/34, and 3/66. Interestingly, he got the better of Kane Williamson on three occasions.
