England thrash New Zealand by 267 runs

Mount Maunganui, The Gulf Observer: James Anderson struck four times on the fourth day as England needed less than a session to clinch a thumping 267 runs victory over New Zealand in the pink-ball Test at Mount Maunganui.

New Zealand resumed on 63-5 in a chase of 394 after Stuart Broad (4-49) had clean bowled four of their top six during a scorching spell under the lights on Saturday night and the hosts were subsequently bundled out for 126 on Sunday afternoon as England made it 10 wins in 11 Tests under captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum.

Anderson (4-18) dismissed Scott Kuggeleijn (2) and Black Caps captain Tim Southee (0) from successive balls in the fourth over of the day – Kuggeleijn lbw to a nip-backer, Southee clipping an out-swinger to Joe Root at slip – after Michael Bracewell (25) flicked Jack Leach to Harry Brook at short midwicket in the third.

New Zealand were 91-9 when Anderson ended a near eight-over stint between Daryl Mitchell (57no) and Neil Wagner (9) by nicking off the latter and he then bowled last man Blair Tickner (8) nine overs later to put England 1-0 up in the two-match series ahead of the second Test in Wellington from Friday (Thursday night UK).

England are toasting a first Test victory in New Zealand since 2008, having drawn five matches and suffered two innings defeats across their previous seven fixtures in the country.

The win also snapped a five-match losing streak in day-night Tests with England beaten in Australia three times and New Zealand and India once each since thumping West Indies at home in 2017.

The team that surrendered meekly in their last pink-ball outing, in Hobart in January 2022 as Australia clinched a 4-0 Ashes success, is “unrecognisable”, to use Broad’s word, from the dynamic one now helmed by Stokes and McCullum.