NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) 鈥� New Zealand won a test series in England for the fourth time by wrapping up a 160-run victory in the third test at Trent Bridge on Monday, bringing an end to the international career of home captain Ben Stokes.
Resuming on 103-4 and chasing an unlikely 373 to win, England was dismissed for 212 soon after lunch on Day 5 as New Zealand clinched the series 2-1.
The New Zealanders鈥� other series wins on English soil were in 1986, 1999 and in 2021 鈥� the latter being in a two-match series.
New Zealand captain Tom Latham, whose knock of 151 in a first-innings opening partnership of 317 with Devon Conway set up the victory, described the series win as 鈥渞eally special.鈥�
鈥淭o come out and play our style and stick to our brand as best we can, to me that鈥檚 the most pleasing thing,鈥� Latham said.
Stokes announced on Sunday he would be stepping down as England captain after four years after this test, and also retiring from the international game after 15 years with the national team. He didn鈥檛 have an active role on Day 5 since he was dismissed for 30 late Sunday after opening the batting.
鈥淚t would have been great to have gone out with a series win and a win,鈥� Stokes said, 鈥渂ut that鈥檚 in a perfect world and this world certainly isn鈥檛 perfect.鈥�
It was England鈥檚 first defeat in a home series of three or more tests since 2012. The team has lost seven of its last nine test matches, a streak that piles the pressure on the leadership team of coach Brendon McCullum and director cricket Rob Key.
McCullum said he intended to stay in his role.
鈥淭here was some good stuff and I still believe that we have a firm direction of what we鈥檙e wanting to do and how we鈥檙e wanting to play, and what we鈥檙e wanting to achieve,鈥� he said.
England鈥檚 final-day hopes realistically rested on Joe Root and Emilio Gay 鈥� the remaining specialist batters who resumed from overnight 鈥� but they both departed in the fourth over, having walked to the middle with the boundary boards around the ground displaying the message: 鈥淭hank you Ben Stokes.鈥�
Gay (10) edged behind and Root, England鈥檚 all-time leading run scorer, was brilliantly run out by Henry Nicholls for 18.
A seventh-wicket stand of 75 runs between Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson held up New Zealand鈥檚 charge before lunch, before Atkinson (19) was trapped lbw by spinner Mitchell Santner.
The end came 15 minutes into the second session, when Smith was dismissed for 60.
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