Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root completed England's third blistering chase in a row to kick-off their riotous new era under coach Brendon McCullum with a series whitewash over New Zealand at Headingley.
Root barely broke a sweat as he finished with 86 not out and fellow Yorkshireman Jonny Bairstow continued the form of his life as he cracked an unbeaten 77 to seal a seven-wicket win and a 3-0 scoreline.
“To walk away with a 3-0 win against the best team in the world is very special,” said England captain Ben Stokes after a dream start to his captaincy.
“The team has been absolutely phenomenal, I don’t know how we’ve won that from 55-6. It’s about the change of the mindset of the lads towards Test cricket.
“To say that we have done it so quickly is unbelievable. We’ve said we’ll go out and play a certain way regardless of the situation and it’s worked for us. Huge credit to Brendon and the backroom staff.”
In keeping with their astonishing efforts over the past month, England needed just 15.2 overs and a shade over an hour to score the 113 runs required for victory, with a pair of local boys fittingly at the fore.
Bairstow, following up two unforgettable attacking centuries, blazed the second fastest Test 50 in English history just a week after claiming the second fastest hundred.
He brought up his half-century in 30 balls, two more than Sir Ian Botham's 1981 record, and finished the game with the last of three huge sixes.
Root said of Bairstow: “It was like some of the 50-over stuff. He's a phenomenal player. He has been hitting the ball really well … it’s great to see him do that, to bat with the confidence and freedom.”
Stokes and McCullum took over as captain and head coach at the start of the summer hoping to revitalise the fortunes of a side that had won just one of their past 17 Tests, and have started their reigns with a hat-trick of remarkable victories at Lord's, Trent Bridge and now in Leeds.
The Black Caps, reigning Test world champions have set stiff targets on each occasion – 277, 299 and 296 – only to find their hosts in irresistible form at every turn. Here they completed the chase at a manic average run-rate of 5.54.
England had finished Day 4 in control, making light of a wearing pitch as a century stand between Ollie Pope and Root took them to 183-2 at a rampant rate of scoring.
That left just more than a hundred still to get, a challenging fifth-day ask in ordinary times but a seemingly trifling figure given to a team who are making a mockery of conventional cricketing wisdom in these changing times.
The entire morning session was washed out by persistent rain in Leeds, but the fans who took advantage of Yorkshire's offer of free tickets were rewarded when play got under way at 1.30pm.
Pope, who had been in wonderful touch on Sunday evening, saw his hopes of a second century in the series halted in emphatic fashion, with Tim Southee nipping one back through the gate to take out off stump.
But any New Zealand hopes of dramatic fightback were ended by the ruthless Root and Bairstow who banished any home nerves with an unbroken stand of 111.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson said: “It’s been an incredible series, There is a new theme to England's approach and they won those fine margins that went a long way in perhaps deciding the outcome of the match.
“In every match, we've been in positions where we've found ourselves ahead of the game and in positions of strength but, credit to England for the way they've come out and played the game and counter-attacked.”
England v New Zealand: third Test, day four
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England's Ollie Pope drives the ball on Day 4 of the third Test against New Zealand at Headingley on Sunday, June 26, 2022. PA -
Ollie Pope of England celebrates reaching his fifty. He finished the day unbeaten on 81. Getty -
England's Joe Root pulls the ball on his way to an unbeaten 55. Getty -
England batsman Joe Root pulls a short ball. Getty -
Joe Root of England scoops the ball for six. Getty -
England's Alex Lees walks off after being brilliantly run out by Trent Boult for nine. AP -
Trent Boult runs out England's Alex Lees. Getty -
New Zealand bowler Michael Bracewell, left, is congratulated by teammates after taking the wicket of Zak Crawley for 25. Getty -
New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell celebrates reaching his half century. PA -
Replacement England wicketkeeper Sam Billings reacts as an edge from Tom Blundell goes past Joe Root at slip. Getty -
New Zealand batsman Tom Blundell knocks the ball away from his stumps on his way to an unbeaten 88. Getty -
New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell makes an emphatic call during his innings of 56. AFP -
England captain Ben Stokes and Stuart Broad of England appeal for the wicket of New Zealand's Tom Blundell. Getty -
New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell makes his ground as stand-in England keeper Sam Billings attempts a run out. PA -
New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell. AP -
England's Matthew Potts in his delivery stride. Getty -
Matthew Potts of England appeals successfully for a wicket of Daryl Mitchell of New Zealand. Getty -
New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell reacts after losing his wicket for 56. AFP -
England's Jack Leach celebrates taking the wicket of New Zealand's Michael Bracewell. Leach finished with match figures of 10-166. PA -
England bowler Matthew Potts celebrates as Tom Blundell is given out LBW. The decision was overturned after a review. Getty -
England's Joe Root is unable to get a hand to an edge from New Zealand's Tom Blundell. AFP -
New Zealand's Tom Blundell in action. PA -
New Zealand's Tim Southee is bowled by England's Jack Leach for two. PA -
New Zealand batsman Neil Wagner is caught out for a duck by replacement England wicketkeeper Sam Billings, who took the catch between his legs, off the bowling of Jack Leach . Getty
