So the series has been decided as England have won the final game of the 5-match clash. After winning the toss and putting New Zealand to bat first, England bowlers did a commendable job against the home side.

The dangerous Colin Munro couldn’t open his account as the rest of the middle-order also fell cheaply after getting good starts. Martin Guptill made 47 while Henry Nicholls and Mitchell Santner got 55 and 67 runs each.

The English bowlers were at their vehement best with Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid picking three wickets each. Tom Curran finished with two scalps while Moeen Ali and Mark Wood took one wicket each to finish the Kiwis for 223 in 49.5 overs.

In response, the English batters started very well with Jonny Bairstow scoring a century before getting hit wicket off the bowling of Trent Boult. Bairstow was in terrific touch as he scored 104 runs from only 64 balls.

The match was actually won with that innings itself. Alex Hales, meanwhile, scored 61 from 74 balls. The openers made the job seamless for the rest of the batters as Joe Root and Ben Stokes ended with 23* and 26* runs to their name.

Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner, and Colin de Grandhomme took a wicket each but were helpless as England won the game and clinched the series with relative ease. 

Scores

New Zealand – 223 all-out in 49.5 overs
England – 229/3 after 32.4 overs