England thrash NZ by 323 runs to take unassailable 2-0 series lead

England`s Joe Root reacts after scoring a century during play on day three of the second cricket test between New Zealand and England at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, New Zealand. Pic/AP, PTI

An aggressive England dominated almost from start to finish to thrash New Zealand by 323 runs on Sunday in the second Test and emphatically win the series with a match to go.

Joe Root scored a century before England's bowlers knocked over New Zealand for 259 in the final session of Day Three, clinching a series on New Zealand soil for the first time since 2008.

Also Read: Travis Head pleased to be among runs again

As with their eight-wicket loss in Christchurch, NZ were outplayed for long periods, although Tom Blundell showed some resistance with a century as he fought bravely in the unlikely pursuit of a winning target of 583. He was dismissed for 115, caught brilliantly by Ben Duckett off spinner Shoaib Bashir to spark a tail-order collapse.

Brief scores
England 280 & 427-6d (J Root 106, J Bethell 96, B Duckett 92; T Southee 2-72) beat New Zealand 125 & 259 (T Blundell 115; B Stokes 3-5) by 323 runs

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever