Leeds: New Zealand off-spinners Kane Williamson and Mark Craig shared six wickets as the Black Caps thrashed England by 199 runs in the second Test at Headingley on Tuesday.
Victory ensured the two-match series ended all square at 1-1 and was just New Zealand’s ninth win in 101 Tests against England.
This success was also New Zealand’s first Test win against England since a 189-run victory at Hamilton in 2008.
It meant too they had won a Test in England for only the fifth time, with this victory their first Test success on English soil since an 83-run triumph at The Oval in 1999.
England, chasing what would have been a Test fourth innings record victory total of 455, were bowled out for 255.
Williamson, primarily a batsman and once suspended from bowling in international cricket because of a suspect action, took three wickets for 15 runs in seven overs, including the prize scalp of England captain Alastair Cook (56)
Craig finished with three for 73 in 31.5 overs and ended the match when he had Jos Buttler lbw playing no stroke for 73.
Cook and Buttler apart, England offered little in the way of resistance in their second innings.
England resumed Tuesday on 44 without loss and had an outside chance of surpassing the West Indies’ record fourth-innings winning total of 418 for seven against Australia at St John’s, Antigua, in 2002/03.
However, those slim hopes disappeared during a first session where England lost five wickets for 58 runs in 32 overs as they slumped to 102 for five at lunch.
But Cook was still there and he went on to complete his second fifty of the match, having become England’s highest run scorer in Tests during his first innings 75.
His near four hours’ of resistance ended when Cook was given out lbw as he pushed forward to Williamson and a review couldn’t save the skipper.
Williamson, who had Ben Stokes caught behind on the stroke of lunch, had now taken two wickets for two runs in 11 balls.
Moeen Ali’s hundred in last year’s corresponding Headingley Test almost saw England to a draw before Sri Lanka won late on the final day. But on Tuesday he was bowled for two playing no stroke to fast bowler Matt Henry. At tea, England were 206 for eight and needing to survive a minimum of 35 overs to hold out for a draw. That was too much of an ask and England soon succumbed. (AFP)
