Chasing 299 on the final day of the Nottingham Test, England recorded their second consecutive victory under Ben Stokes by 5 wickets. On the fifth day, Jonny Bairstow’s fiery hundred saw England clinch a series victory against New Zealand by 2-0.
Usually slow in terms of runs, Test cricket was at its best as fours and sixes entertained the fans. Jonny Bairstow raced towards the second-fastest Test hundred for England. Laced with 7 sixes and 14 fours, Jonny Bairstow smashed 136 runs off 92 balls as he formed a formidable hundred-run stand with Ben Stokes who remained unbeaten at 75.
New Zealand scored 553 runs in the first innings owing to Daryl Mitchell’s 190 and Tom Blundell’s 106 which was reciprocated by Joe Root and Ollie Pope who scored 176 and 145 respectively to set 539 runs on the board.
In the second phase of the Test match which seemed to be a high-scoring one, New Zealand could only manage 284 in 84.4 overs.
However, the first two innings had consumed quite a lot of time, leaving England with just over two sessions to chase 299. In the Test match, which was very likely to end in a draw, Jonny Bairstow instilled a new life with his batting wand as he played one of the fastest knocks in the history of Test cricket.
The quick hundred-run partnership between Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes not only steadied the ship for England after an early wobble but also ended in an iconic Test victory for England.
Chasing 299 runs in 50 overs, England won the second Test match by 5 wickets to claim the three-match Test series 2-0. Despite the exciting victory, England are below New Zealand at the bottom of the World Test Championship points table.
Pakistan remain still at the center of the table as they are seeing a gap in Test cricket after losing the home series to table-toppers Australia.
Here’s the updated World Test Championship points table: (14 June 2022)
| Team | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Points | Percentage of Points | Series | Penalty |
| Australia | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 72 | 75.00 | 2 | 0 |
| South Africa | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 60 | 71.43 | 3 | 0 |
| India | 12 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 77 | 58.33 | 4* | -3 |
| Sri Lanka | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 40 | 55.56 | 3 | 0 |
| Pakistan | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 44 | 52.38 | 3 | 0 |
| West Indies | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 30 | 35.71 | 3 | -2 |
| New Zealand | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 28 | 29.17 | 4 | 0 |
| England | 15 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 42 | 25.00 | 4 | -10 |
| Bangladesh | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 16 | 16.67 | 4 | 0 |
