England made an incredible effort, led by Jonny Bairstow, in the fourth innings of the England vs New Zealand Second Test 2022 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, to win the three-match series with a game to spare. New Zealand set a target of 299 runs, which would have been England's third-best run chase at home. Scoring 300 runs on day five is really tough, but England did so thanks to Jonny Bairstow's stunning effort. The ENG vs NZ 2nd Test 2022 match report as well as notable records are discussed in this article.

Second Test Match Fifth Day Report: England vs New Zealand

England made a fantastic effort by picking up three quick wickets late in the final session of day 4. New Zealand were down to 224/7 at the end of day 4. The hosts didn’t take too much time to pick up the rest of the three Kiwi wickets as they bowled New Zealand out for 284 within the first session of the final day.

The target was set at 299 for the English side to clinch the match as well as the series. Had it been any other country, they would have played safe and drawn the match. However, England has become more aggressive over the years, and it was expected that they would go for the win.

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There was a concern of losing wickets while chasing such a big total, and it came true when England lost 4 wickets for 93 within the middle of the second session. Despite losing four wickets, England had shown real intent to chase down the target from the start of the fifth wicket partnership between Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow. At tea, the partnership made 46 off 52 balls and carried the total to 139/4 at Tea.

With the equation of 160 off 228 balls to win the match in the third session, England had to come up with a lot more intent in the post tea session. Two unbeaten batters, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow, came to the crease with an aggressive mindset and counter attacked the Kiwi bowlers. Amazingly, England had to play only 16 overs in the third session to collect those 160 runs. In other words, England took a T20 approach against New Zealand in the final session, which perfectly paid off for them.

Bairstow, in particular, was ruthless and hammered the New Zealand bowlers all over the ground. It took him only 77 balls to reach the three figure mark, which is the second fastest century by an English player after Gilbert Jessop. Trent Boult eventually removed Bairstow when he was at 136, but by then England required only 27 runs to win.

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Fastest Test Centuries by English Players

Player	Opposition	Balls
Gilbert Jessop	Australia (1902, the Oval)	76
Jonny Bairstow	New Zealand (2022, Trent Bridge)	77
Ben Stokes	New Zealand (2015, Lord’s)	85

  Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/

An unbeaten 27-run stand between captain Ben Stokes and Ben Foakes for the sixth wicket guided England to a 5-wicket victory in the second Test. Stokes hit the winning run through a boundary. He also played an aggressive knock and was unbeaten with 75* runs.

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Notable Records in the ENG vs NZ Second Test 2022

The majority of the records were set in the fourth innings of the second Test match between England and New Zealand at Trent Bridge. The following are some significant records set during the match.

1) Trent Boult of New Zealand became the highest run scorer in the Test format, batting at No. 11. He has scored 640 runs in 79 innings. Sri Lanka’s Muthiah Muralidaran (623) and England's James Anderson (618) are in second and third positions, respectively.

2) English pacer James Anderson took his 650th Test wicket in this match, becoming the format's only fast bowler to do so. He is currently the third highest test wicket-taker with 651, just behind Shane Warne (708) and Muthiah Muralidaran (800).

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3) Jonny Bairstow played 77 balls to reach his ninth Test century, which is the second fastest by an English player. Gilbert Jessop hit the fastest Test century for England against Australia in 1902 at the Oval with 76 balls.

4) England successfully chased down the 299-run target and clinched the match. This was England’s fifth most successful run chase in the fourth innings and third best at home.

5) Jonny Bairstow’s 136 runs was the third best in the fourth innings among the English batters in winning matches.

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6) Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow’s 179-run fifth wicket stand was the third best in the fourth innings for England in winning matches.

Bottom Line

England's Test team has struggled a lot under Joe Root's leadership in the last one year. Therefore, the ECB made a major decision in handing over the captaincy to Ben Stokes. Besides, former New Zealand batter, Brendon McCullum was appointed as head coach. The Three Lions won their first Test series since January 2021 against Sri Lanka with a victory in the ENG vs NZ Second Test 2022.

Jonny Bairstow's knock was crucial in clinching the victory, and he deservedly took home the player of the match award. Bairstow's century will probably go down as one of the most memorable fourth-inning Test knocks ever. Furthermore, Ben Stokes is off to a strong start as captain, with the England Test team looking rejuvenated under his leadership. 

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