England could not muster any form of a comeback on Day 4 at Seddon Park, capitulating to a 423-run loss, having been bowled out for 234 – recording their 4th heaviest ever defeat by runs, and providing New Zealand with a record margin of victory.
Jacob Bethell and Joe Root began the day in dependable fashion, combining for a 104-run stand, before Root was trapped LBW by man of the match, Mitchell Santner. Root’s 54 was perhaps one of his less convincing half-centuries – dropped on 20, surviving 2 likely LBWs, and getting rocked by a 90mph missile, courtesy of Will O’Rourke. His dismissal soon after drinks in the morning session began the inevitable collapse.
Will O’Rourke, despite only ending with 1 wicket, bowled menacingly, bowling back-to-back overs (his 10th and 11th) consisting of 5 balls over the 90mph mark. His pace once again proved to unnerve the English middle order, as Brook fell victim to another rising delivery.
Bethell (76) became Tim Southee’s 391st and final test victim, before Mitchell Santner ripped through the tail, finishing with 7 wickets for the game, delayed only by Gus Atkinson’s cameo of 43 at more than a run a ball.
A mammoth loss in Hamilton. Even the England captain, Ben Stokes (typically a stubborn defender of his players) admitted that it was a poor performance from his team, saying “We know we just didn’t play anywhere near our capability”. Reflecting on the series as a whole, Stokes praised his side, saying “It’s no mean feat coming to New Zealand and beating them”, but that “It’s disappointing to end the year with a loss”.
As disappointing as it may be, England will be relieved to have finally ended their marathon year. Having played 17 Test Matches, they have come to the end of their joint busiest year of Test Match cricket, equal only with their 2016 schedule.
Of those 17 matches, only 6 have come at home, whilst the team has spent the best part of three and a half months away during 2024, playing 11 matches overseas.
The year began with a crushing 4-1 series defeat in India, despite a heroic 28-run win in Hyderabad to start the series. Only five of the eleven in that game appeared in this New Zealand series, as England end the year with a completely different bowling attack to the one they began with.
In his decorated 18-yr career, Southee spearheaded the 🇳🇿 attack across formats, appearing in four ODI World Cups, two Champions Trophy tournaments, seven T20 World Cups and a WTC Final in which he claimed a fifer.
He was key to their historic 3-0 whitewash of 🇮🇳 in India too. pic.twitter.com/xwCXnoLaRS
— Guerilla Cricket #GCFromHome (@guerillacricket) November 15, 2024
Jimmy Anderson was nudged into retirement in the first Test of the summer, as Gus Atkinson seamlessly slotted into his role with the new ball, taking 7 wickets in his debut innings against the West Indies at Lords. Tom Hartley came and went, and despite being the highest wicket-taker in the India series, he has not featured since. Rehan Ahmed and Jack Leach remain in the squad, but with Shoaib Bashir having the full faith of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, it is unlikely that they will play a major role in the next year of Test Match Cricket.
Ollie Robinson, one of the principal seamers at the start of the ‘Bazball’ era, has not featured for England since the 4th Test in India, in Ranji, and is unexpected to play again whilst McCullum is in charge. It seems that Johnny Bairstow, another pioneer of ‘Bazball’, will not feature again for England, as Stokes and McCullum have opted for the youth of Jamie Smith, who has thus far done a fine job for England with both bat and gloves.
Evaluating the year just passed, Stokes stated that he was “Very very happy with how our 2024 has gone”, continuing by saying “We’ve had a lot of opportunities given to inexperienced guys at this level, who have showed that they have what it takes to not only compete, but deliver match winning moments of the highest level”.
Stokes was full of praise for the previously mentioned Gus Atkinson, acclaiming him as the “standout. What a 2024 he’s had since coming into the team”. Indeed, Atkinson has had a record-breaking 2024 – and he only debuted in July! Since his debut at Lords, Atkinson has amassed the most wickets out of any English bowler, ending the year with 52 wickets in 11 games, at an average of 22.15. He has also notched a Test Match century, 5fer, 10fer, and even a Test Match hattrick. With a pivotal year of Test cricket on the horizon, Atkinson is bound to be the first bowler on the team sheet.
Other standout rising stars have been Jamie Smith (who is set to return to the side at Lords in May), Brydon Carse, and most recently, Jacob Bethell. Unsurprisingly, England’s highest ever run scorer once again topped the scoring charts for the calendar year, tallying up a total of 1,556 runs in 31 innings, at an average of 55.57. He is joined by Harry Brook at the top of the ICC batsman rankings, who has recently risen to number 1 in the charts, dropping the former down to number 2. Brook has enjoyed a successful 2024, scoring a total of 1,100 runs at an average of 55, including 4 hundreds – the highlight of which being his monumental 317 in Multan, in October.
England will end the year with more wins than losses (9 vs 8). Not a massively attractive record, but the triumvirate of Stokes, McCullum, and Key, will look upon the year with far greater appreciation than most.
With 10 Tests against India and Australia on the horizon, the 2024 schedule has enabled them to have a look at a variety of players. As an abundance of talent has emerged out of the younger players in the side, the excitement is palpable ahead of an immense 2025.
