Bairstow blasts England to victory over New Zealand

Jonny Bairstow blasted 136 from 92 balls to lead England to a remarkable series-clinching victory in the second Test against New Zealand on Tuesday.

The hosts won the match in Nottingham by five wickets to clinch the three-test series.

New Zealand were bowled out for 284 before lunch, setting England a target of 299 to win -- the highest ever to claim a test victory at Trent Bridge.

England were 139 for four at tea, having lost leading batsman Joe Root for three, with the game in the balance.

But then Bairstow and skipper Ben Stokes ripped the Kiwi bowling attack apart in devastating fashion, hammering 102 in the first nine overs after the interval.

In total, their partnership was worth 179 runs in 20.1 overs.

Bairstow flew to his century in 77 balls -- the second fastest test century by an England player, one ball slower than Gilbert Jessop's record against Australia at The Oval in 1902.

Stokes, battling a knee injury, was unbeaten on 75.

We’ve just chased 299 in 50 overs in a Test match on day five 🤯

Scorecard & Videos: https://t.co/ffFnHnaIPX

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 #ENGvNZ 🇳🇿 pic.twitter.com/EPG1oNUWuD

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 14, 2022