England could scarcely have been made to feel more welcome in New Zealand, be it a warm-up game tailored to their specifications in Queenstown, those eight dropped catches in Christchurch, or the cheery ground announcer regaling spectators with Harry Brook’s eye-popping statistics throughout the two Tests.
And what have England done in return? Pretty much bulldozed their way to securing the new Crowe‑Thorpe Trophy in the space of seven days and with a third match still to play. Sealed with a 323‑run hammering in windy Wellington on Sunday, it made for England’s first series victory on these shores since 2008 – a tour, like this year, that saw the attack rebooted – and their first on the road since Pakistan in late 2022.
