England player ratings as Root and Brook star amid Crawley struggles
England played out a thrilling drawn series against New Zealand as head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes returned to the country they were born in.
England emphatically won the first Test in Mount Maunganui, thrashing the hosts by 267 runs inside four days. However, New Zealand fought back in Wellington to win a thrilling Test by just one run.
It is only the second Test in history to be won by that margin and just the fourth time a team has emerged victorious after being asked to follow on. And England will now turn their focus to trying to regain the Ashes from Australia later this summer.
Here are the England player ratings...
Zak Crawley - 2
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Another disappointing return from the opener whose place in the side is becoming increasingly harder to justify. Dropped catches too.
Ben Duckett - 7
Made useful contributions throughout and will be a fixture throughout the summer. Could probably still attack more.
Ollie Pope - 5
Trying to shake off his second innings drop in form, and still has a way to go to do so, but has lots to admire, not least his close catching.
Joe Root and Harry Brook were excellent with the bat (Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)Joe Root - 9
Still the master with a blade in his hand. Came agonisingly close to being the hero of the tour after running out Brook. Don’t worry about Joe.
Harry Brook - 9
Turns out the only way to stop him was to deny him any balls to face. A huge performance and one the team are desperate to see him repeat against the Aussies.
Ben Stokes - 7
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Has remained steadfast and true to his word as an entertaining captain, even if it cost his team in Wellington. His own fitness is the biggest worry as it reduces his impact.
Ben Stokes is struggling with a chronic knee injury (Philip Brown/Popperfoto/Popperfoto via Getty Images)Ben Foakes - 7
Has found a place for his quality in this team of dashers, and his brilliant glovework is still worthy of comment. Big summer for him to come.
Ollie Robinson - 6
Hugely valuable member of the side and deserves the new ball. Could have had more wickets, but was a constant threat.
Stuart Broad - 7
Showed he still has those match-winning spells in him, even if they are fewer and farther between now. He will make an impact somewhere this summer.
Jack Leach - 7
A happy workhorse when his team needed it, with a sprinkle of wicket-taking magic. Has to really earn his wickets and does a solid job for the team.
James Anderson - 8
An all-time great who is still producing the finest of performances. Only fitness will hamper him, his skills are immaculate.
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