England’s hopes of ending the year with a whitewash over New Zealand faded fast on the second day in Hamilton, where an error-strewn batting collapse left them adrift in the third Test.
The tourists disintegrated for 143 all out in just 35.4 overs at Seddon Park, looking a shadow of the side that had bossed their way to wins in Christchurch and Wellington to secure the series.
With the Black Caps having stretched their first-innings total to 347 with a stubborn last-wicket stand, England did not even clear the follow-on mark.
They were spared the ignominy of being sent in again but struggled to stay competitive by the close, New Zealand easing their lead to 340 as they put on 136 for three.
England have endured worse days with the bat in 2024 – skittled for 112 in Rawalpindi and 122 in Rajkot – but rarely have they underperformed so markedly in gentle conditions. The sun was shining overhead, the pitch manageable and there were scores to be had for those with the necessary resolve. Instead, they were bundled out all too easily, Joe Root’s 32 the high watermark on an underwhelming card.
From 77 for two they collapsed without a trace, Surrey-born seamer Will O’Rourke kickstarting a chaotic afternoon with three wickets in the space of eight deliveries. He ripped the heart out of the middle order, working over Jacob Bethell, inflicting Harry Brook’s first golden duck in international cricket and capping his work with the key dismissal of Root.
Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes flirted with a fightback in a stand of 52 but England let themselves down badly as they lost their last five for the addition of just nine runs. Matt Henry wrapped up a well-deserved four-for and spinner Mitchell Santner mopped up three cheap wickets in as many overs.
The left-armer had started the day with bat in hand, joining O’Rourke in a stubborn 10-wicket partnership that totalled 44. Stokes and England were unusually passive but, after 15 joyless overs and an hour of unproductive toil, Matthew Potts finally bowled Santner for 76.
The change of innings turned attention immediately to Zak Crawley, whose struggles at opener have become acute in recent weeks. He started brightly, lashing four driven boundaries in Tim Southee’s first over to give himself a much needed lift at the retiring veteran’s expense.
But his troubled tour continued as Matt Henry dismissed him for the fifth time in five attempts, pouncing athletically to grab a leading edge in his follow-through. An unfulfilled 21 took his series tally to 47, with his average hovering at a lowly 9.40.
Henry soon added Ben Duckett, lbw to a textbook seaming delivery, leaving England up against it. Bethell and Root put on 44 either side of lunch, the team’s least and most experienced players briefly dovetailing before it all turned sour.
O’Rourke was the catalyst, sweeping the rug from beneath England’s feet with a formidable burst. He worked over Bethell with a sequence of short-pitched deliveries before tossing one fuller and allowing the 21-year-old to carve obligingly to backward point. Bethell has shown glimpses of his rich talent in his initial outings at the highest level, but first-innings scores of 10, 16 and 12 mean his case at number three remains unproven.
Brook arrived at the crease as the newly-installed number one batter in the world and came crashing back to earth a few seconds later as he diverted his first ball back into the stumps.
O’Rourke’s inspired work continued with key dismissal of Root, the man Brook usurped in the rankings. He was cramped by a ball that rose sharply and jagged back in but, rather than taken evasive action, Root shaped to steer towards deep third and picked out Glenn Phillips.
Pope (24) and Stokes (27) briefly ended the chaos, sharing 10 boundaries as they tried to land some blows of their own, but Santner foxed both men as things finished in a blur.
Pope pushed at the spinner uncertainly, prodding straight to slip, while Stokes was lbw as he lost his footing on the sweep. Unlike New Zealand’s, the tail was blown over in a hurry as Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Potts came and went in quick succession.
There was never any realistic chance of the follow-on, meaning the bowling boots were soon being strapped back on. Despite some hard-earned weariness, they charged in gamely, Atkinson bowling Tom Latham for 40 off an inside edge and Stokes picking up Will Young for 60 with a bouncer.
Stokes added a second when O’Rourke was sent out to nightwatch and nicked off for nought, but England trudged off in deeper trouble than they could have imagined at the start of the day, Kane Williamson coasting an unbeaten 50 with the promise of plenty more to come.