Dispiriting Test series loss was confirmed amid mirth from the Edgbaston crowd as England try to find a path forward
The boos that reverberated around the Oval in 1999 were replaced by guffaws at Edgbaston on Sunday, as the final wicket of a sorry England batting performance fell at 10.59am. Trent Boult zipped the first ball of the day across Olly Stone, kissed the edge of a shy bat and the few thousand who had taken their seats instinctively chose wry mirth over misery. If you don’t laugh you’ll cry.
This wasn’t the end of a Test already well set on a path towards New Zealand’s first series win in England for 22 years; that came an hour later when Tom Latham dabbed the winning runs down to third man to knock off a paltry target of 38. But it was still a reflection of where England find themselves at present and, volume‑wise, matched only by the cheers that met the announcement after the handshakes that just 11 overs of cricket meant a full refund for ticket-holders.
