New Zealand won the three-match Test series against England 2-1 to claim the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy for the first time in the rivalry’s history, completing the turnaround with a 160-run victory at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on June 29, 2026. Fast bowler Nathan Smith was named Player of the Series after finishing with 16 wickets, the leading haul on either side.
England draw first blood at Lord’s
England began the series strongly, winning the opening Test at Lord’s by 115 runs between June 4 and 7. Ben Duckett’s form at the top of the order was a feature of the match and of the series as a whole, and Jofra Archer’s pace bowling gave England the early initiative in a contest played in front of a typically expectant Lord’s crowd. At that stage, England looked well placed to defend the trophy they had won 2-1 in the corresponding series in 2024-25.
New Zealand respond at The Oval
New Zealand hit back emphatically in the second Test at The Oval, winning by 253 runs between June 17 and 21. Daryl Mitchell’s runs in the middle order gave the tourists a platform, while Smith’s bowling began to assert itself in English conditions, a pattern that would define the remainder of the series. The scale of the win at The Oval swung momentum firmly the tourists’ way heading into the decider. The margin at The Oval was New Zealand’s heaviest Test win in England for several years, and it forced English selectors into a defensive posture heading to Trent Bridge, with debate already circulating in the media about whether changes to the bowling attack were needed to counter Smith’s growing threat.
Smith seals it at Trent Bridge
The third and deciding Test at Trent Bridge, played from June 25 to 29, went New Zealand’s way by 160 runs, sealing the series 2-1 and handing the tourists the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy for the first time since the trophy was introduced to commemorate Martin Crowe and Graham Thorpe. Smith’s sustained hostility with the new ball and in support of the spinners through the middle overs was central to New Zealand bowling England out twice inside the match, rounding off a series in which his 16 wickets outstripped every other bowler.
Duckett and Mitchell headline the batting
With the bat, Ben Duckett was England’s leading run-scorer across the series with 246 runs, underlining his importance at the top of the order even as his side lost the series. Daryl Mitchell was New Zealand’s most productive batter with 235 runs, giving the tourists’ middle order the stability it needed against an England attack led by Archer, who took 11 wickets across the three Tests but could not prevent the series slipping away after Lord’s.
A reversal that stings for England
For England, the result represents a reversal of the momentum built during the 2024-25 series win, and raises familiar questions about the team’s consistency against high-quality seam bowling in home conditions once the opening Test advantage evaporated. English observers have pointed to the middle order’s struggles against Smith in particular as the most alarming trend to emerge from the series, an issue that will need addressing before the team’s next assessment against top-tier opposition.
New Zealand’s statement series
For New Zealand, winning the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy for the first time is a significant landmark, achieved away from home against a full-strength England side and built on Smith’s emergence as a genuine strike bowler in English conditions. Captain and team management have credited the balance between senior batting performances from Mitchell and a rejuvenated pace attack for a series win that will strengthen New Zealand’s growing reputation as a team capable of winning consistently outside home conditions.
What it means going forward
The result adds to a strong recent run of away form for New Zealand across multiple Test series in 2026, while England face a period of reflection on personnel and tactics ahead of a heavy Test schedule against other opponents later in the year. Both boards will use the series as a reference point heading into the next World Test Championship cycle, with New Zealand’s away-from-home credentials now considerably strengthened and England needing to address the batting frailties exposed after their bright start at Lord’s.