ENG vs NZ: Top 3 batting performances from the Test series

The new era of Test cricket for England under the tutelage of Brendon McCullum got off to a flying start when they whitewashed New Zealand 3-0.

After winning the first two Tests, the Ben Stokes-led unit comfortably chased down the target of 296 in the fourth innings of the third Test at Headingley, Leeds. Jack Leach was named the Player of the Match for his maiden 10-wicket haul.

The three-match Test series established England's newfangled attacking approach in red-ball cricket. On the back of Jonny Bairstow's destructive batting and Joe Root's dependable knocks, the hosts displayed resilience and incredible counterpunching ability.

For New Zealand, the problems largely lay in the batting department as none of the batters, barring Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell, performed consistently. The visitors squandered multiple advantageous situations throughout the series to end up losing all three matches.

On that note, let's look at the top three batting performances from the recently-concluded England vs New Zealand Test series.

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#3 Jonny Bairstow's 162 in the 3rd Test at Headingley

Jonny Bairstow's century ensured that his side finished the series on a high and whitewashed the Kiwis.

Where Joe Root continued to pile up runs one one end, Jonny Bairstow produced an onslaught on the Kiwi bowlers at the other.

Bairstow's second hundred of the series came in the third Test and bailed England out of serious trouble. He counter-attacked the Kiwi bowlers and put on an excellent show in Leeds.

After New Zealand scored 329 in their first innings, England found themselves reeling at 55-6 in 12 overs. Bairstow had an arduous task ahead of him batting alongside debutant all-rounder Jamie Overton. The Kiwi pacers were all over the English batters, but the duo of Bairstow and Overton batted through the storm with ease with the former delivering the sucker-punch.

Right from the start, Bairstow kept finding boundaries while Overton played second fiddle. While he didn't hit a single six in his innings, Bairstow scored 24 boundaries and stitched together an incredible partnership of 241 runs with Overton for the seventh wicket.

Bairstow's masterful innings of 162 off 157 balls came to an end when he miscued a drive and handed a catch to Trent Boult at long-off. Their was a huge round of applause for the local lad as well.

Thanks to Bairstow, England took a 31-run lead at the end of the first innings, having found themselves in a precarious position early on.

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#2 Daryl Mitchell's 190 in the 2nd Test at Trent Bridge

Daryl Mitchell enjoyed an incredibly prolific tour and was unfortunate to end up on the losing side.

The series against England proved to be a dream for Daryl Mitchell as he manifested one of the best tours for a visiting batter on English soil. He amassed 538 runs in six innings and was the highest run-getter across both sides.

Mitchell's highest score came in the second Test match at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. The encounter proved to be one of the best Test matches in the recent past as there were a number of memorable performances from the game.

After being put to bat first on a great batting surface, the Kiwis had a solid start. However, they lost a couple of wickets in quick succession, prompting Mitchell to enter the frame. The 31-year old took his time initially and soon found his groove against the English bowlers.

He created a formidable partnership with Tom Blundell (106), a recurring theme throughout the series, and the pair added 236 runs for the fifth wicket. While Blundell kept collecting boundaries on one end, Mitchell put on a resilient show and batted with valor on the other end.

The duo took advantage of a docile pitch and the lackluster English bowling. Once he settled in, Mitchell pummelled his way to his highest Test score of 190 off 318 balls.

The Hamilton-born all-rounder handpicked Jack Leach and smashed him for three sixes in the innings. Mitchell's outstanding innings aided the Black Caps in posting a mammoth total of 553 in the first innings, which was also their highest ever in England.

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#1 Jonny Bairstow's 136 in the 2nd Test at Trent Bridge

Jonny Bairstow's knock in the second Test will go down as one of the greatest of all time.

The packed house at Trent Bridge in Nottingham was treated to a jaw-dropping display on the final day of the second Test between England and New Zealand. With the willow in hand, Jonny Bairstow played one of the most iconic innings in red-ball cricket and propelled his side to an unforgettable victory.

With the hosts chasing 299 in last 72 overs of the fifth day, all three results were possible. However, moments after the fourth innings began, Trent Boult hurt the hosts by picking up the wickets of Zak Crawley for a duck and Joe Root for three.

At 93/4 after 25 overs, England seemed to be staring down the barrel and were likely to lose their 1-0 lead in the series. It would've made complete sense to hold on and stave off the defeat. However, with Bairstow and skipper Ben Stokes at the crease, the hosts launched a stunning counterattack that put the Kiwis to the sword.

With the hosts needing 160 runs in the last session, Bairstow went berserk. He took every Kiwi bowler to the cleaners and played some outstanding strokes. The right-hander hit New Zealand like a tornado and reached his hundred in just 77 deliveries, making it the fastest Test century by an English batter.

The Yorkshireman pulled, cut, drove and lofted anything the Kiwis threw at him, ending with 14 fours and seven maximums. Boult eventually dismissed him on 136 off 92 balls, but the damage had already been done as the hosts needed just 27 runs to win the contest.

Stokes (75*) and Ben Foakes (12*) took their side home inside 50 overs to mark the highest successful Test chase at Trent Bridge.

Bairstow finished the series with an outstanding strike rate of 120.12, scoring 394 runs in six innings.

Honorable mentions:

Joe Root's 176 off 211 in the second Test.

Joe Root's 115 off 170 in the first Test.