England were dismantled by New Zealand as Matt Henry starred in a 253-run victory for the tourists at The Oval.

It has been a difficult fortnight for England, who were without captain Ben Stokes, along with bowler Gus Atkinson, due to their suspensions.

Stokes and Atkinson were omitted from the squad for the second Test after an incident at a nightclub following the first match.

And a chaotic couple of weeks culminated in a crushing defeat, leaving the series tied at 1-1 heading into the final Test at Trent Bridge.

England went into the final day requiring 281 runs to win, with just five wickets to spare.

But their slim hopes faded fast. Root (77) was pinned lbw in the third over by Henry, who finished with figures of 6-29 in the innings and 11-109 overall.

Jofra Archer, Matthew Fisher and Josh Tongue all then fell to Henry without scoring, with only Jordan Cox, who started the day alongside Root, offering any resistance.

Cox eventually fell to Henry too, on 25, with England bowled out for just 209.

Defeat at The Kia Oval. pic.twitter.com/S8iDyHi8X3

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 21, 2026

Henry hoovers up sorry England

Henry had not recorded a five-for in 10 previous Tests against England. He ended that wait in some style.

His performance on Sunday, as he swept through the tail, was immense, and England offered no form of response was he had lured an edge from Root, who has at least become only the second batter to surpass 14,000 runs in the longest format, after Sachin Tendulkar.

Henry can now reflect on career-best figures, while New Zealand picked up just their third Test win in England this century.

The Black Caps do, though, have form at The Oval. The last time these teams met in a Test at the venue was back in 1999, with New Zealand winning by 83 runs on that occasion.