England kick-started their home season with a dominating 3-0 whitewash over New Zealand in the Test series. It was a competitive series as players from both sides went neck to neck and gave everything to make their team win. 

While it was Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Ollie Pope who were the star performers for England, Daryl Mitchell stole the limelight in all three games by smashing tons in each one of them. 

Mitchell scored 538 runs at an average of 107.6 and was also named New Zealand's Player of the Series. For England Root was awarded Player of the Series as he amassed 396 runs in six innings at an average of 99.00. 

Read Also: “They chose to counterattack and did that very well”, Kane Williamson praises England’s approach

Not only with his batting, but Root also won the hearts of many with his gesture at the end of the third game. He made sure that Mitchell’s efforts gets recognised and as players were exchanging pleasantries with each other, the English batter was quick to run towards the stumps, uprooted one and handed it over to the Kiwi batter. 

Here’s the video: 

After chasing big totals in the first two games at Lord’s and Trent Bridge, they followed it with another incredible as they chased 296 runs at Headingley. Coming to the fifth Test, England took just 15.2 overs to score the remaining 113 runs they needed on Day 5 to reach a target of 296. 

Bairstow notched up a 30-ball fifty to wrap up the game in just over for his side by 7 wickets in an hour of play after rain washed out the first session. He was supported well by Root, who scored an unbeaten 86 runs off 125 balls to help his side complete the whitewash.