Brilliant Jonny Bairstow onslaught guides England to famous win over New Zealand

Seldom has a batter exited the playing field with such a look of satisfaction on their face after being dismissed before a game has been won.

Jonny Bairstow departed the crease with 27 runs still to get for England to win the second Test against New Zealand on Tuesday afternoon at Trent Bridge.

The contented smile which he wore all the way back to the dressing room was well earned.

A game that had appeared all but unwinnable when England conceded 553 in the first innings was now as good as sealed.

And Bairstow himself had just played one of the all-time epics of English Test history.

He signed for 136 from 92 balls. Not long after, England were signing for a win which puts them 2-0 up in the series with one game still to go. That, too, against the side who became the first world Test champions last year.

How sweet the rebirth of England’s Test team has been so far.

When Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum were appointed to transform this side at the start of the summer, they warned it might take a while.

Two Tests in, it already feels like they are a side revolutionised.

Judged by the scenes beyond the boundary in Nottingham, the glory days really are already here again. A packed-out crowd, despite it being the second day of the working week, witnessed the highest ever fourth-innings run chase in a Trent Bridge Test.

The ground’s authorities had played their part in the upsurge of goodwill, by offering free admission, despite a classic day’s play being in the offing.

For the first two sessions of it, the sides appeared evenly matches. Starting the day with three wickets left available to them, New Zealand managed to eke out 284 in their second innings, and thus set England a target of 299 from a minimum of 72 overs.

By the