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that Duke ball is entirely different to the Kookaburra - it swings remarkably at times and with the right conditions
It looked like NZ lost the game on the first day losing that many wickets , all catch up after that

What a cracking series this was even though England won 3-0.
Some of the cricket played was astonishingly great, batsmen batting at better than a run a ball, some of the innings by Bairstow & Root you couldnt believe, very out of character but pleasing to watch.
For the Kiwis Daryl Mitchell had one out of the box, 500+ runs in a 3 Test series for someone who only got a look in with Nicholls & Williamson missing early but would now be a first choice batsman in their top 6 and his partnerships with Blundell had the Poms on the ropes a couple of times, those 2 just needed some support from the rest of their batting order.
It looks like Brendon McCullum's (and no doubt new Skipper Stokes) influence is rubbing off on the Poms already, a very un-English way of playing Test Cricket but refreshing I must say!

Bairstow in particular seems to have thrived under McCullum and Stokes BH. They have obviously told him to go out there and express himself without worrying about getting out and he has played some outrageous shots. Root has benefited from not being captain any more and has churned out the runs. They have also found a couple of good seamers in Potts and Jamie Overton. Jack Leach is also a completely different bowler from the one that was smashed all over the park in Australia last summer.

If they can continue to play cricket like this the Ashes series next year will be a completely different proposition and the Aussies may find themselves in a real fight.

New Zealand looked like a side that needs a bit of a refresh. Apart from Mitchell and Blundell their batting was pretty awful and their bowling had a sameness about it, even though Boult and Southee are still world class. England were able to consistently score at 4+ per over and the bowlers seemed incapable of keeping things tight. Their main problem was a lack of slow bowling options and the guy they used in the last 2 tests (Bracewell) was clearly not up to it. They were also unlucky with injuries losing Jamieson, De Grand Homme and Williamson at various stages but I don't think that had a significant affect on the result.

Was that Bracewell John's son Mike (or Brendan's for that matter)?
His off spin wasnt much too worry about, looked handy with the bat but threw his wicket away a couple of times trying to smash the bowling out of the ground.

that Dukes pill in English conditions is like another game entirely - NZ aren't the only ones who'll struggle against it , we all do 
And shortly India will probably wobble too

Good posts men: Willliamson always comes back to the field against good opposition; also, the South African, batted well for the Kiwis the last time two sides played one another. Root's a little unlucky in terms of the  captaincy keeping in mind that England should have won 2-1 in the WI.

India have proven a bit more of a sterner test for the new England attack mentality (Bazball they call it) than the Kiwis were able to provide
Firstly Pant and Jadeja scored brilliant attacking centuries to get India out of early trouble, then stand in captain Bumrah belted Broad for 35 in an over ( a test record) to lift India to 416.
Jonny Bairstow made his 3rd century in a row to rescue England from a precarious position but at the end of day 3 India lead by 257 with 7 wickets in hand. Unless England can make early inroads they will be looking at a chase of 400+
Very interesting cricket to watch because both sides are looking for a result.

India will probably have get to 450 ahead and even that could be under serious threat given the attacking methods England are employing and the amount of time left in the match
They'll go at anything at the moment
 

Bairstow is in the form of his life, think he needs to tested.....LOL.....Eng have got this run chase sorted it seems......interesting a few wins can do to a teams confidence.....Bazball  seems to have regenerated their game......time will tell how successful the Baz and Ben show will be...  been a promising start for sure....

Amazing that this is basically the same team that got belted up all over Australia 6 months ago. Its incredible what an attacking positive mindset can do. The only hope for India is to break the Root/ Bairstow partnership in the first half hour then chip away at the rest but such is the belief in the England team they probably think that Jimmy Anderson could whip up a quick fire 30 to get them over the line!  India played into England's hands by going completely negative in their 2nd innings and failing to build on their lead sufficiently. A 425-450 target would have been a different proposition but then again who knows?
At least if England get to 378 it will obliterate the Stokes fuelled Headingly win of 2019 from the record books as England's highest ever 4th innings chase