ENGLAND signed off 2024 with a chastening 423-run defeat against New Zealand in Hamilton, with injured captain Ben Stokes not fit enough to go down with the ship.

Faced with a gargantuan chase of 658 and with the series already secured, England faded away for 234 on the fourth afternoon, finishing nine down as Stokes opted not to risk aggravating his hamstring problems by chasing a lost cause.

He watched his team slump to the fourth highest runs defeat in English history from behind a pair of sunglasses and is set to undergo a scan before leaving the country to determine the severity of his latest setback.