England defied the Headingley drizzle on day five of the second Test to add the finishing touches to a 2-0 series whitewash over New Zealand with a 247-run victory.

New Zealand started a rain-affected final day on 158 for six, leaving England four wickets short of outright success, and eventually subsided for 220 in a belated afternoon session.

James Anderson took the final wicket with his third ball of the day — a 307th Test scalp that takes him level with Fred Trueman and joint third on England's all-time list.

Graeme Swann was also crucial, taking two wickets to finish with six for 90 in the innings and career-best match figures of 10 for 132.

All the talk overnight surrounded the possibility of a rain-affected draw — with knives being sharpened for Alastair Cook’s conservative captaincy.

But England’s decision to place their faith in the British weather paid off despite losing much of the scheduled play.