England’s investment in its emerging young talent is paying big dividends, according to UK media, who’ve warned Australian selectors about being too reliant on experienced players ahead of next year’s Ashes.

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England on Sunday took an unassailable 2-0 lead over the Black Caps thanks to a thumping 323-run win in Wellington, clinching a series on New Zealand soil for the first time since 2008.

While Joe Root starred with a 36th Test century, England was again well served by 25-year-old sensation Harry Brook, who clobbered an eighth ton in just his 23rd match, while 21-year-old Jacob Bethell notched a second half-century in his second Test.

England’s bowling attack in New Zealand has been spearheaded by Chris Woakes, but fellow quicks Brydon Carse (29 years old) and Gus Atkinson (26) have done the most damage, with support from spinner Shoaib Bashir (21). They’ve been picked ahead of the likes of Jofra Archer (29), Mark Wood (34), Olly Stone (31) and Jack Leach (33).

Writing for The Times, journalist Simon Wilde said England has “made a remarkable investment in next-generation talent”, pointing out that at least six players aged 26 or under had featured in the XI for each of its past 11 Tests.

“It is the most obvious consequence of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes’ decision to ‘refine’ the team’s personnel in the aftermath of the heavy series defeat in India last year, ‘refine’ being code for clearing out some of the old guard. James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes were the most notable casualties,” Wilde wrote in The Times.

Wilde then highlighted how “starkly different” England and Australia’s age profiles were.

“Whereas Stokes’ sides are predominantly youthful, Australia are almost entirely made up of thirty-somethings,” Wilde wrote.

“Of course, there is nothing wrong with older players; indeed, experience counts for a lot and Australia have little reason to look elsewhere while their great quartet of bowlers — Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon — continue to perform. They are the world Test champions and vying strongly for a place in next year’s final again.

“That said, they are going to have to renew their team at some stage and there must be a danger that if everyone gets old together it makes the rebuilding, when it comes, all the more painful. England will be hoping the Australians are too old by the time of next winter’s Ashes, while the Australians will reckon that series may provide the likes of Steve Smith, who will be 36 then, with one last hurrah.”

Australian selectors opted for Nathan McSweeney over 19-year-old sensation Sam Konstas to open the batting for the India series. Wilde argued that Stokes and McCullum most likely “would have gone with the younger man” if put in a similar position.

The win in Wellington was England’s eighth from its past 11 Tests – a stretch of form that began after the 4-1 humbling at the hands of India earlier this year.

“The Ashes are still almost a year away, but England have spent 2024 rearranging their jigsaw,” journalist Lawrence Booth wrote for The Daily Mail.

“Across three days at the Basin Reserve, the pieces came together with an ease that will not have gone unnoticed over the Tasman — even as Australia brushed aside India in Adelaide.”

One of England’s key pieces for next summer’s Ashes now appears to be fast bowler Carse, who’s exploded onto the Test scene in recent months with 25 wickets from four matches, including a series-high 16 scalps against New Zealand.

Booth wrote there was a “sense that England have unearthed an absolute menace” in Carse, who has made an impression on former Test quick Steven Finn.

“That seam unit looks fantastic on bouncy pitches, which is a good omen for 12 months’ time,” Finn said of England’s bowling attack on the TMS Podcast.

“Brydon Carse is clearly the most impressive thing about this series and the winter in general. England stood by him during his betting ban though the summer, Ben Stokes has always said he’s a bowler he feels as though could be effective and has the attributes to thrive in international cricket – and we’re really seeing that.

“He’s got a big heart and his ability to find lift and bounce is something that’s going to be important for England when they travel to Australia next year.

“Watching them all bowl in tandem, I thought they bowled really well as a unit. Atkinson has just continued his form from the summer, Chris Woakes bowled beautifully with that new ball in this Test. But for Brydon Carse to take that amount of wickets has been quite marvellous.

“They’re just building up that bank of bowlers that they’re going to need over the next 12 months or so to retain that intensity that New Zealand have struggled with in this series.

“Everything looks well thought out and the thing that’s been really impressive is how threatening England have looked almost all the time on these surfaces with more bounce, which is exciting looking forward to Australia next year.”

Former England captain Nasser Hussain declared Carse had “been the find of the winter” for England.

“In Pakistan, on some turgid, soulless pitches for seamers, he defied cramp to generate top speeds and showed great heart. He kept running in, banging the ball down and being the enforcer,” Hussain wrote in The Daily Mail.

“Now he’s dismissed any notion that he’s a one-dimensional bowler. We knew he had aggression and pace, but could he show skill as well? He has absolutely done that, and then some, in both Tests in New Zealand, taking 16 wickets to help England win the series.

“He will need all those facets as a pace bowler in Australia when England contest the Ashes next winter because of the heat, the flat pitches and the Kookaburra ball. There will be periods when nothing is happening. It’s not swinging, it’s not seaming, it’s not reverse swinging.

“If an Australia partnership is building, England are going to need someone who’s up for the battle, who’s got a bit of ticker, who enjoys doing the hard yards, relishes the third spell.”