New Zealand have beaten England by one run in one of the all-time great finishes to a test match.
On an unbelievable final day at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, England’s last player James Anderson was caught down the leg side off Neil Wagner when England needed two to win.
The final day was splendid cricket. Needing 258 to win the match and series, England slipped to 80-5, before a stand of 121 between Joe Root and Ben Stokes seemed to bring the game towards England. But then another collapse of 3-14 saw the advantage go back to New Zealand. England’s second to last pair put on 35 runs in what looked like a match winning partnership before Wagner’s final heroics.
It is only the 4th time in Tests were a team enforcing the follow-on has lost.
For New Zealand, their first win after following on earns a 1-1 draw in the series and protects an unbeaten home run that stretches back to 2017.
The Black Caps comeback in the test was largely due to Kane Williamson making a classy century in New Zealand’s second bat. His 26th test saw him become New Zealand’s leading run scorer, overtaking Ross Taylor.
