New Zealand v England 2nd Test Day 5: New Zealand win thriller by just 1 run to level series

New Zealand beat England by just one run to level series, on the 5th Day of the 2^nd Test, at the Basin Reserve.  It is just the fourth time in the history of Test cricket that a team has won after being forced to follow on.

Match Summary

New Zealand vs England, 2nd Test, England tour of New Zealand

New Zealand 209/10 (53.2 ov) & 483/10 (162.3 ov)

England 435/8d (87.1 ov) & 256/10 (74.2 ov)

Result - New Zealand won by 1 run

SCORECARD

What a finish in Wellington as Neil Wagner dismisses James Anderson to ensure New Zealand register a famous one-run victory over England ??#NZvENG pic.twitter.com/g0bjxVYbkH

— ICC (@ICC) February 28, 2023

Match Day Analysis

 

New Zealand beat England by just one run in a second-Test thriller on Tuesday to draw the series despite having been forced to follow on in Wellington.

New Zealand set England a target of 258 runs to win, but the visitors were all out for 256 in dramatic scenes as the two-Test series finished 1-1.

Neil Wagner took the decisive wicket of James Anderson as New Zealand wicketkeeper Tom Blundell pulled off a diving catch to make history.

"Amazing achievement, hats off to everyone, everyone kept fighting." said Wagner, who finished with 4-62. 

"That's the characteristics of this team, they played well, credit where it's due, but we found a way of contributing." 

Blundell was delighted to hang on to the tumbling catch. 

"Saw it well and luckily it went in clean. Pretty happy," said the wicketkeeper.

It was only the fourth occasion a team has won a Test after being asked to follow on, and the first time for New Zealand.

England managed it twice, against Australia in 1894 and 1981, while India beat Australia in 2001.

It was the first time England have lost a Test after forcing their opponents to follow on.

A topsy-turvy Test match swung back to New Zealand during the final two gripping days.

England were on course for victory after declaring their first innings on 435-8, then bowling out New Zealand for 209.

Former skipper Kane Williamson dragged New Zealand back into the Test with a superb 132 in their second innings 483 on Monday, leaving England 258 to win.

Having resumed at 48-1, England wobbled Tuesday morning by losing four wickets for just 27 runs before Joe Root steadied the ship by steering his team to 168-5 at lunch.

As England chipped away at their target, Root's partnership with Ben Stokes ended on 121 when England's captain was caught at square leg.

The pressure on England intensified dramatically after Root went for 95 with England still 57 runs short.

Wicketkeeper Ben Foakes kept England in the fight with a cavalier 35, surviving a dropped catch by Michael Bracewell before clubbing three fours to the boundary.

After Foakes caught by Wagner in the deep off Southee, it left last pair James Anderson and Jack Leach still needing seven runs for victory.

Anderson clubbed a four to get within two runs before Wagner and Blundell combined to land the knockout punch.

Match Stats

England 1^st Innings Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Zak Crawley - 3.4 ov), 2-21 (Ollie Pope - 5.5 ov), 3-21 (Ben Duckett - 6.4 ov), 4-323 (Harry Brook - 67.1 ov), 5-362 (Ben Stokes - 74.2 ov), 6-363 (Ben Foakes - 75.2 ov), 7-389 (Stuart Broad - 79.2 ov), 8-424 (Ollie Robinson - 85.4 ov)

New Zealand 1^st Innings Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Devon Conway - 0.5 ov), 2-7 (Kane Williamson - 4.2 ov), 3-21 (Will Young - 8.3 ov), 4-60 (Tom Latham - 20.2 ov), 5-77 (Henry Nicholls - 24.2 ov), 6-96 (Daryl Mitchell - 32.6 ov), 7-103 (Michael Bracewb ell - 35.3 ov), 8-201 (Tim Southee - 49.3 ov), 9-208 (Tom Blundell - 51.5 ov), 10-209 (Matt Henry - 53.2 ov)

New Zealand 2^nd Innings Fall of wickets: 1-149 (Devon Conway - 52.5 ov), 2-155 (Tom Latham - 55.5 ov), 3-167 (Will Young - 61.4 ov), 4-222 (Henry Nicholls - 90.3 ov), 5-297 (Daryl Mitchell - 107.3 ov), 6-455 (Kane Williamson - 151.6 ov), 7-478 (Michael Bracewell - 158.2 ov), 8-482 (Tim Southee - 160.2 ov), 9-482 (Matt Henry - 160.5 ov), 10-483 (Tom Blundell - 162.3 ov)

England 2^nd Innings Fall of wickets: 1-39 (Zak Crawley - 7.6 ov), 2-53 (Ollie Robinson - 13.3 ov), 3-59 (Ben Duckett - 16.2 ov), 4-80 (Ollie Pope - 20.6 ov), 5-80 (Harry Brook - 21.1 ov), 6-201 (Ben Stokes - 56.4 ov), 7-202 (Joe Root - 58.1 ov), 8-215 (Stuart Broad - 61.1 ov), 9-251 (Ben Foakes - 71.4 ov), 10-256 (James Anderson - 74.2 ov)

Playing XIs

New Zealand: Tom Blundell(WK), Tim Southee(C), Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson, Michael Bracewell, Matt Henry, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Neil Wagner 

England: Ben Foakes(WK), Ben Stokes(C), Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Ollie Pope, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, Jack Leach

 

Match Details:

Date: Thursday, February 23, 2023 22:00

Venue: Basin Reserve, Wellington

Toss: New Zealand won the toss & elected to field