NZ vs Eng: A Historic Victory By New Zealand

Whenever people say that Test cricket is dying, the format comes up with an absolute thriller of a match. Today, cricket fans across the world have witnessed one of the greatest Test matches in the history of the game. In this nail-biting thriller, New Zealand defeated England by just one run.

The 2nd Test in the ongoing England tour of New Zealand turned from a dead rubber to a tense thriller. After suffering follow-on in the game, New Zealand came back harder and won the match. It was the bowlers who gave the hosts this historic win.

After batting first, England made 435/8 and declared the first innings. Joe Root (153) and Harry Brook (186) shined with their respective centuries. New Zealand fumbled in the first innings and got all out for just 209 runs. Thus, the follow-on was enforced.

In the second innings, the hosts came back stronger. Especially, Kane Williamson (132) and Tom Blundell (90) played spectacular knocks and helped their team in getting a good total of 483. England needed to score 258 runs to win the match.

Considering the form of English batters, this is a very low target. But sensational spells of Kiwi bowlers Neil Wagner (3/45), Tim Southee (4/62) and Matt Henry (2/75) resulted in a quick fall of wickets. After the 9th wicket, England needed 7 runs to win. It managed to score five runs. When two runs were needed, Wagner dismissed James Anderson and sealed the game for his team.

This is only the fourth time in Test cricket history that a team won the match after facing a follow-on. Here are the four instances.

1. England vs Australia in 1894 (Eng won)
2. England vs Australia in 1981 (Eng won)
3. India vs Australia in 2001 (Ind won)
4. New Zealand vs England in 2023 (NZ won)