New Zealand defeated England by one run on the last day of the tumultuous second Test here on Tuesday to become the third Test team to win the follow-on. Chasing the target of 258 runs for victory, the entire England team was dismissed for 256 runs. This left the two-match series tied at 1-1. Neil Wagner took four wickets for New Zealand in the second innings.
Captain Tim Southee got three and Matt Henry got two successes. On a thrilling fifth day, Joe Root scored 95 and shared a 121-run fifth wicket partnership with captain Ben Stokes (33) to take England close to a 2-0 series win but Wagner By running both these batsmen within one run, New Zealand returned to the match.
Wicketkeeper Ben Fox then took the team to the brink of victory by playing an innings of 35 runs, but when seven runs were needed for victory, he was dismissed by Southee. Last batsman James Anderson added to the excitement with a boundary but wicket-keeper Tom Blundell dived to the left and took a brilliant catch off Neil Wagner to give New Zealand a memorable victory.
This is New Zealand’s smallest margin of victory in terms of runs in a Test match. Before this, only England and India team have been successful in winning the follow-on test match. England has done this feat twice while India has done it once. The last win after the follow-on was in 2001 when the Indian team defeated Australia by 171 runs at Eden Gardens.
The result also ended England’s run of six consecutive Test victories. The two-match series ended in a draw, helping New Zealand avoid their first defeat in a home series since 2017.
England had declared the first innings at 435 for nine wickets. The team then bundled out New Zealand’s first innings for 209 to take a 226-run lead. Former captain Kane Williamson scored 132 as New Zealand scored 483 in the second innings after following on, setting England a target of 258 for victory.
England started the day at 48 for one but New Zealand took four wickets in the first hour. England’s score became 80 runs for five wickets. After this Root and Stokes took the lead. Taking an aggressive approach, Root completed his 57th half-century in 51 balls.
He hit eight fours and three sixes in his 113-ball innings. Stokes, playing with a left knee injury, batted carefully and scored 33 runs in 116 balls.
