England suffered a heartbreaking one-run defeat in the second Test of their series against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. In a thrilling finale, the last man James Anderson was caught down the leg side off Neil Wagner when England needed two runs to win. The loss ended their run of six straight victories and denied them a seventh straight win, a feat last achieved by England in 2004.
The match began with England enforcing the follow-on for the first time, and New Zealand responded with a magnificent comeback, with Kane Williamson making a classy century. When England began their chase on the fifth day, they were favourites on a pitch that remained good for batting until a chaotic collapse of four wickets for 27. Joe Root and Ben Stokes then put on a stand of 121, before another collapse of 3-14. Ben Foakes, Jack Leach and Anderson almost got them over the line, but ultimately England lost a Test after enforcing the follow-on for the first time, the fourth such defeat in Test history.
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. England’s next Test is against Ireland at Lord’s on 1 June before their bid to regain the Ashes begins on 16 June.
This was an enthralling conclusion to a memorable Test, played out to a rapturous crowd given free entry to the Basin Reserve. England repeatedly state their commitment to making Test cricket entertaining, but this cannot have been in the script. Root’s counter-attack and Stokes’ stoicism looked to have regained control, before the pendulum swung again. Foakes hooked just over Michael Bracewell at deep mid-wicket when he had 12 and New Zealand’s short-ball plan became increasingly ragged. The target ticked down, anticipation rose and, when Foakes finally made an error, the sight of 40-year-old Anderson walking to the crease was pure theatre. It looked like he would hit the winning runs for the first time in his distinguished Test career, but instead England suffered only the second one-run defeat in Test history.
This loss will not derail England’s preparations for the summer Ashes. Their style is established and they are transformed from the team that were on a run of one win in 17 Tests this time last year. The biggest concern coming out of this Test is the state of Stokes’ fitness, with the all-rounder often hobbling and bowling only two overs in the match.
England were left heartbroken after suffering a one-run defeat to New Zealand in an enthralling second Test at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. The loss ended their run of six straight victories and denied them a seventh straight win, a feat last achieved by England in 2004.
The match began with England enforcing the follow-on for the first time, and New Zealand responded with a magnificent comeback, with Kane Williamson making a classy century. When England began their chase on the fifth day, they were favourites on a pitch that remained good for batting until a chaotic collapse of four wickets for 27. Joe Root and Ben Stokes then put on a stand of 121, before another collapse of 3-14. Ben Foakes, Jack Leach and Anderson almost got them over the line, but ultimately England lost a Test after enforcing the follow-on for the first time, the fourth such defeat in Test history.
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. England’s next Test is against Ireland at Lord’s on 1 June before their bid to regain the Ashes begins on 16 June. This was an unforgettable conclusion to a memorable Test, played out to a rapturous crowd given free entry to the Basin Reserve. The emotions that both teams went through were incredible and everyone got their money’s worth from this game.
England repeatedly state their commitment to making Test cricket entertaining, but this cannot have been in the script. Root’s counter-attack and Stokes’ stoicism looked to have regained control, before the pendulum swung again. Foakes hooked just over Michael Bracewell at deep mid-wicket when he had 12 and New Zealand’s short-ball plan became increasingly ragged. The target ticked down, anticipation rose and, when Foakes finally made an error, Anderson walked to the crease with hopes of hitting the winning runs for the first time in his distinguished Test career. However, it was Wagner who had the final say to leave Leach one not out from 31 balls and England suffered only the second one-run defeat in Test history.
This loss will not derail England’s preparations for the summer Ashes. Their style is established and they are transformed from the team that were on a run of one win in 17 Tests this time last year. The biggest concern coming out of this Test is the state of Stokes’ fitness, with the all-rounder often hobbling and bowling only two overs in the match. Despite this heartbreaking defeat, England can take pride in their performance throughout this series and look forward to their upcoming challenges with confidence.