Well, it doesn’t get much closer than that. These are the games you live for, and as a player, fan and expert – these are the games that make you fall in love with the game all over again.
In one of the greatest Test matches of all time, New Zealand beat England in Wellington, a match that went down to the wire. Neil Wagner was the bowler and James Anderson was the batsman. With 2 runs needed for victory for England and just one wicket for New Zealand, it was Southee and company who held their nerves and won the second game by 1 run.
It is worth noting that the Kiwis became only the third country to win a Test match after implementing the follow-on.
other sports
- 1894 – England beat Australia by 10 runs
- 1981 – England beat Australia by 18 runs
- 2001 – India beat Australia by 171 runs
- 2023 – New Zealand beat England by 1 run*
New Zealand won the toss and decided to bowl. Moderated by The Magnificent 100 from England Joe Root (153) and Harry Brook (186). Made a challenging score of 435/8 in the first innings.
Batting at number two, New Zealand made the worst possible start and were trailing 21/3 at one stage. Southee’s 73 off 49 balls took the Kiwis to 209/10. He was asked to bat again by England, and stormed back into the game, scoring an impressive 483. Tom Latham (83), Kane Williamson (132), Tom Blundell (90) and Daryl Mitchell (54) were the stars for the Kiwis.
New Zealand got off to a good start chasing more than 200. When Joe Root and Ben Foakes were batting, it looked like they would be on their way to victory, but all speculations were shattered after their dismissals. Wagner was the star for New Zealand, taking a total of 4 wickets, including the last wicket of James Anderson.