Kane Williamson Century Sees New Zealand Set England 258 To Win 2nd Test

27.02.2023 - 11:17 sports.ndtv.com

Record-breaker Kane Williamson stroked a superb century Monday to steer New Zealand to 483 all out in their second innings and set England a target of 258 runs to win the second Test in Wellington.

Former captain Williamson hit 132 and Tom Blundell was last man out for 90 as the hosts fought back after being asked to follow on.

England were 48-1 in their second innings at stumps after opener Zak Crawley, on 24, was bowled by a delivery that nipped back from New Zealand captain Tim Southee.

Ben Duckett remained unbeaten on 23 and nightwatchman Ollie Robinson was on one, leaving England to score a further 210 runs on Tuesday's final day for a 2-0 sweep after winning the first Test by 267 runs.

cricket England Cricket Team win Test Ollie Robinson Zak Crawley Harry Brook Tom Blundell Tim Southee Ross Taylor New Zealand county Ross Wellington county Kane county Taylor

Four New Zealand players, including Kane Williamson and Tim Southee, were given go-ahead by the country's cricket board to join their respective Indian Premier League (IPL) teams without taking part in the home white-ball series against Sri Lanka. The quartet of Williamson (Gujarat Titans), Southee (Kolkata Knight Riders), Devon Conway and Mitchell Santner (both Chennai Super Kings) will be released after the second and final Test against Sri Lanka beginning here on Friday so that they are able to join their respective IPL franchises early.

"Test Cricket Is Best Cricket": Virender Sehwag And Others Hail New Zealand's Win vs England

New Zealand scripted a beautiful story to become the fourth team to secure a Test victory after facing a follow-on. Each player stepped up when the moment demanded it. Kane Williamson and Neil Wagner played a pivotal role in making this test match a classic one. After being put into bat by New Zealand captain Tim Southee, England put up a blistering performance in the first innings of the second Test. On the back of hundreds from Harry Brook (186) and Joe Root (153*), they got to 435/8 in merely 87.1 overs. England's bowlers then got into the act to bundle out the Kiwis for 209. England skipper Ben Stokes enforced the follow-on.

Watch: "Test Cricket At Its Finest" - How Neil Wagner Sealed New Zealand's Dramatic Win Over England

New Zealand on Tuesday edged out England by 1 runs to win the second Test at the Basin Reserve in Wellington and levelled the two-match series at 1-1. Neil Wagner was the star of the show for the Kiwis as he bagged a four-wicket haul, including the decisive wicket of James Anderson. With England needing two just two runs to sweep the series, Wagner targetted Anderson with short balls and was rewarded with it as New Zealand wicketkeeper Tom Blundell pulled off a diving catch to make history.

SA-born Wagner stars as New Zealand beat England by 1 run in Test thriller

New Zealand beat England by just one run in a second-Test thriller on Tuesday to draw the series in the most dramatic fashion in Wellington.

New Zealand Beat England By 1 Run In Thriller, Achieve Rare Test Feat

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. With the win, New Zealand became just the third team (after England and India) to win a Test match after following on. It was only the fourth occasion a team has won a Test after being asked to follow on. England managed it twice, against Australia in 1894 and 1981, while India beat Australia in 2001. 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.

Watch: Woman's Photo With 'Ben, I'm Here To See You' Placard Goes Viral During New Zealand vs England Test

Following on from their first innings total of 209, New Zealand made a strong comeback on Day 4 of the ongoing second Test against England at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Monday. Riding on Kane Williamson's century, New Zealand posted a total of 483, handing England a decent target of 258. However, an interesting incident occured during the final session when the cameraman spotted a female fan, who was sitting alongside her boyfriend, with a unique placard for 'Ben'.