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

28.02.2023 - 08:39 sports.ndtv.com

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.

WHAT A GAME OF CRICKETNew Zealand have won it by the barest of margins...This is test cricket at its finest#NZvENG pic.twitter.com/cFgtFBIkR4 It was only the fourth occasion a team has won a Test after being asked to follow on, and the first time for New Zealand.

cricket England Cricket Team win Test watch James Anderson Tom Blundell Neil Wagner Australia New Zealand India Wellington county Kane

New Zealand and Sri Lanka put on one of the most thrilling Test matches in the sport's rich history with result going in the Kiwis' favour on the last ball of Day 5 at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Monday. New Zealand's win enabled India to seal a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, alongside Australia. Chasing a target of 285, New Zealand needed one run on the final ball with centurion Kane Williamson on strike. Williamson tried to pull Asitha Fernando's delivery but ended up missing it.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Day 5 Live Score Updates

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Day 5 Live Score Updates: Sri Lanka will aim to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series against New Zealand on Monday. The Blackcaps will resume at the score of 28 for 1, needing 257 runs to win the game. They have lost the wicket of Devon Conway, while Kane Williamson and Tom Latham are at the crease. Meanwhile, the guests will be needing the remaining 9 wickets to win the game. Fiery century from Angelo Mathews put Sri Lanka in the driver's seat at the end of Day 4 of the ongoing first Test against New Zealand in Christchurch. (LIVE SCORECARD)

Mitchell, Henry bat New Zealand back into first test

A Daryl Mitchell century and a brilliant 72 from Matt Henry helped New Zealand to an unlikely first-innings lead of 18 runs before the home bowlers restricted Sri Lanka to 83 for three at the end of the third day of the first test on Saturday.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Day 3 Live Score Updates: Lanka Restart After Hosts' Valiant Fightback

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Day 3 LIVE:Daryl Mitchell (102) and Matt Henry (72) led New Zealand's fightback in the first innings, taking the team's total to 373 runs. Sri Lanka, who had put a total of 355 runs on the board in the first innings, will aim to put in another heroic performance with the bat. On Day 2, Lahiru Kumara and Asitha Fernando took two wickets each as New Zealand crumbled to 162 for 5 at stumps in Christchurch. In the first innings of the game, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 355 runs as Tim Southee had bagged five wickets for the Blackcaps. New Zealand skipper Southee had won the toss and opted to bowl first. (LIVE SCORECARD)

When Test cricket is this good, even defeats can feel like a triumph

M emorable things happen at three o’clock in the morning. Perhaps you watched the then Conservative defence secretary Michael Portillo climb slowly on to a wooden stage, to be sent into the political wilderness by a returning officer in a ceremonial chain at 3.10am on 2 May 1997. But forget that – were you up for Neil Wagner?

New Zealand 1-1 England: player ratings for the Test series

Ben Stokes: 110 runs at 27.50; one wicket at 54; one catchBy the end the body was broken, the was spirit bruised but the attitude was still intact – I was reminded of Fred Dibnah, the ruins of a tall chimney at his feet, grinning and asking “Did you like that?” A rare series win in New Zealand was sacrificed on the altar of Bazball, a chance to set a target of more than 500 for the draw, which would have secured the series, eschewed with the follow-on. But an unforgettable denouement became the legacy, as Kane Williamson and Neil Wagner charged through a door ever so slightly ajar. Are you not entertained? That said, is the price worth paying? You would have to possess no soul to say no conclusively. Grade B