2023
Two hundred and fifty-six, chasing 258
New Zealand followed on 226 behind at Wellington in February 2023, made 483, and won by one run when James Anderson was caught behind with two needed. It was the fourth Test won after following on, and the card has the last day by the session.
England declared at 435 for eight at the Basin Reserve, bowled New Zealand out for 209, and made them follow on. New Zealand made 483. England needed 258, were 201 for five with Joe Root on 95, and were all out for 256. The card’s result line reads New Zealand won by 1 run.
The follow-on
England were 21 for three in the seventh over of the match. Harry Brook then made 186 from 176 balls, with 24 fours and five sixes, and Root 153 not out from 224, and the fourth wicket put on 302.
England were 315 for three at the close of the first day, and Stokes declared at 435 for eight on the second morning. Stuart Broad took four for 61 and New Zealand were 209 all out, Tim Southee 73 from 49 balls with six sixes. Ben Stokes enforced the follow-on on the third morning with a lead of 226.
New Zealand batted for 162.3 overs. Tom Latham 83, Devon Conway 61, Kane Williamson 132 from 282 balls, Daryl Mitchell 54, Tom Blundell 90. Williamson and Blundell put on 158 for the sixth wicket. Jack Leach bowled 61.3 overs for five for 157, and Anderson 27 for 77 without a wicket. The lead was 257, and it had taken 713 minutes to build.
Full scorecard: New Zealand v England, 2nd Test, Wellington, 24–28 February 2023 →
The fifth day, by the card’s notes
England were 48 for one overnight. Zak Crawley had been bowled by Southee for 24. Ollie Robinson, the nightwatchman, was caught for 2 at 53. Ben Duckett caught behind for 33 at 59. Ollie Pope caught for 14 at 80, and Brook run out at 80 without facing a ball, 0 from 0. Drinks: 107 for five, Root 32, Stokes 1.
Root and Stokes put on 121. Lunch was 168 for five, and Root reached fifty from 50 balls. At 201 Stokes was caught for 33 from 116 balls, and at 202 Root was caught by Michael Bracewell off Neil Wagner for 95. Two wickets in eight balls, and the target was 56 away with three wickets left.
Broad caught for 11 at 215. Ben Foakes and Leach put on 36, Foakes making 35, Leach 1 from 31 balls. Foakes was caught by Wagner off Southee at 251, seven needed. Anderson made 4, including one four.
At 256, with two needed, he was caught behind by Blundell off Wagner, in the 75th over. Wagner: 15.2 overs, four for 62. Southee three for 45. Stokes’s 33 took 116 balls and 149 minutes, the slowest innings on the card, and Leach’s 1 took 31.
The card lists nine reviews across the match, each with the over, the umpire and the outcome. The last was New Zealand’s, in the 71st over, against Leach, struck down. The umpires were Chris Gaffaney and Rod Tucker, and it is Test number 2494.
The fourth
Three Tests had been won by a side following on: Sydney 1894, Headingley 1981 and Kolkata 2001. Wellington is the fourth, 129 years after the first, and the only one of the four decided by a single run. The card lists Williamson as player of the match and Brook as player of the series, and the series line reads drawn 1-1.
What the card holds
A declaration at 435 for eight and a follow-on enforced with a lead of 226. A 483 in reply. A run-out of a batter who faced no balls. A 95 that ended one run after the sixth-wicket stand did. A number eleven caught behind with two needed. And a margin of one, on a card whose first innings was declared closed with runs to spare.
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No. 16 in Unrepeatable, a series of 22.
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