New Zealand victory over England in the second test of their two-match series was a historic moment in test cricket. The Kiwis won by just one run, becoming only the fourth team in test cricket history to win a match after being asked to follow on. It was a thrilling finale to a match that swung back and forth over five days at the Basin Reserve.

New Zealand had been put on the back foot early on in the match, with England scoring 375 in their first innings, and then enforcing the follow-on after bowling New Zealand out for just 294. However, New Zealand showed resilience and determination in their second innings, with skipper Kane Williamson leading the way with a magnificent 132.

England had been set a target of 258 to win, and their hopes had been raised when Joe Root and Ben Stokes put on a 121-run partnership to cut the deficit to just 57 runs with five wickets in hand. But then came Neil Wagner, who produced a match-winning performance. Wagner took four wickets and held two crucial catches, including the dismissal of both Root and Stokes, who had both been playing well.

It all came down to the last two batsmen, Jack Leach and James Anderson, who needed just seven runs for victory. But Wagner had other ideas, and he had Anderson caught down the leg side for just four to seal a famous victory for New Zealand. The Kiwis had shown great character and resilience in coming back from a difficult position, and their victory will go down in cricketing history as one of the great comebacks.

Kane Williamson was named Man of the Match for his brilliant century, while England’s Harry Brook was named Man of the Series. It was a disappointing end to the series for England, who had won the first test by a convincing margin, but they will take heart from the fact that they were in a strong position to win the second test. The series was a closely-fought contest between two well-matched teams, and it was a great advert for test cricket.