NZ bag rare test win over England
Black Caps in good position to win series
It took until the final session under lights, but the Black Caps have secured their 10th test win over England, in the historic day-night fixture at Eden Park in Auckland.
Neil Wagner made the key breakthrough in the over before the dinner break yesterday, dismissing Ben Stokes, the leader of England’s rearguard, and the final three wickets then went to him and leg-spinner Todd Astle in the first hour of the evening session.
As the teams head to Christchurch, where the second test begins on Friday, the Black Caps now have a golden opportunity to claim their first series win over England since 1999.
A combination of rain and some stout English defence looked like it might prevent the New Zealanders from capitalising on their first-morning effort, where they bowled the tourists out for 58, but they persevered, and got there with 18.5 overs to spare, winning by an innings and 49 runs.
Stokes had looked like being England’s hero, in his first test back from the suspension that cost him his place in the Ashes, but it wasn’t to be.
The all-rounder arrived at the crease to face the first ball of the day from Trent Boult, and was dogged as he made his way to 66 off 188 balls.
But four balls before the break, he played a lazy uppercut to a short, wide ball outside off, and Tim Southee did well to run back and complete the catch at backward point.
After England resumed at 132-3, having lost Joe Root to the final ball of the fourth day, Dawid Malan was the first batsman to go, edging a Southee delivery angled across him to Tom Latham at second slip, when on 23 in the fifth over of play.
Jonny Bairstow came in survived an early scare, when keeper BJ Watling dropped a tough chance down the leg side off Southee when he was on a pair, then another, when Boult dropped him at midon, as he tried to dispatch a long hop from leg-spinner Todd Astle.
In his next over, Astle bowled Bairstow another short ball, and the batsman had another wild swing, this time towards mid wicket, where Kane Williamson leapt into the air and grabbed it, to leave England 181-5, their wicketkeeper gone for 26.
Boult returned with the second new new ball just before tea, and in his second over back, he had an lbw shout against Moeen Ali turned down.
Williamson called for a review, and replays showed it had touched Ali’s pad just before his bat, so he was on his way for 28.
At tea, England were 217-6, still needing 152 runs to make the Black Caps bat again, and in the second session, it looked more and more like they were going to make that happen.
Stokes was joined by Chris Woakes, and while there were moments where they looked vulnerable, moments don’t win test matches.
Nothing further happened with the new ball, and while Colin de Grandhomme gave nothing away, he barely threatened.
It was when Astle, bowling with better flight in his second spell, and Wagner, firing up after a slow start, bowled in tandem, that a breakthrough began to look likely, and it was the tireless left-armer who got it.
As the final session started, 31.3 overs still had to be bowled, with England 300-7, 69 runs behind.
Astle got new man Craig Overton lbw five overs into the final session.
Woakes reached his fourth test fifty, off 109 balls, but fell with just over 19 overs remaining, caught by Henry Nicholls at short leg off Wagner for 52.
James Anderson was the final man in, needing to survive, along with Stuart Broad, for 118 more balls. They lasted 11 more, before Anderson chipped a catch to Boult at mid-off off Astle. This time, he made no mistake, and England were all out for 320.