New Zealand VS. England Second Test Highlights, Wellington
     

Congratulations to both New Zealand and England for producing a most magnificent and enthralling Test at Wellington's Basin Reserve. New Zealand's last-gasp win (of which more below) helped to level the series by the very narrowest of margins and end a barren drought of victories over the last year. Below are some of the match highlights.

  • England's 435 for 8 declared is their third-highest, first-innings total against New Zealand after being inserted. Their highest is 580 for 9 at Christchurch in 1991-92.
  • The 302-run partnership between Harry Brook and Joe Root is England's highest against New Zealand for the fourth wicket surpassing the 266 between Mike Denness and Keith Fletcher at Auckland in 1974-75.
  • The above partnership is also the second highest for any wicket by England against New Zealand behind only the second-wicket stand of 369 by John Edrich and Ken Barrington at Headingley in 1965.
  • Possibly surprisingly, the stand is only the fifth highest at Wellington by any team. The highest is 467 between Andrew Jones and Martin for New Zealand against Sri Lanka in 1990-91.
  • The above partnership is the fourth highest by any team for the fourth wicket in the first innings of a Test after its side had lost the toss and been inserted. The highest is 336 between Bill Lawry and Doug Walters for Australia vs. West Indies at Sydney in 1968-69.
  • In the same circumstances, the partnership is the ninth highest for any wicket in Test cricket, and is the tenth such 300 partnership.
  • The Root/Brook partnership is the fourth highest by a losing team. The highest is 363 between Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf for Pakistan vs. England at Headingley in 2006.
  • England's first innings saw the first occasion of a side's numbers 4 and 5 scoring over 150 whilst no-one else made 30.
  • England's total is the third-lowest by any country to include a triple-century partnership. This includes declared innings and fourth innings targets which have been reached. The lowest is India's 361 for 1 declared against West Indies at Calcutta in 1978-79 followed by Australia's 404 for 4 against England at Leeds in 1948. The lowest total where a side has been dismissed is England's 464 against Australia at The Oval in 1985.
  • Harry Brook's 186, his fourth hundred, is his highest score to date. For statistics after a player's sixth Test, Brook joins Don Bradman, Sunil Gavaskar and George Headley in scoring four hundreds.
  • Brook's score is, though, only the ninth highest by any player in their sixth Test. It is the second-highest by an England player behind Sir Len Hutton's English record of 364, made at The Oval against Australia in 1938.
  • Tim Southee's first innings 73 is the highest score by a New Zealand captain batting at number 9. This overtook Lee Germon's 55 against Pakistan at Rawalpindi in 1997-98. Indeed, Southee's innings is the joint-fifth highest in the same circumstances by any captain. Shaun Pollock's 111 for South Africa against Sri Lanka at Centurion Park in 2000-01 tops the list.
  • The six sixes hit by Southee in his innings is also considerably the most by a captain batting at number 9 in an innings. Previously, Pollock's innings above and Pat Cummins (for Australia vs. Sri Lanka at Galle in 2022) with three were the highest.
  • Southee joins Andy Blignaut (Zimbabwe vs. South Africa at Cape Town in 2004-05) in hitting the most sixes by a number 9 in a Test innings.
  • New Zealand's first innings featured catches by seven different fielders. There have been seven previous occasions of this between the two sides with no higher number having been set.
  • The New Zealand second-innings century partnership of 149 between Tom Latham and Devon Conway is New Zealand's 50th opening century partnership in their Test history. Latham has featured in twelve of these partnerships.
  • New Zealand's second innings 483 is their highest total after being asked to follow in. Previously, their 413 against England at Edgbaston in 1975 was their best.
  • This second innings saw the twelfth occasion of a New Zealand side containing five scores of 50 or more. It is their second time against England, the last being at Lord's in 2015. Their record is six, against Pakistan at Sharjah in 2014-15.
  • Kane Williamson's 26th Test century saw him become New Zealand's heaviest run scorer overtaking Ross Taylor's 7683 (average 44.67 in 112 Tests).
  • Jack Leach's 61.3 second innings overs is the fourth-highest by an England bowler against New Zealand. The top two both came in the Test, also at Wellington, in 1991-92 when Phil Tufnell (71-22-147-2) and Graeme Hick (69-27-126-4) bowled in tandem. The third placed is Nick Cook whose 66.3-26-153-3 was also returned at Wellington, in 1983-84.
  • There are many Tests where balls faced are not recorded but, in Tests where these figures are available, it appears that Brook is the first player to score a century in one innings of a Test and be run out without facing a ball in the other innings.
  • Root became the second England player to narrowly fail to score two centuries in the same Test against New Zealand. Alan Knott (101 and 96 at Auckland in 1970-71) was the last England player to be dismissed in the 90s having scored a century in the first innings. In reverse, Michael Atherton (94* and 118) at Christchurch in 1996-97 and Ben Stokes (92 and 101 at Lord's in 2015) both made a 90 and a century in the same Test against New Zealand, Atherton being unbeaten on 94.
  • Based on a minimum score of 30 and made in 100 balls or more, Ben Stokes's second innings 33 in 116 balls (1.71 runs/over) is the fourth most patient by an England captain against New Zealand. Michael Vaughan's 30 in 133 balls at Old Trafford in 2008 heads the list. Using the same figures, Stokes's innings is the 32nd most patient for England against all opposition.
  • There have now been four instances of sides losing after enforcing the follow-on. England have now joined Australia as the only defeated teams in these circumstances, Australia having lost to England at Sydney in 1894-95 by 10 runs; to England at Headingley in 1981 by 18 runs and to India at Kolkata in 200-01 by 171 runs.
  • New Zealand's 1-run win is the joint-tightest in terms of runs in Test history. The only other one-run result was between West Indies and Australia at Adelaide in 1992-93.
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