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February 28, 2023 - 4:42 am

New Zealand derail England’s ‘Bazball’ surge with a one-run win in Wellington; fans react

Brilliant spells from Neil Wagner and Tim Southee ensured New Zealand's comeback win in the Test series, defending 258 after being made to follow-on. 

New Zealand pulled off a remarkable come-from-behind victory at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Tuesday (February 28) to secure parity in the two-match Test series against England. The Black Caps won the thrilling contest by just one run, managing to defend the target of 258 just before tea on the final afternoon. 

It was only the fourth occasion in the history of men’s Test cricket that a team had won after being made to follow-on on the first-innings deficit. The Kiwis were bundled out for just 209 in the first half in response to the tourists’ 435/8. 

But a highly impressive third-innings batting effort, led by stalwart Kane Williamson’s terrific 132, which was backed by critical knocks from openers Tom Latham (83), Devon Conway (63) and the middle-order duo of Daryl Mitchell (54) and Tom Blundell (90), helped New Zealand bounce back in the contest with a score of 483. 

Set up a tricky chase, England had their ultraggressive ‘Bazball’ tactic put up for a strenuous test but spells of great discipline and incisiveness from skipper Tim Southee (3/45) and Neil Wagner (4/62) derailed their parade and allowed the hosts to post a win they so desperately needed. 

Fans heap praise on New Zealand after England’s one-run loss 

The moment Wagner got No.11 James Anderson out with the strangle down the leg side, he and the rest of the Kiwi team erupted in great celebrations at the close of what was a gripping Test match. It got social media buzzing as well, with fans going on a spree of praise for the New Zealand spirit and a word on the ‘Bazball’ tactic used by England. 

Here is how they reacted: 

England had to pull a gear back in their fourth-innings effort since the pitch at the Basin Reserve had started to behave more uneven for the pacers and made it difficult to line up the ball. Yet, first-innings centurion Joe Root came up with an exceptional 95 to bring his team peerlessly close to a 2-0 whitewash.