‘Kiwis End the Steam Train of BazBall’: New Zealand Beat England by 1 Run & Twitter Can’t Keep Calm

New Zealand pulled off a ‘Mission Improbable’ by beating England by one run in the second test on a nerve-jangling day five on Tuesday after being made to follow on.

Having set England 258 to win, New Zealand’s hopes had faded as Joe Root (95) and Ben Stokes (33) produced a 121-run stand to cut the deficit to 57 runs with five wickets in hand on a sunny afternoon at the Basin Reserve.

Enter Neil Wagner, who had both out slogging then nervelessly held catches in the deep to help remove Stuart Broad (11) and wicketkeeper Ben Foakes for 35.

Foakes’s wicket left tailenders Jack Leach and James Anderson needing seven runs for victory, and Anderson smacked a boundary off Wagner to trim the margin to two runs.

Wagner came again and had Anderson caught down the leg side for four to trigger jubilation among the New Zealand players and fans.

It was only the fourth win in the history of test cricket by a team asked to follow on, and the second time a team had won a test by a single run after West Indies beat Australia by a run in Adelaide in January 1993.

The two-match series ended in a 1-1 draw, with England having won the first test in Mount Maunganui by 267 runs.

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“It’s a special one this,” Wagner said. “We’ll celebrate this amazing achievement. It’s something we’re extremely proud of.”

England twice and India one are the only other teams to have own a test after having to follow-on. The last occasion was in 2001 when India beat Australia by 171 runs at Eden Gardens.

(With inputs from Agencies)

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