Keen observer R Ashwin reacts to New Zealand's epic come-from-behind win in the 2nd Test against England

England needed only two runs when Neil Wagner claimed the deciding wicket of James Anderson due to a diving catch by wicketkeeper Tom Blundell.

NZ won the game after being asked to follow on against England (pc-getty images)
By Kshitij Ojha | Feb 28, 2023 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

A little more than 24 hours before the third India-Australia Test match in Indore, a few players from both teams were glued to the drama in Wellington, thousands of kilometres away. That was a morning to remember for Test fans all across the world. India’s Ravichandran Ashwin and Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne were undoubtedly among them. They spent Tuesday morning watching New Zealand win the second Test against England by a dramatic, exciting, one-for-the-ages one-run triumph. England needed only two runs when Neil Wagner claimed the deciding wicket of James Anderson due to a diving catch by wicketkeeper Tom Blundell.

The Test match echoes of India’s memorable tied game against Australia in Chennai in 1986. Nonetheless, the finale was eerily similar to England vs. Australia Edgbaston Test in 2005, when Steve Harmison strangled Michael Kasprowicz down the leg side. The only distinction? The margin of victory for England was two runs. The Wellington 2023 Test match, of course, entered the historic record of triumphs after being asked to follow on. Following on, New Zealand became the third side, after England and India, to win a Test match. England did it twice against Australia, once in Sydney in 1894 and again in Leeds in 1981, while India did it in 2001 in the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. This was the first time that a side other than Australia has lost a Test after forcing a follow-on. Ashwin, a keen viewer of cricket from all around the world, touched on practically every subject in his series of tweets.

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England were the favourites to win

After declaring their first innings on 435-8 and bowling out New Zealand for 209, England was on pace for victory. On Monday, former skipper Kane Williamson brought New Zealand back into the Test with a magnificent 132 in their second-inning 483, leaving England 258 to win. After starting at 48-1, England stumbled Tuesday morning, losing four wickets for just 27 runs before Joe Root steered his side to 168-5 at lunch. As England worked towards their objective, Root’s crucial partnership with Stokes came to an end on 121 when England’s skipper was caught at square leg off Wagner. “Amazing achievement, hats off to everyone, everyone kept fighting,” said Wagner, who finished with 4-62. “That’s the characteristics of this team, they (England) played well — credit where it’s due — but we found a way of contributing.”

The pressure on England increased substantially after Root was bowled for 95, also by a Wagner short ball, leaving England 57 runs behind. Ben Foakes’ reckless 35 kept England in the game, surviving a lost catch by Michael Bracewell before blasting three fours to the boundary. Nevertheless, Foakes was caught in the deep by crucial man Wagner off Tim Southee, leaving penultimate pair James Anderson and Jack Leach needing seven runs to win. England skipper Ben Stokes was disappointed to have lost but happy to have played his part in the drama. “That game is what Test cricket is about — the emotions we were going through and the Kiwi boys as well,” he said.





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