The hyperbole surrounding New Zealand’s dramatic win over England this week is mostly deserved if you take into account the full context of the game. And the result managed to get Australia into company, at last, on a couple of their most unwanted lists of ‘the team that…’
England was hot favourite to sweep the two-match series in NZ after a dominant victory in the First Test. Bazball came to the Shaky Isles and delivered in spades. Then the Poms took a hefty 226 run lead and forced the Kiwis to follow on. Well, we all know what happened. A good old fashioned case of G&D saw the home side get out to a lead and set England 258 for victory. After a day of changing momentum, NZ won by a single run, a margin seen only once before in the history of Test cricket. Here’s the final scoreboard.
The loser on that occasion was Australia against West Indies in Adelaide back in 1993. Remember? Craig McDermott was adjudged caught behind when the ball actually flicked the visor of his helmet as he turned to avoid a rising delivery. A moment of both history and controversy. Here’s the scorecard from that match. The NZ/England game also ended in controversy when the penultimate ball of the match appeared for all money to be a wide which would have tied the scores – but wasn’t called.
So the first bit of good news for Australia is that we are no longer the only country to lose a Test match by a single run. And what better company to have than England? Meanwhile, New Zealand joins West Indies as the only sides to win a Test by a single run.
The other historical factor is that NZ’s win was only the fourth time in almost 2500 Test matches that a team has won after being forced to follow on. You can read about the three previous instances here. On all of those occasions, Australia was the team that had the upper hand, enforced the follow on and then lost. Again, we’re off the ‘only side to have…’ list for a most unwanted gong.
In a different format, did you see the result of the Spain v Isle of Man one-dayer from earlier this week? Batting first, Isle of Man were dismissed for only 10 off 8.4 overs. Spain’s response lasted just 3 deliveries, one of which was a no ball. The other two went over the fence. So a win by 10 wickets with 49.4 overs to spare. Here’s that scorecard. You wouldn’t read about it!
Readers might like to share similar stories from their own experiences. The best I can come up with was an interschool U14 game I played in back in 1966 where my team was dismissed for 19 of which I made 11. The heart-breaker was a senior boys interschool 30-overs-per-side game where the team I ‘coached’ was defending a total of about 180. We conceded 58 sundries and lost in the last over!
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About Ian Hauser
A relaxed, Noosa-based retiree with a (very) modest sporting CV. A loyal Queenslander, especially when it comes to cricket and rugby league. Enjoys travel, coffee and cake, reading, and has been known to appreciate a glass or three of wine. One of Footy Almanac's online editors who enjoys the occasional editing opportunity to assist aspiring writers.
Ian, regardless of anything else – which I fully acknowledge – it was a wonderful match.
It really had everything.
11 out of 19 is good going.
Totally agree it was a TEST. Poms on top most of the match but the Kiwis never gave in. Having a Kiwi missus added to the excitement of the ebbs, & flows, of the last day. Great cricket, no one deserved to lose but it may be a bit of ‘something’ to help balance the slate after the 2019 World Cup final.
It’s nice to no longer have these record(s) to ourselves. Working an afternoon shift that day I didn’t get to see much of the last day of the 92-93 match in Adelaide V the Windies, though the patients kept us to scratch with the scores.To lose by 1 run ?!! Now we’re not alone with that record.
I watched two of those follow on defeats we snatched from victory. 1981 is still particularly galling sitting up all night waiting for the last three wickets to fall,and a big win to us. How good was Ian Botham? Anyhow we’re no longer the only side to lose a test after enforcing the follow on.
Now to Indore, what do the last few days hold on this ‘pitch’?
Glen!
Our team were 1/41 all out 51
It’s interesting to read that a wide would have levelled the scores in the recent New Zealand v England Test.
Don’t forget the Australia v New Zealand one-dayer in Hobart in 1990-91 when Bruce Reid failed to score in the last over when Australia needed 2 runs to win, and 1 to tie.
Check the highlights below. It’s clear as daylight that the first ball should’ve been called a wide, which would’ve levelled the scores.
I also can’t understand why Greg Matthews (the non-striker) made little or no effort to run a bye off the last ball in an effort to level the score.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Oehcpbe3ZqU
Interesting piece, Ian
I attended the Adelaide 1993 match which is probably the greatest match I have been to and not simply because of the tension at the end. Primarily because the pendulum kept swinging from one side to the other about every half hour for all four days of the game.
Your mention of the other three Tests won by sides following on – all against Australia – naturally reminds me that I have written about all those matches. The first two – Sydney 1894 and Headingley 1981 are chapters in my 1994 book, Test Eleven (co-authored by Nigel Hart) and republished and expanded in new editions as Greatest Ashes Battles (2005) and The Greatest Ashes Battles (2009). FA readers should be able to find these books on the net. More difficult to track would be my chapter length essay on Kolkata 2001 for the English cricket magazine Cricket Lore.