In the second Test in Wellington, England lost by one run to New Zealand.
On a barely believable final day at Basin Reserves, last man James Anderson was caught out on the leg side by Neil Wagner when England needed two to win.
Anderson joined No. 10 Jake Leach with seven needed, Leach adding 36 runs for the ninth wicket with Ben Foakes, who was caught at final leg for 35.
Anderson fended off a vicious bouncer from Wagner, then sensationally scored four off the next ball.
Leach saw an over from Tim Southee, which left the stage set for Anderson, but Wagner’s fourth wicket left England 257 all out and drew a deafening roar from the Basin Reserves crowd.
Needing 258 to win the match and the series, England slumped to 80-5, then lost another 3-14, after a stand of 121 between Joe Root and Ben Stokes.
Foakes, Leach and Anderson almost got them over the line, but England eventually lost a Test after enforcing the follow-on for the first time, their fourth defeat in Test history.
It ends a run of six consecutive victories and denies them a seventh straight win, a feat last achieved by England in 2004.
For New Zealand, their first win since the follow-on draws the series 1-1 and protects an unbeaten home run that stretches back to 2017.
England’s next Test is against Ireland at Lord’s on June 1 before their quest to regain the Ashes begins on June 16.
An almost completely different England squad opens the white-ball series in Bangladesh on Wednesday.
England’s entertainers beaten at last
It was a breathtaking conclusion to a memorable Test, played in front of an enthusiastic free-entry crowd at Basin Reserve.
England have repeatedly expressed their commitment to making Test cricket entertaining, but that may not be in the script.
When captain Stokes imposed the follow-on on the third morning, New Zealand were 226 behind and England were dominant.
This was followed by a brilliant Kiwi comeback, with Kane Williamson scoring a brilliant century. The Black Caps’ total of 483 was the fourth highest ever by a team on a follow-on against England.
Starting the fifth day at 48-1, England were favorites on a pitch that was good for batting until a four-wicket stand ended on 27, including Harry Brook’s run out without facing a ball. Had to be.
Root’s counter-attack and Stokes’ stoicism – his 33 off 116 balls – seemed to have regained control, before the pendulum swung again.
Fowkes bowled Michael Bracewell at deep midwicket when he had 12 runs and New Zealand’s short-ball plan quickly frayed.
The target ticked down, the anticipation grew and, when Focus finally made a mistake, the sight of 40-year-old Anderson walking to the crease was pure theatre.
He looked set to score the winning runs for the first time in his illustrious Test career, but instead suffered England’s second defeat by just one run in Test history.
The loss will not affect England’s preparations for the Summer Ashes. His style has been established and he has transformed from a team that was one win from 17 Tests this time last year.
In fact, the biggest concern coming out of this Test is the state of Stokes’ fitness, with the all-rounder often bowling just two overs a match.
Leach and Anderson denied
When the brilliant Brock ran out, miles from his land after Root pushed toward the slips and took off, Root held his head in his hands.
It came after nightwatchman Ollie Robinson pulled Southee wrong, Ben Duckett cut off Matt Henry for 33 and Ollie Pope did the same against Wagner for 14.
England was in tatters, New Zealand was expanding rapidly and the Basin Reserve was buzzing.
But Root began to make amends for his part in the Brook run-out, targeting Bracewell’s off-spin for a special penalty.
What made the action more compelling was Stokes’ determination to bat on one leg.
Changed from slugging men out in the first innings, Stokes took just one run off his first 19 balls, then scored mainly through the slips or with an edge over it.
Root’s half-century came on one run off one ball. In the first 50 runs he added with Stokes, the captain’s share was just five.
Wagner’s trademark short-ball plan seemed to be New Zealand’s last hope. It worked.
Stokes’ ugly swipe ended up on the top edge of the square leg, while Root miscued the pull to miss out on his second century of the match.
Stuart Broad drives Henry’s bouncer to third man and England are floored.
But the focus is indomitable and Leach found form for a match-winning partnership, supporting Stokes in a famous Ashes win at Headingley in 2019.
While Fowkes’ decision to deny runs regularly looked questionable, he ensured Leach only faced more than two balls in an over once while drifting away from the target.
The match was too much for just one hook in Focus’ grasp, allowing Anderson to write another chapter in his storied career.
Anderson was upset that Wagner’s short delivery was not called wide and the next ball, the brilliant Wagner made the final decision to leave Lech one not out on 31 balls.
‘Everyone got their money’s worth – it was incredible’
England captain Ben Stokes: “Overall that game, as far as Test cricket goes, was just incredible.
“The emotions we were going through upstairs and I’m sure the Kiwi boys as well. It was unbelievable to be involved in. I think everyone got their money’s worth today.
“After a great winter it’s disappointing to end here with a loss but to win four out of five is great for this team.
“We’ve got a couple of months off before the Ashes start then hopefully we can get back to what we love to do.”
New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, who was named man of the match: “It doesn’t feel right to be standing here after the kind of cricket we’ve seen and the contribution we’ve seen from both teams.
“A fantastic game of cricket to be a part of. For us as a team, we’ve been battling in the Test format for a while now so it’s nice to get it in that format.
“We had to fight very hard to change the momentum. England are playing incredible cricket at the moment and we were up against it coming into this match.
“It’s a really good feeling to find a way to wrestle your way and cross the line.”
