The Close Ones
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What an extraordinary last couple of weeks it has been for test cricket in New Zealand. Two absolute cliff-hangers with the margin being one run at The Basin, and two wickets at Hagley, with yesterday’s test being only the second time in 2,499 tests that the match was decided on the last available ball of the match.
And both tests were won by New Zealand. This continues a trend that is hard to explain; New Zealand is pretty good at closing out close test matches.
Yesterday’s 2 wicket win wasn’t even the narrowest of margins in terms of wickets that New Zealand has been involved in.
The narrowest win was by 1 wicket against the West Indies in 1980 at Carisbrook. The hosts dominated the match and ended up requiring 104 for victory. That’s all good, but at 54/7 it looked like they’d blown it. Gary Troup and Stephen Boock (combined 0 runs off 29 balls in the first test came together with 4 runs needed from the last partnership.
They did have leg byes on their side though and scrambled together those runs. Extras ended being joint top scorer in that innings.
At the same ground 5 years later there was another tight one with New Zealand prevailing by 2 wickets; this time against Pakistan. In reality though the margin was even closer than that. When Chatfield joined Coney at the crease there will still 50 required and Lance Cairns, who had earlier been absolutely clocked by a Wasim Akram bouncer was not returning.
Somehow they got there.
In terms of runs that test way back in February when 692 played 691 is the closest margin.
There have some other narrow margins though. In Abu Dhabi Pakistan was set a very gettable 176 to win, but pressure is a funny thing, and they lost their last 7 wickets for 41 runs and New Zealand got there by 4 runs. The hero that day? Ajaz Patel (5/59).
Then there was Hobart 2011. Oh the joy. And once again it was a last day collapse that led to an improbable win. This time Australia were cruising before losing their last 8 wickets for 74.
New Zealand also beat the West Indies by 27 runs in 2006.
All of these margins are narrower than any that New Zealand has lost by. This run will come to an end one day, but in the meantime just enjoy it.