Spirited display from Ben Foakes and Joe Root not enough as England lose dramatic Test match by one run

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New Zealand beat England by the finest of margins in dramatic second test in Wellington- it is only the second time ever that a test has been won by one run

A spirited display from Ben Foakes, Joe Root and captain Ben Stokes was not quite enough to prevent defeat for England. The match in Wellington will go down in history as one of the most dramatic in recent history.

England started day five needing just over 200 runs for victory with nine wickets in hand. A poor start to the day left England 80-5 and in real trouble.

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Joe Root came out firing and he made 95 as he guided England towards the victory total. He was well supported by first Ben Stokes and then Ben Foakes- the latter scored 35 as he fell with England just six runs from victory.

New Zealand bowler Neil Wagner got the all important wicket as James Anderson edged behind to Tom Blundell to seal a dramatic victory for the hosts. The wicket left a defiant Jack Leach not out at the other end on one from 31 deliveries.

The two match series ends in a 1-1 draw. This follows England’s 267 run win in the first test and leaves England’s record under Brendon McCullum at 10 wins in 12 matches.

The match is only the second in the history of test cricket to end in a one run victory. The last time this happened was when West Indies beat Australia in 1993.

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England captain Ben Stokes: "That game as a whole, in terms of what Test cricket is about, was just incredible. The emotions that we were going through upstairs and I’m sure the Kiwi boys as well. It was incredible to be involved in. Everyone has got their money’s worth today.

"It’s disappointing to end on a loss here after a great winter, but winning four out of five is great for this team. We’ve got a few months off before the Ashes starts then hopefully we can get back to doing what we love doing."

England’s next test match will be when they face Ireland at Lord’s in June. Following this, it’s the small matter of the 2023 Ashes series on home soil.

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