BROADCASTS.com

Black Caps coach Gary Stead has called it.

He thinks the one-run victory over England at the Basin Reserve yesterday will go down as New Zealand\u2019s greatest test win.

Stead coached the Black Caps to the first-ever World Test Championship when they beat India in 2021 but he told the Mike Hosking Breakfast on Newstalk ZB that yesterday\u2019s win, and the fact they had to follow on, tops that victory in Southampton.

The Black Caps became just the fourth team to win a test match after being forced to follow-on and the second team to win by the smallest possible margin in terms of runs.

\u201cIt was pretty surreal really. It was an amazing test match. It was gripping it had everything in it. I think it was a great advertisement for test cricket,\u201d he told Hosking.

\xa0\u201cObviously winning the World Test Championship was obviously up there, because it was such a pinnacle event. But for that itself, that game being forced to follow on. I think it will go down as New Zealand\u2019s greatest victory.\u201d

New Zealand were bowled out for 209 in their first innings, in response to England\u2019s 435 for eight declared. Because the Black Caps were more than 200 runs behind, England were able to enforce the follow-on and make New Zealand begin their second innings. Kane Williamson (132), Tom Blundell (90) and Tom Latham (83) all played major roles as the home side set England 258 to win.

England began the final day needing 210 to win with nine wickets in hand to complete a 2-0 series victory.

\u201cWe thought we had a chance. I mean, we talked after day to where we were a long way behind the game and just keep trying to fight and put our ourselves into positions where we could apply pressure at different times and get ourselves into the last day when anything can happen. Day five is it\u2019s traditionally a day that things can change quickly and look, I mean, I\u2019m just so proud of the guys and the way they hang in there.

Stead backed his side\u2019s style of play as they handed Brendon McCullum\u2019s England team just their second loss since the Black Caps great took over as coach and introduced a more aggressive gameplan.

\u201cMany different methods can win cricket matches,\u201d Stead said. \u201cTo us we stuck true to what we believe in and I guess the personalities of our players as well.

\u201dThere\u2019s been a lot of people around the country doing it a lot worse than us recently so to be able to put smiles on people\u2019s faces, means a lot,\u201d Stead added.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.