New Zealand defeated England in one of the tightest finishes in Test history, triumphing by a solitary run in Wellington as they became just the fourth side ever to win a game after following on.
England's last man James Anderson, who has never hit the winning runs in 179 appearances, was one swing of the bat away from sealing an unforgettable result for his side but when he was caught down the leg side from the faintest of edges off Neil Wagner, a thrilling contest came to a crushing conclusion for the tourists.
They had been bowled out for 256 pursuing a target of 258, having twice taken apparent control of the chase during partnerships between Joe Root and Ben Stokes then Ben Foakes and Jack Leach.
Only once before in 146 years of Test cricket has a game been settled by a single run - the West Indies beating Australia in 1993 - making this an even more agonising finish than England's famous two-run triumph at Edgbaston in the 2005 Ashes.
Remarkably, there is even an argument that this could have gone down as only the third ever tied Test with the penultimate ball of the match from Wagner perilously close to a wide.
In the end defeat was a particularly chastening result given England captain Ben Stokes' decision to make the Kiwis bat again on the third morning at Basin Reserve with a hulking 226-run lead in the bank. Only three teams have tasted loss after sending the opposition back in - the Australian classes of 1894, 1981 and 2001.
But Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum still boast a remarkable record of success since taking charge last summer, with 10 wins from 12 after this setback. And, measured against their own aim of revitalising interest in the longest format, this was another box emphatically ticked.
For the Black Caps, who squared the series 1-1 and kept a six-year undefeated streak at home alive by the skin of their teeth, the hero was 36-year-old seamer Wagner. He took four for 62, including Stokes and Root (95) in the space of four game-changing deliveries and also held a nerveless catch at fine-leg to dismiss the impressive Foakes with only seven needed.
It was fitting that he claimed the final wicket, sliding one into Anderson's body and brushing the bat on the way through, but he will surely count himself lucky that his previous delivery was not called wide by umpire Chris Gaffaney.
Previous tight Test finishes
West Indies beat Australia by one run – Adelaide, January 1993
In nearly 2,500 Test matches, only once has this previously happened, with Curtly Ambrose inspiring the all-conquering Windies to victory on Australia Day. The hosts rallied from 74 for seven chasing 186. Ambrose, though, had the final say, finishing with a 10-wicket match haul when he debatably flicked the glove of last man Craig McDermott with Australia needing just two to seal a series win. But it was the Windies who prevailed and they did so again to keep alive a 13-year unbeaten sequence in Test series.
England beat Australia by two runs – Edgbaston, August 2005
"Jones…Bowden…Kasprowicz the man to go, and Harmison has done it." Richie Benaud welcomed a legion of new cricket followers in arguably the greatest Test in the greatest series of all. Similar to 22 years earlier, Australia had recovered from being seven down with plenty to get to set up a grandstand finish. But Michael Kasprowicz fended a Steve Harmison bouncer to Geraint Jones and umpire Billy Bowden raised his crooked finger in a thrilling climax. Almost lost amid the frenzied finish is the fact Kasprowicz should not have been given out as the ball brushed the glove with his hand off the bat. Now, it is regarded as a mere subplot in the narrowest win – in terms of runs – in Ashes history.
England beat Australia by one wicket – Headingley, August 2019
While Ben Stokes fell on the losing side of a nail-biting finish this time, in the summer of 2019 he held all the aces. A matter of weeks after his World Cup final heroics against New Zealand at Lord's, Stokes produced what may gone down as his magnum opus with an unbeaten 135 which helped England reel in 359 to complete their highest ever run-chase in Tests. An unbroken 76-run stand with last man Jack Leach, who resisted Australia for 17 balls in his one not out, had its fair share of drama but England completed a scarcely believable victory. Australia, though, retained the urn after a 2-2 series draw.
West Indies beat Australia by one wicket – Barbados, March 1999
While the Windies dynasty was crumbling all around them with Australia by now the dominant force in world cricket, Brian Lara rolled back the years with one of his finest innings. Set 308, the Windies lurched to 105 for five but Lara was able to withstand the dual threat of Glenn McGrath, who claimed a five-for, and Shane Warne, wicketless in the fourth innings. Lara’s 153 not out got the Windies over the line after number 11 Courtney Walsh was able to keep out five balls. The series finished 2-2.
Sri Lanka beat South Africa by one wicket – Durban, February 2019
With Sri Lanka a fading force after the retirement of several all-time greats in the previous decade, there was only one favourite for this Test series. And when Sri Lanka slid to 226 for nine in pursuit of 304, that notion was reinforced. But Kusal Perera’s unbeaten 153 helped Sri Lanka to an incredible, against-all-odds victory. His unbroken 78-run partnership with Vishwa Fernando went down as the highest last-wicket stand in a successful fourth-innings chase in first-class cricket. Sri Lanka went on to triumph in Port Elizabeth to become the first Asian side to win a Test series in South Africa.
