The New Zealand cricket team and England share one of the most talked-about rivalries in the history of Test cricket. They have been playing against each other since 1930.
The Kiwis played their first Test match against England in January 1930 at Christchurch and the visitors won the game eight wickets. Overall, New Zealand have faced England 110 times in Tests with the English side dominating the head-to-head battle.
England have won 52 Tests, while the Kiwis have managed to grab only 13 wins. As many as 47 Test matches have been drawn between the two sides.
With that in mind, let's dive deep into the Test records and stats for New Zealand versus England matches.
New Zealand vs England head-to-head in Tests
|
Matches |
New Zealand won |
England won |
Draw |
Tie |
|
112 |
13 |
52 |
47 |
0 |
New Zealand vs England Test records
Highest team total
Riding on BJ Watling (205) and Mitchell Santner's (126) match-winning knocks, New Zealand declared after posting a mammoth first innings total of 615 for nine against England in the first Test of their two-match 2019 series. This total gave the Kiwis the win and is the highest team total in New Zealand versus England Test matches.
Lowest team total
In 1955, England restricted hosts New Zealand to just 26 runs in their second innings of a Test in Auckland. The English went on to win the game and the two-match Test series while registering the lowest team total in New Zealand versus England Tests.
Most runs
England batter Joe Root holds the record for scoring the most Test runs in New Zealand versus England matches. Root has scored 1,707 runs in 34 innings at an average of 55.06 against New Zealand. He also hit five hundreds and eight fifties against them.
John Wright is the Kiwi batter to score the most Test runs against England. He has scored 1,518 runs in 43 innings at an average nearing 40.
Most wickets
Former New Zealand skipper Richard Hadlee holds the record for picking the most Test wickets in New Zealand versus England matches. The Kiwi legend was the first player to reach 400 Test wickets and took 97 wickets against England in 35 innings at an average of 24.73 and an economy of 2.45.
For England, pacer Stuart Broad has taken the most Test wickets against the Kiwis. Broad has scalped 94 wickets in 43 innings at an average of 28.21 and an economy of 3.17 against them so far.
Highest individual score
England's Wally Hammond scored an unbeaten 336 runs against New Zealand in Auckland in 1933. His triple century comprised 34 boundaries and 10 sixes but his knock was only good enough for the Kiwis to get a draw. Hammond’s knock is the highest individual score by a batter in New Zealand versus England Tests.
Best bowling figures
England's Derek Underwood took 12 wickets for 97 runs against New Zealand in the first Test of their tour of New Zealand in 1971. It is the best bowling figure in a Test match between New Zealand and England, who won the game by 8 wickets.
Meanwhile, he also took seven wickets for 32 runs against the Kiwis in 1969, which is the best bowling figure in a Test match innings in this rivalry so far. His spell helped England win the game by 230 runs as the Three Lions took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Highest partnership
During the third Test of New Zealand’s tour of England in 1965, the Three Lions’ John Edrich (310) and Ken Barrington (163) added 369 runs for the second wicket in the first innings against the Kiwis at Leeds in 1965. England went on to win the Test by an innings and 187 runs, making it a 3-0 series triumph for them. This partnership remains the only instance of a batting pair scoring 300 or more Test runs together in New Zealand and England Test matches.
Photo credit: Alamy
