Five most thrilling Test draws of the last decade

#4 New Zealand vs England: Auckland, 2013

Matt Prior and Monty Panesar safely negotiated 19 balls to secure a draw for England

New Zealand 443 & 241/6 declared drew with England 204 & 315/9

Alastair Cook inserted New Zealand to bat at Eden Park, and with both matches of the series thus far ending in draws, the final game was all the more important. Peter Fulton got 136 and Kane Williamson missed out on a century of his own, as the hosts racked up 443, with Steven Finn bagging 6/125.

England’s batting crumbled under the sharpness of Trent Boult, who finished with 6/68, as the tourists failed to save the follow-on and wrapped up for 204, Matt Prior offering the only major hand with 73.

Brendon McCullum chose to bat again and once more, Fulton contributed 110. Skipper McCullum himself tonked 67* with 5 fours and 3 sixes, as the Black Caps aimed to accumulate rapid runs. New Zealand declared on 241/6, with 143 overs left to skittle out a demoralized England unit. With an unlikely 481 to get, the blocking began with Cook at the top and continued with Ian Bell, who ate up 271 balls for 75.

Victory for New Zealand was almost assured with Prior the only recognised batsman at 237/7 and nearly 33 overs in hand. Then commenced rearguard action that saw Stuart Broad threaten the record for most deliveries to get off the mark – he eventually scored off his 62nd ball – but both Broad and James Anderson fell in the same over of part-timer Williamson, who bagged 4/44.

Prior then had to negotiate 19 balls with Monty Panesar. Finally, both survived the venom of Boult to ensure England left with the series locked at 0-0.