“That’s just the characteristic of this team, we keep loving to fight for each other.”

Kane Williamson was named man of the match, having scored a brilliant 132 in New Zealand’s second innings as the hosts put on 483 after England captain Ben Stokes enforced the follow-on.

“That game as a whole, in terms of what Test cricket’s about, was just incredible,” said Stokes.

“‘Wags’ came on and blew the game open for them. Sometimes things don’t happen the way you want them to, but it was a good one, wasn’t it?”

The tourists’ brilliant rookie batsman Harry Brook was named Man of the Series.

England twice and India once are the only other teams to have won a Test after being made to follow on. Australia were the losers in all three previous instances.

The last occasion was in 2001 when India beat Australia by 171 runs at Eden Gardens.

It was also just the second Test match ever to be decided by one run. The previous match decided by a one-run margin was 30 years ago – the famous Australia versus West Indies match at the Adelaide Oval in January 1993.

The two-match series between England and New Zealand ended in a 1-1 draw, with England having won the first Test in Mount Maunganui by 267 runs.

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But England will wonder what might have been in the second Test, after resuming on 1-48 in the morning.

Though Root and Stokes were culpable in their dismissals, the pair deserved enormous credit for steadying the chase after four wickets fell quickly.

Stokes threw the bat at a Wagner bouncer and top-edged to square leg where a running Tom Latham took the catch.

Root, who had batted beautifully in a 113-ball knock, also attacked Wagner, sending a miscued pull to Michael Bracewell at midwicket.

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Broad tried to slog his team over the line but ramped Matt Henry straight to Wagner at third man to be out for 11.

Foakes and Leach carried England to within seven runs but Foakes pulled captain Tim Southee to fine leg where a scrambling Wagner took a low catch, leaving the tailenders exposed.

“Only a handful of sides have been asked to follow on and come back to win so I think it’s a pretty special one,” said Southee.

“I guess to be on the back foot after two days and the character being shown in the last three days ... has been very impressive.”

AP, Reuters and staff reporters

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