NZ vs ENG |  This was certainly a tough and grinding Test victory, shared Kane Williamson

New Zealand staged a great comeback on the slow Bay Oval pitch as they not only took down the 350 run lead of England in their first innings but also went on to seal the match by an innings. Wicketkeeper BJ Watling’s double ton and Mitchell Santner’s all round performance, which includes his maiden Test ton and a three wicket haul in the second innings, was the highlights of the match.

The Kiwi’s piled up 615 in their first innings as a reply to England’s 353. New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and Colin de Grandhomme chipped in with crucial half tons as they ably supported Watling before he was joined by Santner. Williamson hailed the victory a special one as he also went on to comment that it was certainly a “tough, grinding Test victory.” 

"To lose the toss and be 350 behind in the first innings required something special. And it was something special. To get 600 gave us that opportunity to bowl last on that wicket, so a huge amount of credit goes to the way the middle-order built those partnerships. BJ Watling with 200 and Mitch Santner with his first Test hundred were incredibly valuable and hugely required. Colin de Grandhomme batted well, too," Cricbuzz quoted Williamson.

"The pitch started to deteriorate which is what you want to see in Test cricket. But when you do see that you want to have won the toss. This is certainly right up there in terms of a tough, grinding Test victory."

The Kiwi skipper acknowledged that the half tons couldn't have helped them on to the mammoth total as he heaped praises on the lower order pair of Watling and Santner. The duo put up a record 261 stand for the seventh wicket as they faced 742 deliveries (123.4 overs). 

"Scores of 50 and 60 weren't enough to turn the momentum from England's first innings. It did require something large and for a long period of time and that's what those guys did. It was a brilliant effort against a very strong England bowling attack," Williamson said.

"It was outstanding to see that middle, lower-order apply themselves like that. BJ Watling is such a tough competitor and just cares about getting the team into a position to win cricket games. It goes a long way to him applying himself for near on 500 balls, which is an amazing effort. A lot of people wish they could bat 500 balls, including myself.

"It was a brilliant, brilliant performance and it took a huge amount of hard work scoring at two-and-a-half an over for the most part so it wasn't free flowing. For BJ and Mitch to keep soaking up that pressure was outstanding and something that is clearly very hard to do for everybody."

Having managed a 262 run lead against the visitors, Trent Boult being ruled off the field after just bowling an over was a big blow for the hosts. It was then that hero with the bat Santner and Neil Wagner stood up against the challenge as they shared 8 wickets between themselves to wrap up the match. Williamson was mighty impressed by his bowlers who capitalised on the huge total put up by the batters and used the aged pitch to their advantage.

"Our really good first-innings batting allowed the guys to put their feet up. That was really important because they put in a lot of overs in that first innings. For the guys to freshen up proved really important without Trent as a resource. We knew if you could hit the wicket hard you would get some variable bounce. We saw the wicket deteriorate and, when you're bowling for a Test win there's a little bit more in the tank. They were outstanding," he praised the efforts of his bowlers. 

"In some respects, it was quite a unique performance for New Zealand because we're generally looking to bowl first because the wickets are so green. Often a lot of damage is done in the first couple of days then it becomes a different match. But this was the opposite. Both teams were looking to bat and the wicket aged quite considerably. So it was a fantastic surface for a result and something unique for us in New Zealand."

Doubts linger over Boult's availability for the next Test, starting on Friday, in Hamilton. However, his absence could allow Lockie Ferguson to have an opportunity to make his mark in Test cricket.

"A lot was taken out of both teams in this Test. It was a really tough effort for long periods. But we have that squad of 15 and all the guys will meet up in Hamilton and we will have to assess the fitness of everybody," he concluded.