Wellington is all in readiness of welcoming back international cricket after almost a two-year gap. Beginning from tomorrow, the city will be hosting the second of a two-match Test series between New Zealand and England.
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New Zealand, who have played each one of the 65 Test matches at Basin Reserve, have won 21, lost 20 and drawn 24 times over the years. England, on the contrary, have won four, lost one and drawn the remaining six of their 11 Tests here.
While the Black Caps had won their last Test at this stadium by an innings margin, England’s last Wellington Test was a drawn affair a decade ago. The last time when they had won at this venue was one-and-a-half-decades ago.
Veteran England pacers James Anderson (10 wickets at an average of 22.5) and Stuart Broad (nine wickets at an average of 22.33) were part of both those matches. Former England captain Joe Root (10 runs in solitary innings), however, had played the one in 2013.
Wellington Test batting records
Highest Test run-scorers at the Basin Reserve are Ross Taylor (1,279), Kane Williamson (1,137), Martin Crowe (1,123), Brendon McCullum (1,021) and John Wright (1,005). As far as active cricketers are concerned, best Test batters at this stadium are:
| Batter | Matches | Runs | Highest | Average | 100 | 50 |
| Kane Williamson (NZ) | 13 | 1,137 | 242* | 66.88 | 3 | 6 |
| Tom Latham (NZ) | 10 | 696 | 264* | 49.71 | 2 | 1 |
| Henry Nicholls (NZ) | 8 | 664 | 174 | 66.4 | 3 | 4 |
| Martin Guptill (NZ) | 6 | 359 | 73 | 29.91 | 0 | 2 |
| Shakib Al Hasan (BAN) | 2 | 263 | 217 | 87.66 | 1 | 0 |
Test bowling records at Basin Reserve
Highest wicket-takers in Tests played at this stadium are Chris Martin (60), Daniel Vettori (57), Richard Hadlee (53), Tim Southee (51) and Trent Boult (48). Best bowlers in this format at this venue among active cricketers are:
| Bowler | Matches | Wickets | Average | SR | 5 |
| Tim Southee (NZ) | 14 | 51 | 32.58 | 58.9 | 3 |
| Trent Boult (NZ) | 11 | 48 | 27.95 | 52.3 | 1 |
| Neil Wagner (NZ) | 9 | 40 | 28.72 | 47.3 | 2 |
| Ishant Sharma (IND) | 3 | 12 | 32.91 | 55.6 | 2 |
| Kyle Jamieson (NZ) | 2 | 11 | 14.63 | 34.3 | 1 |
Highest innings totals in Wellington Test matches
| Score | Overs | Team | Opposition | Year |
| 680/8d | 210 | New Zealand | India | 2014 |
| 671/4 | 220.3 | New Zealand | Sri Lanka | 1991 |
| 660/5d | 169.2 | West Indies | New Zealand | 1995 |
| 595/8d | 152 | Bangladesh | New Zealand | 2017 |
| 578 | 157.3 | New Zealand | Sri Lanka | 2018 |
600-run mark has been touched thrice out of the 230 Test innings at the Basin Reserve. 500-run mark, meanwhile, has been surpassed 17 times over the years.
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A total of 19 Wellington Tests have been won by teams successful chasing down a target in the fourth innings. Pakistan hold the record for the highest-successful Test run-chase at this stadium on the back of sealing a 274-run chase a couple of decades ago.
