Only three last-wicket stands of 100-plus had previously been inflicted on England, the most recent being in 1929, when H G Owen-Smith and A J Bell, of South Africa, delayed a home win at Headingley.

Two previous stands in Australia, in 1901-2 and 1924-25, merely confirmed England defeats, so the partnership at Auckland yesterday, which turned the result, was as unusual as it must have been agonising for the England team.

Last-wicket century stands in tests

Australia

127 - J M Taylor & A A Mailey v England, Sydney 1924-25 120 - R A Duff & W W Armstrong v England, Melbourne 1901-02

England

130 - R E Foster & W Rhodes v Australia, Sydney 1903-04 128 - K Higgs & J A Snow v West Indies, The Oval 1966 117* - P Willey & R G D Willis v West Indies, The Oval 1980

South Africa

103 - H G Owen-Smith & A J Bell v England, Headingley 1929

New Zealand

151** - B F Hastings & R O Collinge v Pakistan, Auckland 1972-73 124 - J G Bracewell & S L Boock v Australia, Sydney 1985-86 106* - N J Astle & D K Morrison v England, Auckland 1996-97

India

109 - H R Adhikari & Ghulam Ahmed v Pakistan, Delhi 1952-53

Pakistan

133 - Wasim Raja & Wasim Bari v West Indies, Barbados 1976-77 104 - Zulfigar Ahmed & Amir Elahi v India, Madras 1952-53

West Indies

106 - C L Hooper & C A Walsh v Pakistan, Antigua 1992-93

* unbroken ** record last-wicket partnership in Tests