England v New Zealand - Test

Two extra Tests squeezed into the 1931 tour tell you everything about the impression New Zealand made on debut at Lord's.

New Zealand toured England for the first time as a Test-playing nation in 1931, having been granted Test status just the year before. The first Test was played at Lord's in June, and the tourists acquitted themselves well enough that two additional Tests were hastily arranged, replacing county fixtures. All three matches were drawn, a creditable result for a side still finding its feet at the highest level.

Donnelly's 206 at Lord's said more about New Zealand's batting potential than a 0-0 scoreline ever could.

The 1949 tour was New Zealand's first visit to England after the war, and it marked a step forward. Martin Donnelly scored a magnificent 206 at Lord's in the first Test, one of the great innings played at the ground. The four-match series was drawn 0-0, but Donnelly's double century announced New Zealand as a side capable of producing world-class batting talent.

Forty-eight years without a single victory; New Zealand's wait began with a dismissal of just 47 at Lord's.

Through the 1950s and 1960s, England were utterly dominant. The 1958 series saw England win all five Tests, with New Zealand bowled out for just 47 in the second innings at Lord's. It was a period of painful one-sidedness. New Zealand would not win a single Test against England until 1978, a drought spanning 48 years and dozens of matches from their first encounter.

Forty-eight years and forty-eight attempts. New Zealand's wait finally ended in Wellington.

At Wellington in February 1978, New Zealand beat England for the first time in Test cricket, winning by 72 runs. It had taken 48 Tests across 48 years. Richard Hadlee took six wickets in the match, a sign of things to come. The monkey was off the back, and New Zealand cricket entered a new era of competitiveness.

New Zealand's first Test victory on English soil, engineered by Hadlee at Headingley in 1983; a moment that changed the series.

Sir Richard Hadlee was the engine of New Zealand cricket through the 1980s, and his performances against England were extraordinary. In the 1983 series, New Zealand won their first Test on English soil, beating the hosts by five wickets at Headingley. Hadlee's all-round brilliance, taking wickets and scoring crucial runs, made him the most feared opponent England faced from any touring side during that decade.

Fleming's side did what no New Zealand team had managed before; a series win on English soil, sealed 2-1.

Under Stephen Fleming's captaincy, New Zealand won a Test series in England for the first time in 1999, taking the four-match series 2-1. It was a watershed moment. New Zealand had individual match wins before, but stringing together a series victory on English soil required sustained excellence. The result confirmed New Zealand's status as a side that could compete anywhere in the world.

Stokes's century and a 124-run victory announced a new, thrilling compact between two sides who finally chose spectacle over caution.

The 2015 Lord's Test was one of the finest matches played at the ground in years. England won by 124 runs, but the contest was gripping throughout. Ben Stokes scored a rapid century and the match showcased the attacking brand of cricket that both Brendon McCullum's New Zealand and Alastair Cook's England were committed to playing. It felt like a turning point for the rivalry, with both sides prioritising entertainment alongside results.

296 chased in under 55 overs; a new era announced itself in the bluntest possible terms.

Ben Stokes's first series as England captain, with Brendon McCullum as head coach, produced a 3-0 whitewash of New Zealand in June 2022. It was the birth of what became known as 'Bazball', an ultra-aggressive approach to Test batting that saw England chase down targets with startling speed. At Headingley, England chased 296 in just 54.2 overs. The series transformed English cricket's self-image and, fittingly, it was New Zealand who were the opponents for the revolution.