Wisden 100 tables

England and New Zealand have played each other 85 times since their first Test encounter at Christchurch in January 1930, and with New Zealand winning only six - two of them in 1999 - it's no surprise that Englishmen dominate the Wisden 100 table for Tests between the sides, occupying 14 of the top 20 batting places and 14 of the top 20 bowling.

Nevertheless, it is an individual Kiwi who dominates the batting table. Nathan Astle lays claim to two places in the top six, with two wildly contrasting innings in consecutive home series against England. Astle's 102 not out at Auckland in 1996-97, the match in which he and No. 11 Danny Morrison defied England for an entire afternoon, was impressive enough. But his batting blitzkrieg at Christchurch in 2001-02 was out of this world.

New Zealand required the small matter of 550 to win, after Graham Thorpe had cudgelled his way to 200 not out from 231 balls. And at 333 for 9, with just an injured Chris Cairns for company, Astle's hopes of an Auckland repeat seemed slim. So he went on the attack, and kept on attacking, reaching his 200 from 153 balls, and his 222 from 168. Had he and Cairns managed the extra 98 runs required, Astle's innings would have been a contender for the best innings of all time.

Tony Lock, who bagged 47 wickets in just seven matches, has three bowling entries in the top seven. His best performance (No. 2 on the table) came at Christchurch in 1958-59, where he took 6 for 53 in 28.2 overs as New Zealand collapsed from 101 for 3 to 133 all out.

But it is another left-arm spinner, who instigated another Kiwi collapse in another innings defeat at Christchurch, who tops the table. In 1991-92, Phil Tufnell was at the top of his game. In consecutive matches, he bowled England to victory with 6 for 25 at The Oval against West Indies, 5 for 94 at Lord's against Sri Lanka, and then 7 for 47 in 46.1 overs of mesmerising turn and loop at Christchurch. New Zealand were always up against it after England had racked up 580 for 9 dec in their only innings, but it took a stampede of wickets, and a final, fateful gamble from Martin Crowe to hand England an innings-and-four-run victory in the closing minutes of the fifth day.

New Zealand's bowling efforts are led by a brace of performances from an allrounder called Cairns. Not Chris, whose only entry in either table is his series-clinching 80 at The Oval in 1999 - but his father, Lance, whose 7 for 74 at Headingley in 1983 gave New Zealand their first victory on English soil.

But it is a pair of English batsmen who top the table with two unbeaten triple centuries. John Edrich, whose 310 not out at Headingley was just 49 runs fewer than New Zealand (193 and 166) managed in two innings slips in at No. 1, with Wally Hammond's 336 not out at Auckland taking second-place, much as it did at the time, given that it was scored against a docile attack in the aftermath of the Bodyline series. Hammond, who had made 227 in the first Test, ended the series with a world-record average of 563.00. Another little target for Adam Gilchrist to set his sights on.

Andrew Miller is on the staff of Wisden.com

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