In the second of three instalments running throughout the New Zealand-England Test series, we delve into the Wisden Almanack archive to pick out a memorable Test match between the sides. Here we go back 24 years, to the first match of the 1977-78 series at Wellington The portents weren't too great for New Zealand. Forty-eight years and 47 matches after their first Test against England - at Christchurch in January 1930 - they still had not won a match. In fact, they'd won only nine out of 127 against anyone. England, by contrast, had hammered Australia 3-0 the previous summer, and had lost only two of their last 12 Tests overseas.

On an uneven pitch at a gusty Basin Reserve, the match was tough-going from the first ball. There were certainly no Gilchristian fireworks: Nathan Astle may have leathered 222 off 165 balls, but New Zealand's first innings 228 took 702 balls, or 87.6 eight-ball overs.

England had superstars: Geoff Boycott, Ian Botham and Bob Willis; New Zealand had Mark Burgess, Bevan Congdon and Richard Collinge. But they also had another Richard, the relatively unknown Hadlee - 61 wickets at an average of 35 in 17 Tests before this - and he took 4 for 72 to give them a 13-run innings lead. It would have been more but for a proper Test-match innings from their captain Boycott, 77 in 442 minutes.

Things were getting serious when New Zealand got to 82 for 1 in their second innings, a lead of 95. Then Bob Willis cleaned them up, with nine wickets falling for 41, and England looked home and dry. They needed a mere 137, and in their previous 47 Tests against New Zealand they'd never scored less than 181. It would be a doddle, or so it seemed. Mr Hadlee had other ideas …

Almanack report
Scorecard

Rob Smyth is on the staff of Wisden.com.

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