Greatbatch, Astle and other top-drawer efforts

Sometimes a draw feels like a sweet win, as was the case when the Black Caps dug deep on a drama filled final day against India in Kanpur on Monday.

It’s safe to say New Zealand’s brave rearguard made for one of the more memorable draws in the team’s history.

In no particular order, here are five others.

Mark Greatbatch digs deep in Perth

Again and again Australia’s arsenal of pace bowlers charged in on typically bouncy Waca surface. Again and again Mark Greatbatch rebuffed them.

It’s hard to go past Greatbatch’s staggeringly good knock in Perth in 1989 when it comes to New Zealand’s best test draws.

Having scored 76 in the first innings, the left-hander faced 485 balls on his way to an unbeaten 146, having come to the crease with his side 11-2 and staring down the barrel of an innings defeat.

He batted 11 hours against a quality pace battery of Merv Hughes, Terry Alderman, Geoff Lawson and Carl Rackemann, receiving noteworthy support from No 6 Jeff Crowe (49 from 115), then 18-year-old Chris Cairns (28 from 67), and Martin Snedden (33 not out from 142), as the Kiwis reached 322-7 at stumps.

Ish Sodhi and Neil Wagner secure series win

A couple of unlikely heroes with willow in hand ensured the rugged up punters sprinkled around the Hagley Oval embankment went home with a memorable story to tell to cap the 2017-2018 home summer.

They witnessed Ish Sodhi’s and Neil Wagner’s fighting rearguard in the flesh, one which saved the second test in Christchurch, and sealed New Zealand’s first test series win against England since 1999.

Needing to bat the final day of the autumn test, the Black Caps made a horrible start in pursuit of 382, when Stuart Broad dismissed Jeet Raval and skipper Kane Williamson with the opening two deliveries of the day, before Ross Taylor and Henry Nicholls joined them in hut inside the first hour.

But opener Tom Latham made a patient 83, before Sodhi, Colin de Grandhomme (45 from 97) and Wagner did the dirty work after the top-order failed, restricting England’s quality attack to just two wickets through the final 56.3 overs of the day.

Sodhi was unbeaten 56 from 168 balls. While Wagner was dismissed with the final ball of the day, the 103 balls he faced for seven runs was invaluable.

Danny Morrison and Nathan Astle deny England

Who could forget Danny Morrison, once the world record holder for most test ducks, combining with Nathan Astle to blunt England’s charge for victory in Auckland in 1997?

English journalists were ready to submit their copy when New Zealand slumped to 142-9 on the final afternoon of the test, a mere 11 runs in front, having been asked to follow on.

Enter Morrison, who rolled his sleeves up and frustrated the heck out of the English attack, facing 133 balls for his unbeaten 14.

No 6 Astle finished on 102 from 214 balls, batting 279 minutes as the hosts finished 248-9.

As former English cricketer turned scribe Derek Pringle wrote for the Independent: ‘‘England are capable of many inept acts on a cricket field but, until yesterday, not being able to remove the world’s worst No 11 was not thought to be one of them.’’

Brendon McCullum’s triple ton gets it done

It’s easy to forget Brendon McCullum’s historic triple century saved New Zealand from almost certain defeat at the Basin Reserve in 2014.

Skittled for 192 in their first innings, the Black Caps were 95-5 in their second dig, still 151 runs in arrears of India’s 438, when the skipper entered the middle.

It would be 123 overs before India struck again, as BJ Watling (124) and Jimmy Neesham (137 not out) supported McCullum (302 from 559) as the hosts posted 680-8.

Warren Lees saves the day in Kanpur

Monday’s dramatic draw wasn’t the first time the Kiwis have eked out a dramatic draw on a tricky wicket in Kanpur.

Rewind 45 years, and it was No 7 Warren Lees, with the help of Richard Hadlee and David O’Sullivan, who frustrated the hosts in the second of three tests.

Set an unrealistic 383 to win, the Black Caps looked destined to follow up their 162-run defeat in the first test with another heavy loss when they sagged to 114-6.

While the official scoreboard didn’t record the number of balls faced, or minutes at the crease, Lees batted more than 50 overs and finished unbeaten on 49.

When all was said and done, the Kiwis batted 117 overs for 193-7.