Prior leads England’s great escape in New Zealand

It’s no wonder the Barmy Army specialises in playing the theme from The Great Escape.

Having won in India, England went into the three-test series in New Zealand expecting a comfortable, morale-boosting run-out before this summer’s rigours against the Australians. Instead, they had the weather to thank for escaping with a draw in the first test in Dunedin and – after having the best of another rain-affected game in Wellington – had to scrape and scramble through a nerve-jangling last day in Auckland to emerge with a third draw and their reputations – mostly – intact.

That is, though, to take nothing away from the scale of their achievement. It is only the third time in test cricket that a team has gone into the final day with four wickets down and survived to tell the tale.

As the teams took tea, the home side knew they had a whole session to knock over the last three England wickets – surely now a formality

Unlike the biff-bang-crash on the one-day game, this was all about application, resilience and patience – aligned, of course, with skill and not a little luck.

With their captain, Alastair Cook, and traditional anchor man Jonathan Trott out overnight – and no Kevin Pietersen to lead the fightback – England were heavily reliant on Ian Bell and Joe Root to extend their overnight partnership for as long as possible.

They managed almost until lunchtime, when Root was dismissed from the first delivery with the second new ball. Jonny Bairstow was unable to offer much resistance. Out for just six, and England – at 159-6 – surely facing defeat by teatime.

But cometh the hour, cometh England’s wicketkeeper-batsman – and full-time talisman – Matt Prior.

Riding his luck, he survived two lbw shouts in one over from Southee – the second of which he managed to get overturned on a television review after being initially given out by the umpire – and a missed catch at midwicket.

But his next escape defied explanation, as a bouncer from Neil Wagner ricocheted down from his helmet onto the stumps… without managing to dislodge the bails.

Emboldened, he took the fight to the New Zealanders, soon progressing into his forties. But just when it looked as though the pendulum might be beginning to swing back towards survival, Bell was dismissed – after almost six hours at the crease – for a painstaking 75. As the teams took tea, the home side knew they had a whole session to knock over the last three England wickets – surely now a formality.

Stuart Broad was once seen as the successor to Andrew Flintoff – a genuine all-rounder whose aggressive batting could turn a game just as much as his pacey bowling. But his last test century was two and a half years ago and his average innings since then has lasted 24 balls.

So it was a very different Broad who emerged with Prior. A man determined not to give his wicket away at any cost.

Like Prior, he survived being given out lbw when the TV replay revealed he got a bit of bat onto Boult’s yorker as it knocked him off his feet, the bat handle jarring into his neck as he fell. Thus reprieved, he batted on scorelessly, setting an unlikely test record of spending 103 minutes at the crease before getting off the mark.

When Prior brought up their 50 partnership, he had scored all the runs. When he reached his century, England had just nine overs to survive. But there was to be another twist, as Williamson dismissed both Broad and Anderson in the space of three balls, bring the redoubtable Monty Panesar to the crease with 17 balls still to be bowled.

Monty being Monty it was not to be straightforward, as – desperate to get off strike – he set off for an unlikely single, diving full-length for the crease at the bowler’s end, only to finish a foot or so short, surviving only because the throw was off-target.

And so they survived – finishing on 315-9, with Prior on a match-saving 110 not out after almost four and a half hours of batting.

Hardly the ideal warm-up for the Ashes – but before the Australians arrive this summer England face another short two-Test series on home territory… against New Zealand.