Match overview
England beat New Zealand by 323 runs at Basin Reserve, Wellington on 6 December 2024, with Harry Brook named player of the match. England posted 280 in the first innings before bowling New Zealand out for 125, a deficit of 155. Their third-innings declaration at 427/6 set New Zealand 583 to win. The hosts were dismissed for 259, leaving England with a comprehensive margin that reflects their control across all four innings. New Zealand chose to field after winning the toss, an orthodox call at a ground where 69% of toss winners make that decision, but England's batters ensured the move did not pay off.
The scale of the victory is put in perspective by the ground's averages. Basin Reserve's average first-innings score across 79 Tests is 231. England exceeded that in both of their innings, posting totals that put pressure on a New Zealand side already struggling for form after three defeats to Sri Lanka earlier in 2024. Brook's player of the match award capped a strong individual performance and continued a productive run in Test cricket for England through the year.
Venue and conditions
Basin Reserve is one of Test cricket's older grounds, with 79 matches in the database and an average first-innings score of 231. Second-innings averages drop slightly to 210, a pattern common at venues where the pitch flattens a little once the initial grass covering is gone, though the Wellington weather can keep seamers interested throughout a match. The chase success rate here sits at 49%, making it genuinely competitive across both sides of a fourth-innings pursuit.
The toss data is notable: teams win the toss and field first 69% of the time, suggesting that early-morning Wellington conditions, often cloudy with wind off the hills surrounding the ground, offer enough to tempt captains into bowling first. New Zealand followed that pattern here. England's ability to post 280 despite that choice, and then return 427/6 in the third innings, showed they were comfortable once the pitch settled. The ground's history includes some enormous individual scores: Williamson's 311, Latham's 264 not out, and Root's 248 are all part of the Basin Reserve record books, confirming it can reward patience from top-order batters.
How to watch
Test matches between England and New Zealand are broadcast on Sky Sports Cricket in the UK. Streaming is available through Sky Go for existing subscribers and via a NOW TV day or month pass for those without a Sky contract. For England Test matches, BBC Radio's Test Match Special provides live ball-by-ball commentary, accessible on BBC Radio 4 Long Wave, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, and the BBC Sounds app. Given the time difference between the UK and New Zealand (approximately 13 hours ahead of GMT in December), live play at Wellington starts in the early hours of UK mornings, making highlights packages on Sky Sports a practical alternative for those who cannot watch live.
Recent form
England arrived at Wellington having won their last completed Test, also against New Zealand in 2024, and with three wins from their last four finished matches across the year including two victories over West Indies. A no-result against West Indies sits in the recent record, but the pattern is one of a side that wins more often than it loses. Their batting depth, demonstrated by posting 280 and 427/6 on a ground with a first-innings average of 231, reflects that consistency.
New Zealand's form coming into this match was more difficult to read positively. Three consecutive losses to Sri Lanka in 2024, with only one win in that sequence, pointed to a side that had been under pressure before welcoming England. A first-innings total of 125 at their own ground, against a visiting attack playing without home-conditions advantage, made for uncomfortable reading. Their second innings of 259 showed more resistance but New Zealand were always chasing a target that was beyond reach from the moment England declared.
