Black Caps clinch series with defiant draw please log in to view this image please log in to view this image © Stu Forster/Getty Images Black Caps skipper Kane Williamson. Ish Sodhi and Neil Wagner have thwarted England in Christchurch's gloom and handed New Zealand a dramatic series-clinching draw. A gripping second Test went down to a final session in which the tailend pair withstood the desperate tourists for nearly two hours in fading light. Wagner fell in the final over bowled by England captain Joe Root but bad light was then called, with the hosts 256-8. It hands them a 1-0 series win, their first over England since 1999, following the first Test rout in Auckland. Legspinner Sodhi was unbeaten on 56 off 168 balls while Wagner ground out seven runs off 103, sharing 37 runs off 31.2 overs after Colin de Grandhomme had departed for 45. Sodhi's 200-minute vigil bordered on heroic, having been struck a painful blow on the forearm soon after tea which needed treatment, along with another stinger to a finger. His belligerence meant an ill Tim Southee wasn't required to bat, along with No.11 Trent Boult. Sodhi raised his third half-century near the end, to the roar of a hardy crowd sitting through cold conditions. Wagner offered little more than a dead bat or evasive action to a host of short-pitched balls sent his way. England captain Root tried everything but was frustrated at every turn on a Hagley Oval pitch offering little life. Close catchers surrounded the bat throughout the final stanza but a number of uncontrolled shots fell just out of their reach. The result means England return home having gone 13 offshore Tests without victory. Seven of them came in a forgettable Australasian Test summer which included a 4-0 Ashes hammering. They controlled the last two days and appeared to be across the line when claiming four top-order scalps inside the opening hour on Tuesday. That included wickets from the first two balls of the day from Stuart Broad. Opener Jeet Raval's exit for his overnight 17 was followed by captain Kane Williamson's golden duck and dismissals for 13 runs each from Ross Taylor and Henry Nicholls. Opener Tom Latham (83 off 207 balls) and wicketkeeper BJ Watling (19 off 66) were resolute but their departures not long after lunch kept England on top. Broad, Mark Wood and debut spinner Jack Leach all bagged two wickets but none of them had the answer against a tail which had also rescued New Zealand in the first innings, after collapsing to 36-5. New Zealand finished 126 runs short of winning the Test, a scenario which was never on the radar throughout the final day. The hosts farewell a busy summer on a high and holding onto a Test ranking of fourth. They beat the West Indies 2-0 in December. They aren't scheduled to play any format for six months, when they're away to Pakistan. Fifth-ranked England face a busy home summer, hosting tours from Pakistan, Australia and India. and no sandpaper to be seen
I think England's lack of a World-class spinner has cost them dearly recently. Since Swanny retired we've tried several who have all been short of that mark in one way or another. Just that little bit of extra guile that traps the tail...
