I was there at Eden Park for the greatest test match ever. A retrospective look back.

Somewhere in the future - dateline 26 March, 2033

In hindsight it's easy to think that a team of Williamson, Taylor, McCullum, Boult and Southee would beat the English team. Back in 2013 though, this was a young team of hungry cricketers still looking to make their mark on the world. They were lead by BMac - now Sir Brendon of course - in just his third match in charge of the team.

What happened during that match in Eden Park would inspire young cricketers around the country and began NZ's total domination of world cricket in the 2010-2020s.

The look on Prior's face of disbelief as he carries back the wicket that was torn out of the ground by Boult's last delivery of the third test, March 2013. Panesar tries to console him. Prior had batted for most of the day and finished on 110.

We still talk about it now. In a population of 7 million kiwis, at least 5 million will tell you they were at Eden Park on that day. That's how big it was. Up there with Kiwi winning the Melbourne Cup in 83, the second of our SIX Rugby World Cups in 2011, our many great Olympic moments, the Football Ferns winning the World Cup in 2019, and that underarm delivery.

Alistair Cook (remember him?) hands the series trophy over to Sir Brendon, 2013.

Why has it stuck in our memory so much? So many reasons I guess. Going into the test NZ were ranked a lowly 8th in the world at test cricket (I know, unbelievable, but these were dark days). England were a power house and no.2 to a dominant South Africa. We hadn't won a test series since 2006. It was expected we would be slaughtered 3-0 in the series.

How different it played out though. The first two games in the series were close with rain ruining both and they ended in draws. The last game was all NZ. Sir Peter Fulton tonned up in both innings, Boult took 6 for in the England 1st innings and we had a massive 480 run lead with 140+ overs left to play. It looked good for a series victory at last. With early breakthroughs the Blackcaps were on top but England finally started putting down roots with Bell and Prior on the morning of the last day. They looked like immovable rocks and the crowds heads started to drop. Catches were being dropped left, right and centre. Prior would be given out and on review survived. He was later bowled by Neil Wagner (who?) but the bails didn't come off.

I was starting to worry and resorted to less than savoury tactics at home to try and bring about a victory (see picture).

My Matt Prior voodoo doll from 2013. Now housed in the cricket museum at the Basin Reserve, Wellington.

Finally a breakthroughs as Bell succumbed just before lunch exposing the tail. But Stuart Broad was obstinate to the last until some more inspiration from Captain McCullum to bring back Williamson into the attack. In short time Broad and then Anderson were removed exposing Panesar, the ultimate bunny batsmen. Surely NZ would win. The crowd was going mental as everyone was glued to the action, either at home, in the office, or at the ground. Time had seemed to stop.

There were just three overs left in the day to get one more wicket. Could it be done? Somehow Panesar survived near run-outs and wafty batting to escape the strike and there were three balls left. Here's those balls again from the Cricinfo commentary.

142.6	Boult to Prior, OUT, that is it! Prior shoulders arms to one coming back and the ball hits the top of the off stump which cartwheels down the field towards McCullum. MJ Prior b Boult 110 (269m 182b 2x4 0x6) SR: 60.43
Last ball, it has come down to this, McCullum hobbles across for one last chat with his bowler
142.5	Boult to Prior, no run, good length, the might of Matt Prior behind it to defend
142.4	Boult to Prior, no run, leg side from round the stumps, and it is clipped wide into open space at deep square

Boult is mobbed by the class of 2013 after the final delivery which bowled Prior.

BOULT BOWLED HIM. BOULT BOWLED HIM. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!

Pandemonium struck the crowd and all of NZ stood to applaud, cheer, hug and cry as one of the greatest matches ever concluded on the last ball of a series. For NZ this would be the start of a majestic era. For England, their troubles had only just begun. They lost the return rubber against NZ at home 2-0 in the same year, then all 10 matches against Australia in the Ashes. Cook would retire a forgotten man at the end of 2013. Prior turned to drink and did a Gascoigne. Panesar would go on to be a much better stand up comic.

NZ though had just seen the emergence of a new band of test playing gods. This team would go on to rival the great Australian teams of the 2000s and the Windies of the 1980s. Boult would break Sir Richard Hadlee's test record of wickets for NZ, Williamson would pass Martin Crowes total runs scored and finished his career with an average of 74.96 (second only to Bradman) while Southee became ever better known for his double hat-trick in the 2015 series against Australia, along with a string of dalliances with ladies in night-clubs, planes, trains, and other forms of transport.

Fields like this were common place in the 2010s as NZ were totally dominant in cricket around the world. 

So in 2033 as we look back at the start of that glorious cricketing era, the AB Enquirer asks "Were you there?" Leave a comment below and share your story.

Yes, this did happen...and no I haven't been crying all day.