Everyone waking up on 22nd March morning had a shocker of their lives when their smartphones zapped with the notification of England being 23/8 in the First Test against New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland.

The Deadly Duo of New Zealand bowling, Bolted the English batting line-up as their innings went Southwards. Trent Boult and Tim Southee together bowled 20.4 overs unchanged to skittle England for only 58 runs, which were 30 more than what they should have got.

At 23/8, England was all set to own the record of the lowest score in a Test inning, which incidentally is a record on the name of New Zealand (26) against England in 1956. To top the co-incidence tally, the lowest score ever occurred at the same ground in this same month.

Here are some other stats related to this crazy innings –

• 58 – This is England’s fifth-lowest score in a Test inning. Their lowest score is 45 versus Australia at Sydney in 1887. Their last below-100 score came against Pakistan at Abu Dhabi in 2012 where they were all out for 72.
• This is also England’s lowest score against New Zealand in Tests. Previous lowest was 64 at Wellington 1978, Richard Hadlee – the chief destroyer on that occasion took 6/26.
• 5 Ducks – Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad all got out for zero in the first innings equalling the national record for most ducks in an innings. England has done this thrice before.
• 124 balls – Today’s outing for England was fifth shortest in Test cricket in terms of balls faced. The English team could stand for only 20.4 overs against Boult and Southee. The shortest innings is by Australia – 111 balls when England got them all out for 60 in 2015 at Trent Bridge.
• In this century, this is only the second instance of only two bowles needed to get all the 10 wickets. Interestingly, the first was by Anderson-Broad for England against New Zealand in 2013.

Later while England bowled, Stuart Broad snatched Tom Latham’s wicket to complete a grand total of 400 Test wickets. Here are some statistical highlights of the feat –

• Stuart Broad is the 15th bowler to join the 400-wickets club in Test cricket. He is the

  10th fast bowler to achieve this landmark.

• Along with his bowling partner James Anderson who has 525 Test wickets, Stuart Broad is only the second English bowler to take 400 or more wickets in Tests.
• Stuart Broad is 6 wickets away from going past Curtly Ambrose’s tally of Test wickets (405)