The 2018 year was a very eventful year in cricket. Among the 48 Test matches of the year, only five Tests ended with the draw results while the other 43 Tests had a winning and a losing side. Among those matches, some matches were very exciting and thriller.

Here we are going to briefly discuss the top five Test matches in 2018.

5. New Zealand vs England at Christchurch (30 March-3 April) – Match drawn

It was the second and final Test of the series that was played at Hagley Oval (Christchurch), where England faced a must-win game to level the series while the hosts New Zealand needed at least the draw result to secure their series victory.

After winning the toss, the hosts decided to field first. The English wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow’s 101 off 170 balls (11 fours and only six) guided the team to the good first innings total of 307 runs. Among the Kiwi bowlers, Tim Southee (6/62) bagged six wickets while Trent Boult (4/87) picked up the other four wickets.

In reply, New Zealand managed to score 278 runs before getting bundle out. While once they were struggling on 36/5, three half-centuries at the lower middle-order (BJ Watling 85, Colin de Grandhomme 72 and Tim Southee 50) helped the team to reach to the fighting total. English pacers James Anderson (4/76) and Stuart Broad (6/54) shared the ten wickets in that innings.

Also read: Top Five Best Test Knocks In 2018

In the second innings, four English batsmen played half-century knocks that helped the visitors to scored 352/9 before their declaration. Those four top knocks were James Vince 76, Mark Stoneman 60, skipper Joe Root 54 and Dawid Malan 53. Meanwhile, New Zealand pace-bowling all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme (4/94) picked up four wickets in that innings.

Chasing down the 382 runs target, New Zealand had to survive around 125 overs to save the game and win the series. At the middle period of that innings, the hosts lost their half wickets in regular intervals. However, some great patience innings helped the hosts to draw that game.

The opener Tom Latham played a superb knock of 83 runs off 207 balls (10 fours) as he guided the team to the first half of that innings and the lower middle-order batsmen took the charges in the next half. First, Colin de Grandhomme and Ish Sodhi had the patience 57-run partnership off 155 balls for the seventh wicket and then Sodhi had another more patience partnership of 37 runs off 188 balls with Neil Wagner for the eighth wicket.

Grandhomme scored 45 runs off 97 balls while Sodhi remained unbeaten on 56 off 169 balls and Wagner scored 7 off 103 balls to save that game. In the end, Southee won the Player of the Match award, who picked up seven wickets and scored a crucial half-century in the second innings.