Two victories stand out - NZ's first Test win against England at the 24th attempt and the 10-wicket triumph against India. There has, of course, been the odd crushing defeat, writes David Leggat
1 v England
Feb 11-15, 1978
Result: New Zealand won by 72 runs.
The finest of them all, hands down.
The penultimate day of the first test of the series will always sit high on any lists of New Zealand's greatest occasions.
The test wasn't won that sunlit afternoon, but all that was left were some prayers for a fine final morning and a mopping-up job.
England, led by Geoff Boycott, seemed to have things well in hand when, having trailed by 13 on the first innings - the hugely popular Boycott (in Yorkshire anyway) having ground out 77 in 7 hours - then rolled New Zealand for 123 second time around.
Same old story, muttered those who had been down this particular road many times before.
England's target was 137. Plain sailing.
But Richard Collinge changed all that. The big left-armer charged in and yorked Boycott for 1. New Zealand's fielders erupted, engulfing the burly Collinge.
England fell apart; Collinge and Richard Hadlee were men possessed. It was a wild, joyous afternoon.
By stumps, England were 53 for eight, and done. Hadlee grabbed the last two in the morning to finish with six for 26, 10 for 100 in the match; Collinge an invaluable three for 35.
It was New Zealand's first test win over England at the 24th attempt over 48 years. Self-belief grew an arm that day.
2 v India
Feb 13-17, 1976
Result: New Zealand won by an innings and 33 runs.
If you want to pick a test when Richard Hadlee turned from a quick, promising fast bowler to something rather special, try this.
India weren't slugs - Gavaskar, Vishwanath, Vengsarkar, Madan Lal, Bedi, Chandrasekhar, etc - but trailed by 114 on the first innings, courtesy of solid hands from Glenn Turner, Bevan Congdon and Mark Burgess.
India were making steady progress at 62 for two before things went pear-shaped for the tourists.
Hadlee was fourth bowler used (!!) behind Collinge, Cairns and his brother Dayle, but made up for lost time.
Five wickets fell in the space of four runs as Hadlee simply powered through the middle-lower order to finish with seven for 23 off 8.3 overs. India were dismissed for 81. Hadlee's match analysis? 22.3-1-58-11.
3 v Sri Lanka
Jan 31-Feb 4, 1991
Result: Draw
One for the statisticians.
When the brilliant Aravinda da Silva helped himself to 267, carrying Sri Lanka to 497, and a 323-run first-innings lead, only two results were possible.
John Wright and Trevor Franklin shaved 134 runs off the deficit with their opening stand but Sri Lanka's hopes of pushing for victory were dashed once Martin Crowe joined Andrew Jones.
When the tough-minded Jones was finally out for 186 - the highest of his seven test hundreds - the job of saving the test had been well and truly done.
All that remained was to witness New Zealand's first test triple hundred. It seemed a monty for Crowe.
But on 299 he tickled a catch to the wicketkeeper off tubby medium-pacer Arjuna Ranatunga. It's fair to say Crowe didn't see the funny side of it.
The stand, New Zealand's highest in tests, was 467, and it is still the third biggest for any wicket by anyone.
4 v Australia
March 15-19, 1990
Result: New Zealand won by nine wickets.
A triumph for John Wright, as New Zealand took Australia apart.
Richard Hadlee got the ball rolling, with five for 39 as Australia, having won the toss, were bowled out for 110. New Zealand scrapped hard, responding with 202 at less than two an over.
Allan Border's gritty unbeaten 78 gave Australia a sniff, as offspinner John Bracewell, who loved giving the Aussies a tickle up, took six for 85.
Needing 178, Wright produced perhaps one of his finest innings for his country, an unbeaten 117, to carry New Zealand home. It took him a tick under four and a half hours, and the job was done in tandem with his mate Andrew Jones, in an unbroken stand of 128.
5 v Australia
March 29-30 1946
Result: Australia won by an innings and 103 runs.
This must be in any Basin Reserve test list, even though it was a horror, lasting less than two days and taking just 155.2 overs.
It also had a lasting detrimental effect on Australia-New Zealand cricket relations. The Aussies reckoned we weren't much chop and wouldn't return with a full strength team until 1974.
New Zealand were rolled for 42 and 54, their second and fourth lowest totals ever. Only four innings among New Zealand's 22 reached double figures - in the context of the match, Merv Wallace had a good double, 10 and 14. There were six ducks, including pairs for one-test representatives Len Butterfield and Gordon Rowe.
Australia made 199 for eight, which was more than enough, although Jack Cowie showed his world-class qualities with six for 40.
6 v Australia
March 1-6, 1974
Result: Draw
Not here because of a fabulous result but because of a remarkable achievement by the celebrated brothers Ian and Greg Chappell.
The pitch was, er, pretty good. The match had three innings, each of which contained two centuries.
In Australia's 511 for six declared, Greg Chappell hit an unbeaten 247, captain Ian 145, as they added 264 for the third wicket.
New Zealand responded with 484, of which captain Bevan Congdon made 132, Bryan Hastings 101, before the Chappell show resumed for round two - Ian 121, Greg 133, in a total of 460 for eight.
It remains the only time brothers have scored two centuries in the same test.
7 v West Indies
March 7-11, 1969
Result: New Zealand won by six wickets
An easily-forgotten, but notable victory, New Zealand's first on the famous ground.
The West Indies were strong - captained by Garry Sobers, with quality batsmen, and classy offspinner Lance Gibbs and the ageing but dangerous Charlie Griffith leading the attack.
It was even-stevens after the first two innings - the West Indies' 297, in which folk hero Dick Motz took a fine six for 69, narrowly shaded New Zealand's 282.
When Motz, Bob Cunis and Bryan Yuile combined to roll the tourists for 147, the target was 164.
It wasn't easy. Griffith, whose arm was often not as straight as it should have been, was menacing, 39 for three was not promising.
But Hastings, with a gritty unbeaten 62, and bespectacled allrounder Yuile with 37, settled things down and the win was nailed amid back slaps galore.
8 v West Indies
Feb 10-13, 1995
Result: West Indies won by an innings and 322 runs
If the first-up loss to Australia was embarrassing, they had a couple of excuses - nerves, a tricky pitch and formidable opposition. This lot had no such room for manoeuvring.
The Windies arrived after New Zealand's sex, drugs and rock'n'roll tour to South Africa. Player confidence and public standing was not high and Courtney Walsh, Brian Lara and co were just the men to make the most of it.
Having hit 660 for five - Lara's 147 one of three centuries - Walsh took over.
The first innings was ordinary, New Zealand dismissed for 216, the long-limbed Jamaican, captaining the West Indies, taking seven for 37 and only opener Darrin Murray making it to a half century.
Following on, it was a disaster. New Zealand were shot down for 122 in 40.2 overs of spineless batting, Murray's 43 for a solid double the notable exception. Certainly Walsh was a handful, but he was grinning from ear to ear as he helped himself to six for 18. Match figures? 36-15-55-13.
9 v England
Jan 24-27, 1930
Result: Draw
In here because it was the first test played at the ground, although not the first ever staged in New Zealand. That happened in Christchurch a fortnight earlier, and resulted in an eight-wicket defeat.
And it might have given New Zealand its first test victory - 26 years before it actually happened.
Just a three-day contest, but there was a fine result for New Zealand, with openers Jack Mills and Stewie Dempster sharing a 276-run opening stand - still a record against England and second only to Glenn Turner's and Terry Jarvis' 387 against the West Indies at Guyana in 1972 as the highest against any country.
Mills, on debut, hit 117, Dempster 136 as they carried New Zealand to 440, and a 120-run first innings lead. England were left a target of 285 but time probably denied NZ a famous win. England were 109 for four when the test ended. The teams rattled through 336.2 overs - 112 a day!
10 v India
Dec 12-14, 2002
Result: New Zealand won by 10 wickets.
One of four 10-wicket victories in New Zealand's history. Three have come at the Basin. This is the pick, a good doing over of India in conditions green enough to have seam bowlers drooling.
India's batsmen never settled in. They were bowled out for 161 and 121, Shane Bond, Daryl Tuffey and Jacob Oram, on debut, having a feast, sharing 17 wickets for just 226.
India's regal middle order - Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman - were cut down, although Dravid battled four hours over 76 in the first innings.
Mark Richardson's patient 89, one of just three 50s in the test, won him man of the match, in a game New Zealand utterly controlled from the start.
Cricket: Top 10 Basin Reserve test memories
Martin Crowe. Photo / Martin Hunter
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