5 defiant, match-saving innings of this decade

#3 Matt Prior – 110* vs New Zealand (Auckland, 2013)

Matt Prior's determination to defy New Zealand saved England from a series loss

Guts and determination are two words which spring to mind when thinking about this knock from Matt Prior.

His team - England - had arrived in New Zealand as overwhelming favourites after a historic series win in India. However, the pitches for the series were generally flat and the first two Tests ended in a draw making the third and final one the decider.

The Kiwis turned the tables on England and dominated the game throughout, giving England an unrealistic target of 481 in the fourth innings to win.

158/5 at lunch, England seemed down and out when Matt Prior walked out to bat at No 7. He had declared his intention of fighting hard despite the odds in an interview earlier.

On an absolutely flat pitch, but one where the Kiwi bowlers seemed unstoppable, Prior dug his heels in and refused to budge. Playing in his usual positive style - he was also solid in defence - he had a crucial 8th-wicket partnership with Stuart Broad that lasted for 174 balls.

Prior had a big slice of luck as well as on one occasion, when he tried to fend off a short delivery - it fell on the base of the stumps and then rolled on to it as well but the bails remained in place.

Apart from this instance though, Prior was strong as a wall and didn’t give any opportunity to the hosts. Even though the visitors lost a couple of wickets towards the end, Prior made sure his team got to safety, remaining not out on 110 off 182 deliveries.