At Auckland, March 14, 16, 17, 18. Drawn. A high wind and rain spoiled the game and nothing could be done on the last two days. England went into the match with three players recovering from injury, Richardson having two cracked ribs and Graveney and Lock suffering from pulled muscles.

On a blustery, cloudy day with the wind so strong that the bails were often blown off, New Zealand, after Reid had won the toss, made a shocking start, losing half the side for 41.

Trueman, who began by bowling seven maiden overs, was unplayable for long spells. Dexter also swung the ball disconcertingly and the pair did much as they pleased until Sutcliffe, playing in his last Test match, decided to hit. Driving and cutting splendidly, he hit seven 4's in 61 out of 87 in two and a half hours before playing across a well-pitched-up ball.

Sparling assisted him in a good stand and other useful scores came from Blair and Hough, who repeated his big hitting of the first Test by getting five 4's in two overs off Tyson before taking out his bat.

New Zealand were disposed of twenty minutes from the close, but Blair had only time to bowl one maiden over to Richardson before an appeal against bad light finished play for the day. Despite the bad weather, which caused a cyclone warning to be issued in the province, the cricket attracted nearly 18,000 people.

On the second day the wind was still high and batsmen once more found difficulty in timing their strokes. England's left-handed partnership lasted fifty minutes before Hough bowled Watson with a ball well up to him, but Graveney improved matters with strong driving and pulling. He hit Moir for three 4's in an over before losing his wicket attempting a powerful sweep. England went in front for the loss of three wickets but setbacks occurred in the dismissals of Cowdrey and Dexter.

May, who had begun in free-scoring fashion, reaching 50 in eighty-five minutes, mastered the pace and spin bowlers and completed his century in three hours and forty minutes. Swetman and Trueman gave him useful support and when the close came with England 311 for seven May took out his bat for 124, including fourteen 4's. New Zealand fielded well and Hough bowled his medium-paced deliveries excellently, but the home bowlers and batsmen had no further opportunity to show their worth as the next two days were completely ruined by rain.