Craig Overton saved England's blushes in the first Test against New Zealand, and nearly broke the oldest record in Test cricket in the process.

Saving grace: Craig Overton out-scored the rest of the England team. Credit:AP

Reeling at 8-23 before Overton faced his first delivery, England were staring down the barrel of the lowest total in Test history, with New Zealand's 26 all out in 1955 very much in sight.

The 23-year-old sliced his fifth ball away for four, passing that dreaded number, but when Stuart Broad was dismissed for a duck in the following over, England's lowest ever total of 45 (a record that has stood since 1887) looked a mile away.