Zak Foulkes' parents Glen and Amanda, pictured at Wellington's Hnry Stadium for a Black Caps game last year, watched through the night at home after he was whistled up mid-test to replace Blair Tickner.

Glen Foulkes couldn’t sleep in the early hours of Saturday morning.

So he got up and turned on the TV to watch the Black Caps battle with England in the third and deciding cricket test.

It turned out to be a good thing. Because Foulkes was not expecting his son Zak to be part of the match.

Zak, who also plays for Canterbury, was in the squad but had not been named in the playing XI for the third test against in Nottingham. He had also not played either of the first two matches.

Then fast bowler Blair Tickner was concussed while batting and had to be replaced.

“When I heard that Tickner was off the field, I thought there was a chance (he would play),” said Glen.

“Once it was confirmed after the drinks break, it was like, here's an opportunity. There was excitement, I woke his mother (Amanda) up as it was confirmed. We would have loved to have been over there.”

Super sub Zak Foulkes took six wickets as a concussion replacement to help the Black Caps to a 160-run win. PHOTO: GETTY

After being parachuted in late on day two, Zak went on to take six wickets, three in each innings, and dismissed retiring England captain Ben Stokes twice in his final test.

He finished with match figures of 6 for 87 as the Black Caps secured a 160-run victory and 2-1 series win.

“It’s incredible,” said Glen.

“I said to Amanda, the fact that he’s been thrown into this situation, and he’s made a big contribution to the win, it’s a credit to his mental state, it’s really impressive.”

Glen watched through the night on days three, four and five, play starting at 10pm NZT and running through to almost 6am .

Zak was a part of one of the most exciting passages of the match on the fourth afternoon, batting at the time Stokes’ looming retirement was announced to the Trent Bridge crowd.

Stokes came in to bowl the next over, and had had Zak caught at second slip with his first ball to great cheers.

Glen had mixed emotions about the moment.

“It’s a funny feeling that because, I sort of looked at it like, ‘oh, bugger, he’s out’, but I also looked at it and went, ‘hey, you’ve just been part of something pretty special’.

“That’s pretty cool, in a way.”

A hamstring injury sustained in the match ruled Foulkes out of the Black Caps' one-day international series in the West Indies, starting July 12.