Shrewsbury School advert on TV during the Test cricket

England managed to snatch a draw in the final Test of the three-match series in the early hours of Tuesday morning UK time, which was beamed live on Sky Sports.

And their efforts to save the game in Auckland were played out in front of an advertising hoarding for Shrewsbury School.

The private school paid for advertising at both the second and third Test matches during the latest series, which finished 0-0 after two rain-affected draws in the first two games.

Andy Barnard, master of cricket at the school, said he had been surprised to see the advertising hoarding for the first time, as the deal for the second Test was arranged at short notice.

He said the school sees the exposure as worthwhile after the advertising featured prominently in the two Test matches.

"It is difficult to know what the reaction has been but we have had quite a lot of press and media interest," he said. "Everybody feels it is money well spent.

"Because it happened so quickly, lots of the community didn't know about it and I didn't to start with.

"Shots when the ball runs to the boundary are when the TV viewers focus on it."

Paul Greetham, director of sport at the school, said it had been approached for advertising before the games. He said it fitted in well with the school's ethos, good links with the English Cricket Board and growing international reputation for high-quality cricketers.

Recent success stories at the school include former pupil and Nottinghamshire batsman James Taylor, who made his England debut against South Africa last year, and current student Ed Barnard, who scored a century in his first match for England Under-19s earlier this year.

Mr Greetham added another focus for the school is increasing its girls' cricket coaching, as it prepares to go fully co-educational from next year.