So there we go: New Zealand take the lead in the five-match series; join us for the next instalment on Wednesday. Until then, enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Boult and Southee did superbly to slow England down towards the end of their innings, and the partnership between Latham and Taylor was special. But the match turned for the final time when Santner somehow got a perfect yorker away for four; no boundary off the first ball of the final over and the pressure is properly on.
These two teams are a) well-matched and b) excellent. As such, these series/seres/serieses are going to be a lot of fun.
That’s why this format is so good! So many swings of momentum in so short a period, plenty of room for all the intricacies and vagaries of the game. Fantastic!
NEW ZEALAND BEAT ENGLAND BY THREE WICKETS!
49.3 Wow! Santner waits, swings down, and creams, batters and fries a giant six over midwicket! What a match!
49.2 Slower ball outside off, slanted across the left-handed Santner ... but it’s wide! New Zealand need 5 from 5.
49.1 Oh! This is a really good ball from Woakes, hammering in a perfect yorker, and Santner somehow slices it through his own legs for a fortuitous four! New Zealand need 6 from 5.
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Woakes it is...
48.6 That last ball was also a no ball but no one notices, and another single to long on means 9 are needed off the final over! Excitement! New Zealand are favourites I’d say ... who’s going to bowl? Stokes or Woakes? New Zealand need 9 from 6.
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48.5 Slower one and Santner gets enough of this! It’s too straight and hands drag body through it for four! New Zealand need 10 from 7.
48.4 Southee takes a swing but drags a slower ball to the man at long on; he missed out there. New Zealand need 14 from 8.
48.3 Yorker from Curran, excellent gear, and Santner can’t make space for the slog; single. New Zealand need 15 from 9.
48.2 Southee gets hold of this but picks out long on. New Zealand need 16 from 10.
48.1 Slower ball from Curran, single over the top down the ground. New Zealand need 17 from 11.
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48th over: New Zealand 267-7 (Santner 28, Southee 6) Target 285 Here we are! Santner down on one knee to hoist Rashid’s wrongun over cow corner for six! Here we are! Front of the hand, too short, Santner down again, and six over long on! 22 off 16 required! Rashid sends down a wide – he needs some quick mindfulness – then a floaty legspinner goes for one. A dot follows, then another single to cover, then another to long on. New Zealand need 18 from 12, and Rashid has done a fine job putting England in with a shout despite a brutal final over, 16 from it.
47th over: New Zealand 251-7 (Santner 14, Southee 5) Target 285 The run rate is nearly up to 11 and it’ll take something for New Zealand to sort things from here ... but New Zealand are something. Curran is tearing in now, and slings down an aggressive-ass yorker that Southee does well to block. They just can’t get the ball away, three singles from the first five balls, but then a wider slower one is right in Southee’s swing, too full, and the go-go gadget arms cream over cover for a one-bounce four. New Zealand are just about in this still, 34 off 18 required.
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46th over: New Zealand 244-7 (Santner 12, Southee 0) Target 285 Could it be two in two?! Southee takes a big stride, misses, and Butter drops the ball, picks it up, and bumps the stumps. Was Southee’s foot off the ground? Possibly, but the footage is inconclusive and there’s no reason to overturn the on-field call. Brilliant over from Rashid though.
WICKET! Taylor st Buttler b Rashid 113 (New Zealand 244-7)
Well there we are! Well done Eoin Morgan and well done Adil Rashid! Taylor goes, but picks the wrong ball to go at, one which dips and grips; he misses by a fortnight, Buttler has the bails off in a trice, and what a finish we now have in store!
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46th over: New Zealand 244-6 (Taylor 113, Santner 12) Target 285 Eoin Morgan gambles, bringing back Rashid; Taylor will have to get after him. The first four balls yield just three singles, but.
45th over: New Zealand 241-6 (Taylor 112, Santner 10) Target 285 England would probably expect to win from here if they were New Zealand, but would definitely expect to win from here if they were England, which they are. At some point, Taylor is going to have to go, the problem being that if he gets himself out it’s over. It doesn’t need to be now though! Curran’s bowled a decent over into the pitch, but then seeking a yorker he sends down a full toss and Santner mashes a pull over long on! An overthrow follows next ball, and that’s the run rate satisfied!
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44th over: New Zealand 232-6 (Taylor 111, Santner 2) Target 285 Stokes gives Taylor width and he makes sure not to miss out, power-carving four through backward point. A wide then follows, then one slips out the hand high - it’s above waist-height, no no-ball is called, Taylor cracks through third man and waits quizzically for the free hit which never arrives. The rest of the over is tidier , two singles from it, and the rate is 8.83. Might that be the end of Stokes? Either way, we’re set for a serious finish.
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43rd over: New Zealand 221-6 (Taylor 102, Santner 1) Target 285 Curran sends down a leg-side wide which trims the air immediately adjacent to the leg bail. The required rate is now up to 8.93 as the batsmen take a single each; Taylor is on 99; and he wallops cross-batted behind square on the off side, and that raises a magnificent hunnert. He’s been in control pretty much from the start, but now he needs help from one more team-mate ...and Santner nearly ensure it isn’t him, knocking one down that almost skips back into the stumps.
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42nd over: New Zealand 215-6 (Taylor 98, Santner 0) Target 285 England are working around Taylor and New Zealand, who looked almost home, now look almost out of it. Sport, eh.
WICKET! De Grandhomme c Buttler b Stokes 2 (New Zealand 215-6)
Some people! Ben Stokes is some person! He flings down a slower ball outside off, De Grandhomme plays le grand homme, throwing hands and arms at it, edging behind! That error from Buttler cost England nothing!
42nd over: New Zealand 215-5 (Taylor 98, De Grandhomme 2) Target 285 Ben Stokes is exactly the gadgie you want to have the ball right now, but what does he have left? Taylor plays him down into the ground and puts him in a race with De Grandhomme, one after the ball the other the crease; the latter wins. Taylor then dabs down a fine slower ball and adds one before they try for two by way of leg-byes ... Woakes chucks in ... and Buttler, in front of the stumps according to the current vogue, misses the ball! Laugh!
41st over: New Zealand 210-5 (Taylor 96, De Grandhomme 1) Target 285 That wicket ball was a proper half-volley; Nicholls will be proper naused it did for him. Two singles and two leg-byes complete the over.
WICKET! Nicholls c Roy b Curran 0 (New Zealand 206-5)
One brings two! It’s a procession! Etcetera! Curran goes around to Nicholls and cramps him slightly; he flings the cut, doesn’t get all of it, and suddenly England are favourites!
40th over: New Zealand 205-4 (Taylor 94, Nicholls 0) Target 285 That’s the height of Stokes is that, finding a way to find something even if ostensibly, it had very little to do with him.
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WICKET! Latham c Root b Stokes 79 (New Zealand 205-4)
Well then! Latham is knackered, so stands to try and shmice a boundary, picking out Root at mid on instead. What a partnership though, 178 and made under serious pressure.
40th over: New Zealand 205-3 (Taylor 94, Latham 79) Target 285 Stokes barrels in does a good enough job to begin with, conceding two singles and a wide from his first four balls.
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39th over: New Zealand 202-3 (Taylor 93, Latham 78) Target 285 Curran returns and England need him to reproduce the form which got them a win in that final ODI against Australia in Perth. But this pitch is much slower than that pitch, the problem for England being that New Zealand have so many wickets in hand that simply using it to restrict the runs probably won’t be enough. But then off the final ball of the over, a slower one,Latham slams into the air! Bairstow and Moeen both look at it, Bairstow goes from square leg ... eventually ... getting there eventually, having gone the long way round ... and he grasses it on the dive! Oh dear! That was a regulation chance made to look hard.
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38th over: New Zealand 198-3 (Taylor 91, Latham 76) Target 285 Stokes back into the attack; “Come on bro” says Taylor as Latham turns down a single. But quickly it doesn’t matter because Stokes then strays to leg and Taylor is having no such thing, four carted over backward square leg ... followed by four more when another down leg is edge-pulled fine. Taylor adds a further single before Latham absolutely middles one to the man one the fence for another, then another makes this a fine over for NewZealand, 11 from it. They are looking so confident and it’s very hard to see a way for England.
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37th over: New Zealand 174-3 (Taylor 81, Latham 75) Target 285 A pair of singles and the target is down to single figures; one more follows, and an appeal when Latham misses with a sweep, summarily rejected. He had treatment for cramp during drinks and perhaps all those quick singles are telling.
36th over: New Zealand 184-3 (Taylor 79, Latham 74) Target 285 The expertise with which these two have RO-tated the strike has been brilliant, but Woakes keeps them quiet with four dots and a single before one bounces a little bit more and beats Latham as it cuts in, missing the stumps by the cube root of nowt. And to rub it in, Woakes then donates some width, Latham duly guiding four through third man. Just when he thought he was out, they pulled him back in.
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35th over: New Zealand 179-3 (Taylor 78, Latham 70) Target 285 I wonder how many runs England wold pay for a wicket here; maybe a barter system would revitalise the format. Rashid continues, but after singles are milked, Latham sends a leading edge soaring and dropping, to no one! When it’s your day it’s your day. Talking of soaring, I heard a Scottish woman on the radio the other day talking about how when said by her, saw, sore and soar are all said differently, but in London they’re homonyms. Any more for any more?
34th over: New Zealand 172-3 (Taylor 75, Latham 66) Target 285 Mike Hesson is interviewed and he’s wearing his hat at a jaunty angle, peak all flat. But things are going well for his boyz, Taylor cutting a length ball from Woakes to the fence; he is so strong square of the wicket. Four singles also come from the over, and New Zealand are all over this now! Drinks, and England could use a skinful.
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33rd over: New Zealand 164-3 (Taylor 69, Latham 64) Target 285 Rashid has been a threat but needs a wicket, instead offering Taylor some width and being smacked through backward point for four! And then again, but this time Bairstow saves the boundary and they run three. Ten from the over, and this match could run away from England now.
32nd over: New Zealand 154-3 (Taylor 61, Latham 62) Target 285 England bring back Woakes, and his first ball hits Taylor in line; not out, says the umpire, so England review and apparently it’s bouncing over the top. A couple of slower dots follow, but when Woakes goes short, Taylor isn’t befuddled or rushed, simply monstering it to the square-leg fence for four. A single follows, and then Latham pulls one that’s both slow and short in front of square. All of a sudden, a good over for England is a good over for New Zealand.
England lose their review as Chris Woakes' delivery to Taylor is shown to be going over the top. The not out decision is upheld with New Zealand going well on 145-3, chasing 285.
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) February 25, 2018
Watch on Sky Sports Cricket or follow our live #NZvENG blog: https://t.co/KPZuGXhnlZ pic.twitter.com/PWbnkfgB3m
31st over: New Zealand 145-3 (Taylor 56, Latham 58) Target 285 Rashid beats Taylor, who pushes at one outside off but misses entirely. Three singles off the over, and the partnership is 118; the current rate is 4.67 and required rate 7.36.
30th over: New Zealand 142-3 (Taylor 54, Latham 54) Target 285 This is looking very easy now, four singles and a wide, then Latham reverse sweeps around the corner and past Stokes for four. What will Morgan try next? It’s got to be something.
29th over: New Zealand 133-3 (Taylor 52, Latham 51) Target 285 Latham top edges but the ball goes safe; single. Taylor then makes to moves across, then backs away and cuts; single; Latham then bunts down the ground to raise his fifty; what a partnership this is, short on pyrotechnics, long on competence. Five off the over.
28th over: New Zealand 128-3 (Taylor 50, Latham 48) Target 285 Root into the attack; will the batsmen have a dart at him? On the one hand the rate is 7.24, on the other this is a chance.He’s a funny bowler, Root - he doesn’t have any tricks but he manages to rush through overs before anyone can do anything to him, and this one disappears with two singles and a wide coming from its first fives balls, before Taylor makes room backing away, feels he’s missed out when he picks out Curran ... who helpfully dives over it! That’s fine fifty for Taylor!
27th over: New Zealand 121-3 (Taylor 45, Latham 47) Target 285 Taylor gets a leading edge to Rashid’s first delivery; it yields a single. And Rashid does very well with the rest of his over, four dots, then an inside edge into the thigh pad from Latham, and Buttler drops! He was diddled by the second deflection!
26th over: New Zealand 120-3 (Taylor 44, Latham 47) Target 285 Morgan fiddles with the field as the batsmen, both excellent players of spin, milk Moeen. Six from the over, with minimal apparent effort.
25th over: New Zealand 114-3 (Taylor 42, Latham 43) Target 285 I wonder if Morgan might try an over or two from his opening bowlers, because he won’t be happy letting this go as it is. in the meantime, four singles then two dots comprise Rashid’s latest over, though Rashid does well at the end of it. First, Taylor fails to pick a googly but is far enough down not to be given lb, then fizzes one past the bat as Taylor charges down, narrowly avoiding being stumped.
24th over: New Zealand 110-3 (Taylor 40, Latham 41) Target 285 Taylor is batting really nicely, and after Latham takes a single, he dabs a sweep around the corner for 7000 ODI runs, Stokes chasing and diving in futility for extra satisfaction.
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23rd over: New Zealand 104-3 (Taylor 35, Latham 40) Target 285 Morgan introduces Deirdre Rashid – “his wicket-taking spinner,” says Nasser. That’s not intended as an indictment of Moeen, but, well. Anyway, there’s turn there and Rashid’s third ball deceives Taylor in the flight, hitting him on the pad. And the final delivery of the over is a bit quicker, hurrying through Taylor; promising for England.
22nd over: New Zealand 91-3 (Taylor 27, Latham 36) Target 285 Moeen strays down leg side, so Taylor plays a one-handed backhand glance for four, beautiful! Five other runs make this a good over, and England need something.
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21st over: New Zealand 91-3 (Taylor 27, Latham 36) Target 285 Curran returns, and his second ball, persuades an outside edge from Taylor, but into the ground for one. So he comes around to Latham, goes for another one, and then a slower ball sticks in the pitch, bounces slowly, and hovers with “kick me” chalked on its back. Taylor obliges, ramming four through square leg, and three more come from the remaining two deliveries. There’s still plenty of work to do, but this partnership is going along very nicely even if the required rate is now 6.7
20th over: New Zealand 81-3 (Taylor 21, Latham 32) Target 285 Moeen continues and Latham turns his first ball for two then wears his third on the pad, getting down to sweep. There’s a big appeal but the ball pitched outside the line and Joe Root at slip gives sage advice against reviewing.
19th over: New Zealand 76-3 (Taylor 20, Latham 28) Target 285 Stokes keeps at it, bowling pretty drily in all senses of the word. He does sling down a full toss with his final delivery, but Taylor doesn’t get hold of it because [redcated].
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18th over: New Zealand 73-3 (Taylor 19, Latham 26) Target 285 Moeen into the attack, and Taylor immediately unfurls the sweep for one, then again when Latham contrives a single of his own. He adds another too, and New Zealand are going nicely now.
17th over: New Zealand 69-3 (Taylor 17, Latham 24) Target 285 Stokes continues and suddenly I’ve just contracted earworm, most likely subconsciously fantasising about the night out I’m still on, not that this would be my chosen noise if I actually was. Five off the over, all of them singles, as the PA plays Ed Sheeran and suddenly Roger Sanchez sounds like exactly what we all need.
16th over: New Zealand 64-3 (Taylor 14, Latham 22) Target 285 England will be wanting to break this partnership now, he said insightfully, because it’s starting to get going and there isn’t loads of batting to come. Curran’s over is nicely milked, seven from it including a slower-ball wide; I wonder if we’ll see spin presently – or after drinks anyhow.
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15th over: New Zealand 56-3 (Taylor 10, Latham 19) Target 285 Jeering as Stokes runs in, some singing too - I think they’re even calling him a name. So Stokes goes short, and Latham pulls him for four.
14th over: New Zealand 51-3 (Taylor 9, Latham 15) Target 285 Curran offers Taylor some width and powers his hands all the way through it and then some, sending four to the point fence. These two look in now, but after a single to each batsman, Curran sends down an overspun, seam-up slower ball out of the back of the hand; that’s very nice, so too the one which follows it.
13th over: New Zealand 44-3 (Taylor 3, Latham 14) Target 285 Binyamin Stokes is back into the attack after five months, er, gardening at fine leg. England don’t expect they’ll get 10 overs out of him, but I’d be wary of asking for the ball back if things are going well. Latham twists a single to midwicket off his first ball, but Stokes is working up some pace here, and Taylor’s single to cover is the only other scoring shot in the over. The required rate is now 6.43.
12th over: New Zealand 42-3 (Taylor 2, Latham 13) Target 285 Curran replaces Willey, and Taylor struggles to pick him up; there’s a shadow across the pitch and the bowlers are coming from light to dark. Ian Smith is keen to make this point; “they’re close to calling it off,” says Nasser. Two from the over, and England are slowly strangulating.
11th over: New Zealand 40-3 (Taylor 1, Latham 12) Target 285 Willey continues - as long as possible, reckons Nasser, on the basis that he can go towards the end of an innings. But he can go towards the start too, Latham planting his front foot and driving for four through the covers for four, then again! That was so easy for him! And he goes again, but Stokes has been sent to sweep and he keeps them to two, right in front of the family area; how apt. Two singles follow, and New Zealand needed that.
10th over: New Zealand 28-3 (Taylor 0, Latham 0) Target 285 Guptill didn’t quite hit that drive, or one or two others, with all he had, the suggestion being that he hasn’t recalibrated from T20.
WICKET! Guptill c Stokes b Woakes 13 (New Zealand 27-3)
England have been brilliant! Woakes is wider with this one, but all a frazzled Guptill can do is slap it straight to Stokes at short cover! Suddenly 284 looks a nifty total; it’s possible England won’t need that teefed final run!
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10th over: New Zealand 27-2 (Guptill 17, Taylor 0 Target 285 I hate myself for saying this but it’s so nice to have Sky back. Nasser reminds us that Williamson plays that shot in Tests when there’s a cordon, but that he was only ever getting one for it so what was the point. England have been excellent thus far, and Guptill almost sends himself hutchward bound, a Woakes delivery sticking in the pitch which he drives just short of the man there specifically to catch that error.
9th over: New Zealand 27-2 (Guptill 17, Taylor 0 Target 285 New Zealand aren’t exactly in trouble, but they’ve certainly got a problem. Neither out batsmen needed to play the shot that they did.
WICKET! Williamson c Buttler b Willey 8 (New Zealand 27-2)
Huge wicket for England! Williamson tries a late cut but doesn’t have the width, so ends up cutting late. Off he pops!
9th over: New Zealand 27-1 (Guptill 17, Williamson 8) Target 285 Guptill lines Willey up but, this being 50 not 20 overs, checks his loft and scuffs to the fielder instead.Next ball, he turns around the corner, but Curran saves the boundary.
8th over: New Zealand 26-1 (Guptill 16, Williamson 8) Target 285 Here he is! Williamson is a genius, and he hops back, stands tall, and in the same movement strokes four through cover. He is a master, what else do you want ta kna? But the run rate is 3.05, which is good for England and good for their spinners.
“Just do away with T20s,” tweets Andrew Benton. “They’re the haikus of international cricket, without the quality. Or, compromise with a T35 competition.”
The feline has escaped the receptacle I’m afraid. I could see a case for keeping T20 to club cricket, but my guess is it’s bringing a new audience to the game.
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7th over: New Zealand 22-1 (Guptill 12, Williamson 4) Target 285 Williamson has started knocking it around in understated fashion, taking two singles from the over - one drive, one flicked - with Guptill having one of his own. Decent over from Willey, that.
6th over: New Zealand 19-1 (Guptill 11, Williamson 2) Target 285 Trevor Bayliss suggested the other day that the 50-over format should be binned but for World Cups, and there’s some sense in that I guess. Something has to give, because players missing series is ridiculous, and it can be hard to muster arsèdness without context. On the other hand, this version of the game has arguably never been in better nick, and we’d miss it if it were more or less gone. I don’t know, but given I’d sacrifice everything to protect Test cricket I’d think hard about giving it a go. One off the over.
5th over: New Zealand 18-1 (Guptill 11, Williamson 1) Target 285 Joe Root’s been moved from slip; England have him on the drive instead. And after four dots, Guptill edges to where he’d have been, though perhaps he wouldn’t have in different circumstances. These are the only runs of the over.
4th over: New Zealand 14-1 (Guptill 7, Williamson 1) Target 285 I wonder what we’ll see from Woakes this tour. He was disappointing in Australia, and the question in the end will be whether that was because he was coming back from injury or because he doesn’t have the nip or craft to take wickets on flat tracks; I hope it’s the former but suspect it’s the latter. I should note some (exceedingly) minor controversy: England have had a single removed. The final delivery of their innings elicited an lbw appeal, and when the finger went up, the ball became dead, so the single they ran didn’t count. Except the appeal was overturned when Willey went upstairs, which is to say that the rule needs some work.
3rd over: New Zealand 12-1 (Guptill 6, Williamson 0) Target 285 Willey has started really well here, but Guptill gets away squeezing one out off his pads for two. That’s second ball, and three dots follow, only for a poor delivery to turn up in Guptill’s slot; he bashes it down the ground for four.
2nd over: New Zealand 6-1 (Guptill 0, Williamson 0) Target 285 Be careful what you wish for. Kane Williamson comes to the wicket to disburse an easy hundred.
WICKET! Munro c Buttler b Woakes 6 (New Zealand 6-0)
Well isn’t this a mess! Munro comes down, Woakes fires wide, Munro swings for the fence anyway, and feathers an edge behind. There was no need for that whatsoever.
1st over: New Zealand 7-0 (Guptill 0, Munro 6) Target 285 England will be desperate to keep it tight at the start. I mean, of course they will, but especially on a slow track, they’ll want to restrict scoring while the ball is still hard. Chris Woakes is gliding in, and his second effort is picked up immediately by Munro, who takes a step forward and turns length into half-volley, getting low and swatting over square-leg for six!
1st over: New Zealand 0-0 (Guptill 0, Munro 0) Target 285 Rob Key reckons the first 10 overs will be vital; more news as I get it. There’s a bit of swing for Willey first up, his first delivery too good for Guptill and five dots following with the ball moving both ways.
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Anyway, here come the batsmen. If one of these two gets stuck in, England will struggle.
It’s early, but this made me laugh.
Wait for it 😂(via @SacramentoKings) pic.twitter.com/a7XN50y88c
— ESPN (@espn) February 25, 2018
Root also says that players “pigeon-holed” as white-ball cricketers can play Tests. I wonder what Adil Rashid thinks about that.
Ian Ward and Nasser Hussain are interviewing Joe Root, who says he doesn’t think the team did much wrong in terms of their behaviour in Australia. I agree with that, he’ll be pleased to not learn. If, after the Jonny Bairstow thing, Andrew Strauss had said to the press “Lads, I don’t care about this and neither do you,” things would’ve worked out much better and he wouldn’t have had to send home Ben Duckett.
I could easily watch that Wood/Billings video for the remainder of the day.
Sitting in the dressing room, both sides will probably be satisfied with where they’re at. England total is gettable, but on a slow pitch, it might not be easy.
We’ve got ourselves about half an hour before it begins, so in the meantime, enjoy this.
I proper enjoyed this: Mark Wood teaching Posh Sam Billings Geordie pic.twitter.com/eYmvCDt2KG
— Daniel Harris (@DanielHarris) February 23, 2018
Top o’ the mornin! Well, thanks to Joe Root and Jos Buttler, along with Trent Boult and Tim Southee, we got ourselves a ball game. This chase should be a lot of fun.
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New Zealand need 286 to win
Excellent bowling at the death from New Zealand keeps the score below 300, and in the vague vicinity of par. It’s been a well-contested match so far, but what of the hosts’ reply? Daniel Harris will be with you shortly to talk you through it. Bye!
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50th over: England 285-8 (Willey 11, Curran 0) Southee’s first delivery clips Willey’s inside edge and rolls away for a flukey four, and a single off the next brings Buttler on strike. The following ball is dismissed down the ground for six and the next should have followed it, but is mishit and squirts away for a single. Buttler goes from the penultimate ball, and the last is inside-edged into Willey’s pad and away for but a single - he’s initially given out lbw, but it’s overturned on review.
WICKET! Buttler run out 79 (England 284-8)
Willey can only push the ball limply back to the bowler and Buttler, backing up enthusiastically, is stranded!
49th over: England 272-7 (Buttler 72, Willey 6) England have just picked out fielder after fielder these last few overs. When Willey sends the ball at pace towards the rope Southee dives to stop it going over. Boult’s final delivery of the innings, though, is smitten down the ground, flat and hard, for six.
48th over: England 259-7 (Buttler 64, Willey 2) England have totally lost the map to boundary central, and have at the most crucial time got lost in the one-way system around single street.
47th over: England 253-7 (Buttler 62, Willey 1) Boult bowls, Buttler tries a ramp but he can’t nail the pace of the ball and gets nothing on it. The variations of pace and width are keeping the batsmen under lock and key. There are two singles here, a dot, the wicket, and one boundary, pulled to square leg by the about-to-depart Woakes.
WICKET! Woakes c & b Boult 11 (England 253-7)
New Zealand’s bowlers are not only bowling excellently, they’re also catching pretty well! Boult’s slow ball deceives Woakes, who edges it straight back at him!
46th over: England 247-6 (Buttler 60, Woakes 6) Southee comes back to take control of the closing stages for the Kiwis, and he starts by taking the pace right back against Buttler, who eventually works a single, and then ramps it up again with Woakes on strike. Every delivery is yorker length, and neither batsman can get much on any of them. There are, in the end, five singles and a wide.
45th over: England 242-6 (Buttler 58, Woakes 4) The Santner clause is coming to town for England. This is his last over, and most of it is excellent. Still, he walks away at its end muttering angrily under his breath, because one delivery was pitched up, and Buttler thumped it through cover for four.
44th over: England 237-6 (Buttler 53, Woakes 4) Dropped! Sodhi bowls, Buttler heaves and top-edges into the air; Nicholls runs round, gets underneath it, feels the ball drop into his hands and then watches it worm its way out again! And that could be a very big moment in this match.
43rd over: England 232-6 (Buttler 51, Woakes 1) Buttler completes his 50 from the first ball, worked towards cover for a single. But there’s not much else for England to celebrate, but for a couple of singles. The two spinners, Sodhi and Santner, have come back together and are keeping the batsmen honest.
42nd over: England 229-6 (Buttler 49, Woakes 0) A fine over from Sodhi, one run and one wicket from it.
WICKET! Ali c Guptill b Sodhi 28 (England 228-6)
Sodhi returns, for the first time since Buttler thrashed him about for three successive sixes, and the move pays off! Moeen mistimes, the ball flies high into the air, and when it lands Guptill’s under it!
41st over: England 228-5 (Buttler 48, Moeen 28) Another couple of boundaries for Moeen, and he too is rolling at more than a run a ball. His first, pulled to deep square leg, has Henry Nicholls sprinting to his right in an attempt to cut it off; the second, sent down to long leg, has Nicholls sprinting to his left. On both occasions, he might as well just have stood still.
40th over: England 217-5 (Buttler 47, Moeen 18) Into the last 10 overs we go. Buttler, on 47 off 36, seems to be the key man, scoring fast and in good touch. Moeen though seems in the mood for some runmaking as well, hitting a couple of stylish fours. He then picks out a fielder at deep square leg when he might have had another, but the ensuing single allows Buttler to get another boundary of his own.
39th over: England 203-5 (Buttler 43, Moeen 9) Blammo! Munro is sent down the ground for six by Moeen! A couple of singles later, Moeen tries to pull, and bottom-edges into his legs, which save him from a infuriating dismissal. Root has a little chat on the telly, in which he totally refuses to be drawn on what he thinks a good total is.
38th over: England 192-5 (Buttler 40, Moeen 2) Boult bowls; two singles and a wide.
37th over: England 189-5 (Buttler 37, Moeen 0) New Zealand have taken regular wickets throughout this innings, but now England need to keep a partnership together for a while. This one isn’t particularly troubled by Munro’s latest over, which yields three singles.
36th over: England 186-5 (Buttler 37, Moeen 0) A lovely cover drive from Buttler, beautifully timed, sends Southee’s first delivery away for four. But only one of the four remaining deliveries yields any runs at all, and that’s a single. There’s also a slower ball that Moeen totally fails to pick.
35th over: England 181-5 (Buttler 32, Moeen 0) Well that wicket changes everything. For as long as Root was at the crease England’s innings had an anchor, it had an air of comfort. Now, though, they’re squirming a little bit.
WICKET! Root b Munro 71 (England 181-5)
Root’s gone! He just misjudges that in every way, swipes across the line of the ball, misses it entirely and his off stump is ripped out of the ground!
34th over: England 179-4 (Root 70, Buttler 31) Unsurprisingly, given what Buttler made of his last over, Sodhi is replaced. Southee returns, and after four singles Root flays the ball to extra cover, where Santner dives to his right, gets his his right palm to the ball but can’t hold on! That would have been a fabulous catch, one for the highlights reels, but instead it goes down as a drop.
33rd over: England 174-4 (Root 67, Buttler 29) Up until about five minutes ago this had been a finely balanced match, but the batsmen appear to have mounted a coup. They are now in control here.
32nd over: England 168-4 (Root 66, Buttler 24) An explosive over from Ish Sodhi, which starts with yet another Root single and continues with a six, and then another six, and then a third six, all of them sent down the ground by Buttler. The first is the finest, hardest, cleanest of them, but all three were pretty emphatic.
31st over: England 148-4 (Root 65, Buttler 5) Buttler gets off the mark with a boundary, trying a reverse sweep, getting almost everything about it wrong and somehow getting four runs for his troubles.
30th over: England 141-4 (Root 63, Buttler 0) Sodhi continues; Root gets a single off the first but Buttler can’t do the same, displaying an admirable array of mistimes and fielder pickouts to remain scoreless, after seven deliveriess.
29th over: England 140-4 (Root 62, Buttler 0) There are, as it often seems when Root is around, two games in play here. One, involving him, is nerveless, chanceless and gently remorseless; the other, involving all other batsmen, is chaotic.
Joe Root's false shot percentage in his 50 today has been a mere 3.6%. Other batsmen have aggregated a false shot percentage of 15.7%!#NZvEng
— The Cricket Prof. (@CricProf) February 25, 2018
WICKET! Stokes c Taylor b Santner 12 (England 139-4)
Stokes gets a thick top edge, the ball disappears high over his left shoulder, and he starts walking. Behind him Taylor runs across, eyes on the ball, and makes no mistake.
28th over: England 138-3 (Root 60, Stokes 12) Excellent fielding from Williamson, who comes across from mid on and dives to stop a ball that was otherwise away, rolls, leaps up, returns it, and all the time the sunglasses perched on his forehead remained lodged perfectly in place. that’s the really impressive thing: impeccable sunglass placement there. Root sends his next shot in a similar direction, only much harder and higher, for six.
27th over: England 130-3 (Root 53, Stokes 11) De Grandhomme’s back, and Root completes his half-century, tickling the ball just wide of Latham and away for four.
26th over: England 121-3 (Root 46, Stokes 9) It’s hard to know how long the game will stick to its current retro stylings. It seems that 260 would be widely considered a decent-to-good score on this wicket.
25th over: England 119-3 (Root 45, Stokes 8) A couple more singles for Root, whose portion of the game appears in his total and absolute control. And a couple for Stokes, whose form is yet to become clear.
24rd over: England 114-3 (Root 41, Stokes 6) Sodhi’s sixth over, and so far they have cost on average six runs. The latest yields five, thanks to a single and a Stokes reverse sweep for four.
23rd over: England 109-3 (Root 41, Stokes 2) Boult is back, and England score a few singles. It could have ended with another wicket, though, as Stokes fends the last delivery back to the bowler. It’s a bit awkward for the bowler, arriving just under knee height, and the catch never looks likely to stick, but Boult seems furious with himself for letting it drop.
21st over: England 106-3 (Root 39, Stokes 1) Morgan slams the ball over midwicket, the ball landing a foot or so beyond the rope for six, only to be outdone by the googly next ball. Ben Stokes comes in, with a few cobwebs to shake loose.
Morgan was absolutely kippered by that googly. Nice bowling.
— Elizabeth Ammon (@legsidelizzy) February 25, 2018
WICKET! Morgan c Southee b Sodhi 8 (England 104-3)
Well Morgan doesn’t pick this one at all, gets a thick leading edge and the ball loops to mid off.
21st over: England 98-2 (Root 38, Morgan 2) Three dots, two singles and a Root four, tickled fine.
20th over: England 92-2 (Root 33, Morgan 1) New Zealand bring in a slip for the new batsman, but he doesn’t get anything to do.
19th over: England 89-2 (Root 31, Morgan 0) A brief break for drinks, and then a fine over from Santner. His fourth delivery turns just a fraction, enough to beat the bat. Roy smacks the next through cover for four, agricultural but effective, and then goes next ball.
WICKET! Roy b Santner 49 (England 89-2)
A breakthrough! Roy, one from his half-century, tries to work the ball into the leg side for a single, misses, and it flicks off his pads and into the stumps.
18th over: England 84-1 (Roy 45, Root 30) Dropped! Roy hits the ball right back at Sodhi, but he can’t keep it in his hands. Then two balls later Roy slogs the ball into a neighbouring time zone, which in the circumstances has got to smart. “You have to feel that this is Adelaide and the Cardiff semi done right,” writes Sachin Paul. “Slow pitch, good bowling attack, nippy bowling. If we get 300 and then Curran, Willey etc take the pace off the ball, it’ll be one of the most mature victories of this side ahead of next year’s world cup.”
17th over: England 76-1 (Roy 38, Root 29) More spin, with Santner returning to form a spinny double-act with Sodhi. England are scoring quite slowly (though Root is rolling at a run a ball), but wickets have not been falling and there’s time.
16th over: England 73-1 (Roy 36, Root 28) Roy goes down on bended knee to sweep the ball away, but top-edges it again, and gets away with it. It’s a single, and after another Roy tries to pummel the ball again, more successfully this time, and it whistles down the ground for four.
15th over: England 66-1 (Roy 30, Root 27) Ball and boundary are finally reunited, though it’s a leg bye, De Grandhomme’s delivery clipping Root’s pad and rolling away.
14th over: England 59-1 (Roy 28, Root 26) Wrist spin now from Ish Sodhi, and England pilfer a few more singles, as well as being donated a wide. England’s last 17 scoring shots have all been singles.
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13th over: England 54-1 (Roy 26, Root 24) A third consecutive binary over, in which each delivery has yielded either one run or none.
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12th over: England 49-1 (Roy 24, Root 21) Santner is yet to find any real grip in the surface, and England calmly work the odd single or five.
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11th over: England 44-1 (Roy 22, Root 18) Colin de Grandhomme bowls. It’s Grandhomme day. And neither batsman can really get to grips with his sleepy medium pace.
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10th over: England 41-1 (Roy 21, Root 16) The first three deliveries go for singles, and then after a dot Roy goes after one, gets a thick edge and it flies just over mid-on and off to the rope.
9th over: England 34-1 (Roy 16, Root 14) Southee continues. Good lines, good lengths, variations in pace, two singles. Now to find out if the early turn Kane Williamson predicted at the toss is indeed there for the spinners, as Mitchell Santner has the ball in his hands.
8th over: England 32-1 (Roy 15, Root 13) Roy tries to heave the ball over extra cover, but it’s a slower delivery and he doesn’t pick it at all, sending it steepling over his shoulder and up into the air, and is extremely fortunate to see it drop safely between fielders. Then Boult bowls across Root, a similar delivery to the one that did for Bairstow, and he almost get another! Root swings his bat, edges, and is saved by his own power, which carries the ball above the two slips. The next is sent smoothly and calmly through the covers for another four.
7th over: England 23-1 (Roy 14, Root 5) Roy tries to batter Southee’s first delivery, misjudges it, and inside-edges wide of his stumps and away for a streaky but welcome four. Then Root works the ball through midwicket, sweetly timed, and it races away from the chasing fielder for four more.
6th over: England 14-1 (Roy 9, Root 1) Still nowhere for the batsmen to go, except into their shells. They get a run each, Roy’s courtest of a finall-ball edge that goes wide of second slip.
Trent Boult has bowled two overs but the variation of his length might have as much to do with that Jonny Bairstow wicket as anything else. The lengths bowled in that over were:
— The Cricket Prof. (@CricProf) February 25, 2018
1st ball: 5.01m
2nd: 4.4m
3rd: 7.6m
4th: 5.7m
5th: 8.1m
6th: 6.5m#NZvEng
5th over: England 12-1 (Roy 8, Root 0) Now this is an intriguing start to an international match. England’s batsmen are being well shackled, in conditions that are pretty helpful for New Zealand’s frontline bowlers.
4th over: England 10-1 (Roy 6, Root 0) Roy sends the first ball of the over through midwicket for four, and Bairstow edges the last ball of the over to slip for a wicket.
England's 5/0 is their lowest score after 3 overs having not lost a wicket (since 2015 World Cup).
— The Cricket Prof. (@CricProf) February 25, 2018
Their lowest in that period was 4/1 which happened about a month ago in an ODI v Australia but that same series also saw their highest score of 33/0 after three overs.#NZvEng
WICKET! Bairstow c Taylor b Boult 4 (England 10-1)
Bairstow, author of one nice, controlled scoring shot and little but uncertainty besides, edges to the solitary slip, who pockets the catch!
3rd over: England 5-0 (Roy 1, Bairstow 4) Southee slings the ball into Roy’s pad and launches an excited appeal, but the ball was sliding down leg. Still, that’s one of five more dots in this over, and England’s innings remains on the start grid, engine revving but brakes still engaged.
2nd over: England 4-0 (Roy 0, Bairstow 4) Before he starts his run-up Trent Boult, limbering up, leans over, and a large clump of hair flops down into an exaggerated horizontal quiff, making him look like a winded, black-haired Tintin. The over starts excellently, the ball being angled across Bairstow, close to the body. But after four dots the batsman pulls for four, and England are off the mark.
1st over: England 0-0 (Roy 0, Bairstow 0) Movement here for Southee, and no runs here for Roy. A maiden to start the day.
The players are out, and action is about to get under way. England’s batting line-up looks pretty formidable, but will be braced for a battle.
The New Zealand team: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Colin De Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult.
So Alex Hales, in the week that he officially and publicly dedicated his career to the pursuit of white-ball excellence, is out, and Stokes is in.
Eoin Morgan speaks:
Probably would have looked to do the exact same. We’ll be playing two spinners. Ben Stokes comes back in which allows us to play our full, balanced team, with two spinners. We’re playing against a very strong team who’s in good form, so we’re going to have to play at our best to win this series.
New Zealand win the toss and will bowl first.
New Zealand have won the toss and chosen to bowl first.
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) February 25, 2018
Ben Stokes returns to our team today.
FOLLOW LIVE: https://t.co/znwCT3ikn9 #NZvENG pic.twitter.com/G0OPtud9jq
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Further team news:
Late change to England team. Mark Wood misses out with a niggle in his troublesome ankle. David Willey comes in. Alex Hales, as expected, misses out after dedicating himself to white-ball cricket...and Ben Stokes is back
— Paul Newman (@Paul_NewmanDM) February 25, 2018
England team news: Ben Stokes is in the line-up:
Ben Stokes is back#NZvEng pic.twitter.com/C5GXB1CH0V
— Vithushan Ehantharajah (@Vitu_E) February 25, 2018
The match may or may not turn out to be any good, but the sky is absolutely fabulous. Classic cumulus action there.
Seddon Park looking a picture as we build up to the 1st ODI of the GJ Gardner Homes ODI series #NZvENG pic.twitter.com/wslcBzzT1a
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) February 25, 2018
Hello world!
Let’s kick things off with a couple of stats:
The two teams’ last 10 ODI results:
New Zealand: LLWWWWWWWW
England: LWWWWWWWLW
Number of ODIs in New Zealand between these teams in last 25 years: 19
Number of those ODIs in which either team has scored more than 250 runs: 4
Chance of one or both sides scoring 250 or more today: a good deal more than four in 19.
Simon will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s Rob Smyth in this week’s Spin on Eoin Morgan and the transformation of England’s one-day fortunes:
