England’s Trans-Tasman tri-series hopes are all but over after a 12-run defeat by New Zealand
Related: England face tri-series elimination after 12-run defeat by New Zealand
New Zealand on the board; three losses on the trot for England. It doesn’t mean England can’t sneak through to the final if everything goes their way, but the Black Caps are well placed now at home to qualify, needing to win just one of their final two games.
There was a lot to like about the chase (and the game for that matter), especially Malan’s half-century. But he needed a mate to go with him. Hales looked the part, but threw it away when holing out to Sodhi. Buttler did likewise. Vince ran himself out. Near enough but not good enough. Much as it was with the ball earlier on. Boult showed how it is done late with his late yorkers at pace.
A boundary to each of the final pair in the final over, but it doesn’t matter. Boult did his job in the 18th over to finish England off. The visitors fall 13 runs short of the target.
20th over: England 184-9 (Rashid 8, Wood 5)
What are they thinking? There was nothing in Rashid trying to retain the strike with 25 to win in the final over. He had to leave it to Willey. But they ran anyway after digging out a yorker, New Zealand’s new wicketkeeper finishing his excellent first international with a diving direct hit that left Willey short by a foot. Tim Southee did his bit to that point, keeping the pair to three singles. So then, 25 off the last over with Rashid on strike. He can bat, but he’s not exactly Carlos Brathwaite.
19th over: England 172-9 (Rashid 1, Wood 0)
Rinse and repeat. The new man had no chance trying to slog that yorker away. T20 bowling at its best from the local talisman. 29 from 12 balls what England require (wouldn’t have thought so)
18th over: England 168-8 (Willey 19, Rashid 0)
You miss, he hits. Perfect swinging yorker. Quick. Surely that’s it.
17th over: England 160-6 (Willey 18, Jordan 1) Neglected to mention that Malan did pop Santner over the rope earlier in the set, so they still got 11 from it. Jordan should have been finished second ball to end the already-successful over for the hosts when he fails to get much on a slog to midwicket, but Tim Southee puts down a straightforward chance. The Cricket Ground DJ plays It’s Not Over Yet by Klaxons in response. 37 from 18 balls the new equation.
Relief for Santner. After putting Willey down in the previous over, he’s the man to remove Malan who picks out Boult at mid-on when trying to again go big. The end of a fine innings but probably needed to be there at the end for England to win.
16th over: England 149-5 (Malan 51, Willey 17) Well, here we go! Willey went big in the tour game against the Australian Prime Minister’s XI and he does again here. To be fair, Sodhi should have him caught in the deep, but we’ll come back to that. To begin, he smacks the wrong’un from his knee over midwicket. Big. Brutal. The board ticks over throughout in the smaller currency. To finish, the left-hander goes again but gets less off it. Santner has the chance to take the catch but parries it over the boundary for six instead! Ala Paul Reiffel in the 1999 World Cup semi-final! 18 from the over, leaving England 48 in 24 balls. Buckle up!
15th over: England 131-5 (Malan 50, Willey 0) Fair play to Malan, who drives straight down the ground for a couple to bring up his third T20 international half-century after losing Billings. That’s one more than Jason Roy in the format, Vish confirms.
The pattern of the innings continues, a wicket falling just as a partnership looks ready to mature into something that could get England close. Well bowled Santner though, giving the ball a chance to turn and it does. Billings is locked into the slog sweep and is done by the extra bit of movement. Sodhi takes the catch at short-fine with a tidy dive.
14th over: England 125-4 (Malan 47, Billings 9) The veteran Tim Southee is back. Billings is resourceful. Much like the previous over, they are satisfied rotating the strike early on before a chance is taken. This time, the right-hander makes room for himself outside leg-stump but the seamer is savvy enough to see him coming to follow him with a bouncer. Instead of carving behind point as planned he pulled instead, and did it well enough to split the sweepers at backward square. That’ll do. 72 from 36 required. And Phil Withall on the email tells me that the Cake Tin is very good to visiting teams in the A-League. So there’s that as well.
Peter Salmon is with us too with a broader question on tempo. “I’d be interested to compare the England teams scores at the 10 and 20 over marks in recent ODIs compared to their halfway and final scores in T20. Methinks the former might be winning. Can we get the boffins onto it please?” Let’s open it up. But my focus will be the grandstand finish we’re about to get. Right?
13th over: England 117-4 (Malan 46, Billings 2) Cannot fault Malan’s work so far tonight. He’s busy rotating the strike with Billings early in de Grandhomme’s over before lashing him through cover for four along the carpet. With Dawid there’s hope. Just.
Sodhi gets his second big wicket and again it is caught on the rope! This time, it is Buttler miscuing the leggie high in the air to long-off. It didn’t have the legs, falling into the hands of Southee who did a good job to maintain his cool after initially misjudging his run. All after Malan had already collected 12 from the other via a perfect slog sweep into the stands then a reverse sweep for four. Such is life.
Ignore what I just said. Vince, sure enough, the man to go. A push to cover, an immediate call of yes, a dynamic pick up and throw from the New Zealand skipper. You know the rest. A couple of singles to end the over, stand-in skipper Buttler off the mark through midwicket.
Not sure that was the worst thing that could have happened to England. Needed to get Buttler in. #NZvENG
10th over: England 90-2 (Malan 23, Vince 10) Nice James. Vince sees the Munro slower one, gets down low and heaves it over the extra cover rope. Actually, heave suggests it was a naughty shot but it was nicer than that. England are still within striking distance if they can keep their act together over the next five overs with these two, setting it up for Jos. Something like that.
9th over: England 82-2 (Malan 22, Vince 3) Vince drives a couple through covers to begin. Pulls another to the sweeper to keep the strike. He’s due, right? We’ve been saying that since November, right?
This is the Day by The The being played here at the Westpac Stadium. Haven't heard that for years. You can always rely on the music at New Zealand cricket grounds...
Urgh, he’s thrown it away. Absolutely nothing in the Sodhi delivery, barely landing in Hales’ half. But instead of putting it over the rope where he belonged, he’s picked out the large human standing at midwicket. Fun while it lasted.
8th over: England 74-1 (Hales 47, Malan 17) Colin Munro with some meds. You wouldn’t anticipate much respect being shown, but they only take three singles. The most efficient over a New Zealand bowler has sent down so far.
7th over: England 71-1 (Hales 46, Malan 15) Ish Sodhi for his first trundle. Has proven himself as a wicket-taking matchwinner over the last couple of years. Not here though, Malan cutting the wrong’un in front of point into the gap. Hales gets a couple of balls at the end of the over and decides to go at the leggie with a slog sweep reminiscent of his opposing number Marty Guptill earlier in the match, launched way back into the stands at midwicket! Not a bad over, but he’s given away 11.
6th over: England 60-1 (Hales 40, Malan 10) Well, it was going better with Southee keeping Malan under control for four balls, but dropping short the left-hander picked the gap with ease between the two men either side of square leg. An inside edge went England’s way too, for three runs rather than back onto his stumps. Nine from it making an even 10 an over through the power play. Feels like game on, I reckon.
5th over: England 51-1 (Hales 39, Malan 2) Well, then. 20 from the over, all via the big bat of Hales. He’s absolutely dominating. Boult suffers this time, pulled half way to the moon to begin. The second half of the over was better again with Hales deflecting to third man after backing away for four, pulling over the square leg rope for a second time, then cutting the slower one behind point for four more. 39 from 17 balls.
4th over: England 31-1 (Hales 19, Malan 2) Another boundary for Hales, pulling Santner to wide mid-on. Later in the set, he times him perfectly down for a couple more. Eight from it. He’s on here, I reckon.
Said it many times before, but when I grow up I want to be the cricket ground DJ. This got both Vish and me up and about in the press box.
This has just dropped at the Westpac: https://t.co/jXeUvjXRaz
Kiwi DJs FTW #NZvEng
3rd over: England 23-1 (Hales 13, Malan 1) Malan’s tour goes on and on, the only man other than the coach to have be with the squad in all formats since they left Blighty in mid-October. He’s off the mark through midwicket. Hales again then, who drives past point again with a minimum of fuss. That’s a nice, compact shot. For what little it is worth, the last time England played NZ in a T20 on this ground he made 80 from 42 balls. He goes again at the last delivery, down the ground with another crisp drive. Has three boundaries in seven balls.
That makes five single-digit scores in a row for the England opener, miscuing Southee’s first delivery to mid-on where Boult takes the easy catch. His MCG 180 feels a long time ago now.
2nd over: England 14-0 (Roy 8, Hales 5) Santner to open up from the northern end with his left arm finger spin. Both batsmen play conservatively to begin before Hales lashes a fuller offering through point to get himself moving in the desired direction.
1st over: England 8-0 (Roy 8, Hales 0) Roy nearly cops one in the head first up when Boult spits it off a length. The speed gun said 115kph, but that was definitely in error. No doubting either of his boundaries to finish the over though, pulling the fifth ball with authority before driving the sixth with lovely control through a narrow gap in the ring.
We’re back. Boult to Roy and Hales. Both have done it before against NZ in this form of the game. Fair to assume that one of them need to go big tonight if England are a shot.
20th over: New Zealand 196-5 (Taylor 1, Seifert 14) That’s a very handy way to start an international career, newcomer Seifert carving Jordan over point for six then smashing him over extra cover for another maximum! Not for the first time tonight: BOOM, BOOM! Lucky to retain his leg-stump next ball with a swing and miss when aiming for three on the trot. He also missed the last one, Taylor scampering through for a bye. But he’s done the job with 15 taken from the final over. A massive job ahead of the tourists from here.Guptill and Williamson were fantastic with brisk half-centuries, but England didn’t do much to help their own cause with plenty of wayward bowling.
Wood has battled tonight but has to get through one more. Not to begin he doesn’t, a rank long hop on Chapman’s hip that he flogs straight over the backward square rope well into the crowd. It really is falling apart from the quick, twice spraying down the legside with wides. Oh, Chapman picks out midwicket last ball. But the damage is done. Wood finishes with 2/51 from his four. Ouch.
19th over: New Zealand 181-5 (Taylor 1, Seifert 0)
Fantastic work Chris Jordan. Coming on to bowl with Williamson in this sort of nick with three overs to go is not an easy assignment. But he kept the New Zealand captain under control with three dot balls though the over before finding his stumps with the final delivery. Admittedly, it was via a deflection from the pad, but Williamson was well outside the off-stump making room suggesting that Jordan had him second guessing. Three runs and the clutch wicket. Bowled.
18th over: New Zealand 169-4 (Chapman 12, Taylor 0).
17th over: New Zealand 166-3 (Williamson 71, Chapman 11). Willey back for his last at a very tough time. Williamson is in such a groove now though, making room to score along the carpet early in the over, twice turning ones into twos with his placement. Chapman’s turn and the timing of his captain must be contagious, the left-hander picking up a length ball over backward square for another big six. 12 from it.
16th over: New Zealand 154-3 (Williamson 66, Chapman 4). BRUTAL! Mark Wood is back and Kane Williamson whacks him with two sixes in a row to begin. The first, a length ball launched over midwicket, secured his half-century in 34 balls. The next was clever as they come, shovelled over his shoulder and the fine leg rope! I thought this bloke didn’t have the game for T20 cricket? So said the critics. He’s having a good time suggesting otherwise tonight. Far from done in this over, the home captain races through a three to long-on when not getting much on another slog before finishing with four more with his most resourceful shot yet, clipping the quick from outside off past mid-on. What timing! That’s what it looked like at least. It wasn’t a drive. All bottom hand, all class. 20 from the over. England in some strife. 200 back on the cards for NZ.
15th over: New Zealand 134-3 (Williamson 47, Chapman 3). Back to regular programming with Kane Williamson, who swings through a wider Plunkett delivery, sending it over long-off for SIX! Later in the over Chapman is off the mark in his first innings for New Zealand, down the ground for one. Takes a couple more through midwicket. 12 from it.
Chris Jordan (today) emulates Daniel Vettori (2015) at the Westpac Stadium #NZvEngpic.twitter.com/dJQP8VafIU
Two in two balls for the spinner! de Grandhomme elevated up the order and makes good contact first up down the ground but Chris Jordan pulls off a brilliant one-hander on the rope! Stuck up the right hand, it stuck, then had the presence of mind to keep his foot on the right side of the boundary. That’s class. No hat-trick, Williamson dealing with the last ball, keeping the strike around the corner. But a clutch over for the tourists.
14th over: New Zealand 122-3 (Williamson 37, Chapman 0).
An excellent stand broken on 82. Not a great way to go, managing to turn a hit-me full toss around the corner to the man on the ring. Plunkett does the rest. An excellent hand, his runs collected in just 40 balls with six fours and three sixes.
13th over: New Zealand 119-1 (Guptill 64, Williamson 37). Probably not the best form of the game for wifi to disappear out of nowhere for five minutes when doing the OBO, but we’ll soldier on! Plunkett conceded ten from the set after Williamson got underneath one over backward square. Ten from it. 200 in the frame if these two bat for another half an hour.
12th over: New Zealand 109-1 (Guptill 63, Williamson 30). Jordan returns for a second twist. Rolls out his full bag of tricks, and even after spraying one down legside, was on top in the over. But Guptill had other ideas, timing a low full toss past the man at point. That’s lovely batting from the veteran plunderer. He has ample time for three figures.
11th over: New Zealand 99-1 (Guptill 57, Williamson 27). BOOM! BOOM! Rashid isn’t doing much wrong here but Guptill is backing his slog sweep and why wouldn’t he when hitting it that well? The opener to his half-century in 31 balls over cow corner. Next ball in the same direction but HUGE into the crowd. Not far from getting it out of the ground! Have that. 16 from it, making 39 from the last three. On track for 180-plus.
10th over: New Zealand 83-1 (Guptill 43, Williamson 25). Some more local aggression, Willey giving Williamson the chance to again drive through the covers. Don’d to that. Then when the left-armer drops short, the Kiwi captain is up to that too, pulling hard through midwicket and into the gap. He’s up and about as well.
9th over: New Zealand 71-1 (Guptill 42, Williamson 14). There he goes! Marty Guptill launches into a slog sweep when picking the Rashid top-spinner. The first big one of the innings. Five singles either side of the six, making 11 from the over.
Great to see the @BurnleyOfficial flag being flown in Wellington!!! pic.twitter.com/dyVz3irtSG
8th over: New Zealand 60-1 (Guptill 33, Williamson 12). Jeremy Coney on radio supportive of Plunkett’s approach, banging it in but running his fingers down the seam time and again. Again, no risks taken from the two experienced batsmen with four singles acquired. The locals won the first four overs, England the next. Nicely set up.
isn't it lovely to have Liam Plunkett back. A lovely warm pair of slippers for this England team to slip back on.
7th over: New Zealand 56-1 (Guptill 31, Williamson 10). Spin from the southern end, Rashid having plenty of that huge barren strip to aim at and cause trouble. Both batsmen happy to watch the spinner. Six risk-free singles taken, all through the on-side.
6th over: New Zealand 50-1 (Guptill 28, Williamson 7). Plunkett into the attack. Did well landing just short of a good length throughout his set, but when he went at Williamson’s stumps to finish off the local superstar leant into a crisp drive through the covers to bring up the home side’s 50 with the final ball of the power play.
5th over: New Zealand 42-1 (Guptill 26, Williamson 1). Could have been two in three balls for England! Williamson, under some pressure coming into the game, takes on Wood in his follow through who has enough time to pick it up and take a ping but just misses the non-striker stumps. Oh, it’s a bad miss too from where he picked it up at midwicket. Before the New Zealand skipper had scored too. Dear me.
Munro goes the way he very nearly did in the previous over! Wood takes a bit of pace off the shorter one and the left-hander got only a top edge. Down the throat of Billings at long leg.
4th over: New Zealand 33-0 (Guptill 20, Munro 11). Jordan replaces Wood. Mixes it up to begin and does plenty right with a good stop in his follow through. But gifts Munro easy runs, outside leg stump with fine leg inside the circle. That’s his first boundary. Nearly gets him with the final ball of the over, miscuing a slower ball bouncer into the deep behind square leg, but falling just short of the man on patrol out there.
3rd over: New Zealand 26-0 (Guptill 19, Munro 5). Yep, Marty Guptill is on here. Back to back boundaries once again, swinging Willey through square leg when he gets too straight then clobbering him past mid-off for four more. Unlucky not to make it three when missing a short ball outside the off-stump.
Grass on a pitch is overrated anyway #NZvENG
2nd over: New Zealand 17-0 (Guptill 11, Munro 5). Shot. Munro down the ground with a full-blooded drive from Mark Wood’s first ball. Very slow outfield though, only just going the distance after really holding up in the final few metres. Should for lbw next up, but it probably pitched outside leg. Guptill’s turn. Perfect timing with a clip through midwicket. You get four for that with only two men back. You also get a boundary when raumping over the ‘keeper! Wood’s bouncer was quick enough, but the New Zealand opener adapted just in time to deflect over Buttler’s head. 13 from it.
1st over: New Zealand 4-0 (Guptill 3, Munro 1). Guptill tickles a couple around the corner to begin, then pushes another to cover. Nice start. Munro lucky not to lose his middle stump, dancing and missing. Just goes over the bails. Off the mark with drive to cover. Good diving stop keeps it to one.
Good luck to Mark Chapman. Joins the list of double internationals. Right, we’re ready to go. Willey has the ball in his hand. Guptill and Munro opening up for the hosts. Play!
Dermot Reeve was the last (born & bred) @CricketHK player to move on to a full member - and played in the @cricketworldcup v @TheRealPCB in 92. After scoring an ODI century on debut for HK and the class he's shown, who knows where Chappy can go with New Zealand! https://t.co/7sYWA7jiIy
Side-on. Vish is writing our report today, sitting to my right. He’s been working on this tweet for at least ten minutes (deleting it once before going again) so I better include it. Effort.
Square on at the Westpac Stadium ️
DJ’s already played the instrumental to Warren G’s Regulate. We’re one Dilmah Tea Party away from the greatest T20i of all time #NZvEng (rip #AusvEng) pic.twitter.com/4JdsF7VFSG
The teams as named.
England - Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, James Vince, Jos Buttler (c) (wk), Sam Billings, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Chris Jordan, Mark Wood.
Here it is.
Latest look at the @WestpacStadium pitch! #NZLvENGpic.twitter.com/Y9EFN72mGw
No hesitation from Jos Buttler, the stand-in skipper, to pop the locals in. “We’re a little bit unsure of how it will play,” he said explaining the decision. “It doesn’t look like a traditional cricket wicket.” There are two changes to the team that lost on Saturday, quicks Liam Plunkett an Mark Wood coming in for Liam Dawson and Tom Curran.
New Zealand’s numero uno Kane Williamson acknowledges that he would have bowled too. “There are just unknowns with the surface,” he said on radio. They have made two expected changes, including wicketkeeper Tim Seifert on debut. Mark Chapman will be there too, in his first international for New Zealand.
The track. Not a lot of grass with a decent bald patch running down the middle from a good length from the northern end. “It is not a pretty sight,” says Bryan Waddle on Radio Sport NZ commentary. “It looks to me like it has been glued together,” adds former Kiwi captain Jeremy Coney. We’ll see how that influences the toss.
While we wait, do pester me throughout the night on the email or the tweet. It’s been a few weeks since my last OBO and I’ve missed it. What do you make of the revival of the triseries? Does it rock your world? I’m a fan. More on why shortly. Time for the toss.
A warm welcome to you from Wellington’s football stadium, aka the Cake Tin. It’s a lovely evening for it, not a cloud in the sky. Both teams enter this game - the first of the triseries played on this side of the Tasman - without a win after Australian ran amok at home with three wins in three starts. It makes the equation fairly simple: only one of these two will progress to the final in Auckland next week.
The news from the ground is that the England skipper Eoin Morgan is very unlikely to play. He missed out on Saturday in Melbourne with a strained right hamstring and there’s nothing to suggest that he has recovered in time for tonight. So that means his deputy Jos Buttler will leading the way again as he did in that MCG thrashing.
Adam will be here shortly. In the meantime you can read Vithushan Ehantharajah’s preview of a match England must win to get up and running in the series …
Related: England prepare for new challenge in New Zealand after Australian long haul
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