England’s bowlers rallied to win by two runs but the Black Caps scored enough to edge into the final against Australia
Related: England miss out on T20 tri-series final despite narrow win over New Zealand
Eoin Morgan up now on TV. “I thought we fought really well but it’s the story of our trip that we played our best game today and it wasn’t enough to make the final,” he said. “The finalists are deserving.” England are back here next week for the first ODI. The plan, Morgan says, is a couple of days to rest before getting into it. Okay, that’s enough from me. Keep an eye out for Vish’s report that will be up soon. We’ll be back with the OBO on Wednesday for the final. Thanks for your company. Bye!
Reaction from the ground. England and New Zealand have ended up with one win each from their four games, but the home side will play on Wednesday against Australia in the final due to their superior net run rate. “We will always take making the final in any series,” Guptill tells Radio Sport NZ. Doesn’t add much of interest, truth be told.
20th over: New Zealand 192-4 (Chapman 37, de Grandhomme 7) Curran has the ball for the final over with 12 runs to play with. Good for his development as an England bowler, and all that. A leading edge to point from the first ball and a single down the ground from the second, as well-directed full ball. Nicely done. A single from the third ball too, out to point. But the bad ball does come, a full toss on Chapman’s leg stump, which he deals with through square leg. Curran is furious with himself. Okay, five from two balls the new equation. Buttler fails to glove a full ball that beats Chapman, they take a bye. Oh, no. So, they need four from the last ball. Nup, they don’t get it. Curran has done the job with another well-directed full ball on middle stump, de Grandhomme only managing a single to long-off. Well bowled, young man.
19th over: New Zealand 183-4 (Chapman 32, de Grandhomme 4) Jordan is driven by Chapman for one to start, and with that run, New Zealand have the 175 they need to make the final. Still 20 short of victory, but their main job is done, I suppose. It doesn’t get any better for England, Jordan having a mini-implosion in the middle of the over. To be fair, he didn’t deserve to go for four after landing a very good yorker at de Grandhomme, but sure enough through his legs and down to the boundary it went. The full toss no-ball? Less good. The wide that missed the pitch? Yikes. Bowling Chapman only for it to be called back as a retrospective front foot no-ball? Shocking. Finishes off the over with two good yorkers, so the Black Caps still need 12 from the last over.
18th over: New Zealand 174-4 (Chapman 31, de Grandhomme 0) Chapman grabs a single, so that’s seven from the Curran over with the wicket of Taylor. He’ll be happy with that. 21 runs from two overs for New Zealand to finish off the game.
Tom Curran’s had a long time to think about his second over. On a hiding to nothing. Taylor knows that too giving him some tap early on. But when trying to land the blow that would put England out of the tournament, the veteran has top edged out to cover with the Morgan pounching the straightforward chance. England have one run to play with to stay in the comp. Okay, I’ll stop. Sorry.
17th over: New Zealand 167-3 (Chapman 29, Taylor 2) A couple of singles down the ground for Taylor to get going. So, that’s 15 from the over alongside the wicket of Guptill. The home side are only eight runs away from qualifying for the final.
BRING ON MALAN...screams twitter
WHAT ARE YOU DOING BOWLING MALAN...screams twitter#NeverChange#nzveng
Guptill falls trying to hit Malan for three sixes on the spin. He took the first ball of the over huuuuge over midwicket, then had a dance before popping the next over extra cover. When trying to repeating the first stroke, the ball hit middle stump rather than his bat. The end of another fine innings for New Zealand’s white-ball supremo, his 62 coming in 47 deliveries, clearing boundary four times along the way.
16th over: New Zealand 152-2 (Guptill 50, Chapman 28) After nine overs of spin we are back to seam with Jordan coming in from the City End. And it hasn’t worked, I’m afraid. Guptill is much happier against the pace and it shows, driving him straight back over his head for six. He knows the drill from here. Chapman clever later on, making room to lap over the man at short fine leg. Looks right at home in his third game for New Zealand.
15th over: New Zealand 138-2 (Guptill 43, Chapman 23) It is Malan for his leggies. Good shout. Oh, hold that thought: Guptill has launched him over midwicket for six to start the over. Has to burgle a wicket from somewhere here. And so nearly does! A lovely bit of turn to the right-handed opener to finish. He was trying to again put him on the moon but didn’t make contact. Missed the off-stump by no more than an inch. 12 from it. 37 in five overs needed for NZ to make the final. 57 from five to win tonight.
14th over: New Zealand 126-2 (Guptill 35, Chapman 18) From the best night his international career, to, well, not a game he will be watching back on DVD. Oh, Liam Dawson. To begin his final over, Chapman freed up the arms and popped him over the midwicket fence and into the stands. First one of those in quite a while. Later, Guptill hit what can only be described as a difficult chance back at the spinner. Not impossible, not easy. But we’ll never know really, because instead of getting his hands in the right area he jumped out of the way. Gestured to Buttler that he didn’t see it, but the replay is damning and the book reads four more to Guptill. Sure enough, Chapman punched the bruise by heaving him into the crowd over midwicket one more time to make 18 from the set. The locals still have plenty to do in six overs to reach 195, but remmeber they only require 175 to make the final. They really should cruise to that now.
13th over: New Zealand 108-2 (Guptill 30, Chapman 5) All happening early in the over, a bad mix-up nearly resulting in a run out! Guptill just gets back, the throw from Willey to the bowler Rashid missing by a long way. Five singles for the over. They’re holding on. But only wickets will do.
12th over: New Zealand 103-2 (Guptill 28, Chapman 2) Only three from the Dawson over. Three overs for nine runs. Alongside the wicket of Williamson, that’s perfect. Chapman is trying to take the initiative, but can’t make solid enough contact. Keeps the strike. Good result for Rashid, who will enjooy sending down a couple of googlies at a fresh left-hander.
Now this is getting interesting! Williamson takes Dawson on with a dance, but doesn’t make contact with the ball beating his bat and running onto the stumps. Lovely bit of bowling.
11th over: New Zealand 100-1 (Guptill 27, Williamson 8) Adil holds up his end of the bargain, six from his over but all in the small money. Will it start to pop into the minds of Guptill and Williamson that they only need 175 to progress rather than 195 to win? It’s an unusual situation to be, really. They’re below the required rate for the target-at-large, too. Oh, the 100 is up.
Reaching T20I 50s in 18 balls or less - most times
3 - Colin Munro
2 - Glenn Maxwell
1 - 5 others#NZvEng
10th over: New Zealand 94-1 (Guptill 23, Williamson 6) Okay. Not getting carried away here. But Dawson has just sent down another very tidy over, four from it. Who else bowls spin in this XI? Malan? I’ve heard crazier ideas than giving him a twist.
9th over: New Zealand 90-1 (Guptill 21, Williamson 4) Ah, that stings. First ball of the new Rashid over goes to the rope. Too short to Guptill outside the off-stump, you can work out the rest. Keeps it together though. Eight from it. They’d probably take that right now. Dawson’s turn.
8th over: New Zealand 82-1 (Guptill 15, Williamson 2) Dawson’s turn with his left-arm spin. Perfect conditions for him, really. And really nicely done. Four dots in there, mixing up his speeds and pinning both players deep in the crease. Can’t do much more than that.
7th over: New Zealand 80-1 (Guptill 14, Williamson 1) Doesn’t matter what form of the game it is, wickets slow the run rate. Three off this one alongside the Munro dismissal. Williamson is the perfect man for this stage of a chase though. Has the skill to locate gaps that don’t exist.
Spin to win, yeah? “It is so much harder to hit the slower ball here,” notes Jeremy Coney on the radio and he’s spot on. Munro gets on one knee to hit across the line, but it’s a fat top edge this time around, carrying to Willey running in from deep backward square. The end of a fantastic hand, his 57 coming in 21 balls with seven sixes. Phwoar. Watching the replay, it’s an lovely tossed-up googly that’s gone him there. Nice.
6th over: New Zealand 77-0 (Guptill 12, Munro 57) Good evening, Martin. Barely required so far with all that’s going on at Munro’s end, but he’s to the boundary here to begin Jordan’s over, albeit off an edge of sorts. But no risk there. Another full toss sent the way of Munro when he gets his turn. No mistake made, lifting over cover with a horizontal bat. Too easy. What a shocking power play for England’s attack.
England bowlers absolutely woeful in the power play. Bowling a barrage of half volleys on Munro pads. #NZvENG
Utter garbage by England so far. The spinners will to have perform something special from here.
5th over: New Zealand 66-0 (Guptill 4, Munro 52) Colin Munro is having a lovely old frolic here. Far from the worst change-up Willey will send down at the start, but it’s landed way back over long-on again. Into the 40s. But it gets worse from there, I’m afraid to say for those waking up in the UK. The left-hander helps himself to four from a rank full toss, slapping it past point. The final delivery is right in the Munro Zone again, lifted from outside left stump over the long-on rope more. His seventh (count them) seventh six, bringing up an 18-ball half-century. Wow. One power play over to come, but it’s getting grim for England. A reminder that the locals only need 175 to book their ticket for the final on Wednesday against Australia.
4th over: New Zealand 47-0 (Guptill 4, Munro 36) Chris Jordan’s turn. He was England’s best bowler in Wellington on Tuesday. I’ll back him in. He’s on the mark with a very slow one to begin, landing near enough to the yorker zone. Handy. Later, wheels out the quicker bouncer then the more conventional yorker. Urgh, he’s ruined my narrative: the last ball has been flogged into the crowd over long on. Stand and deliver, Munro picking up that slower ball this time around. Ten from it.
3rd over: New Zealand 37-0 (Guptill 2, Munro 29) More leg byes for Guptill, four of them, when Willey gets enough front pad on another misdirected delivery to reach the fine leg rope. England doing themselves no favours here. Now a wide, sprayed down the legside. The radar badly off the for left-armer. Have to somehow escape this power play. To be fair, he has recovered well. Something to build on.
2nd over: New Zealand 30-0 (Guptill 1, Munro 28) Tom Curran has ball from the city end. He learns the hard way that you cannot give Munro anything to hit around leg stump, the left-hander hitting his third six over backward square in the space of six balls. That’s just a flick and travelled 76 metres. It’s landed on the hospitality marquee. And he goes again! Over the sight screen this time, picking up the Curran back-of-the-hand change up superly! Four scoring shots, four sixes! Followed by a four, tucked very fine, to finish the Curran over. He’s gone for 17. Wow.
1st over: New Zealand 13-0 (Guptill 0, Munro 12). Willey to begin, on Guptill’s hip and takes a single. A leg bye, actually. Munro is far more enthusistic in response to a similar ball, smacking it over the backward square leg boundary and onto the grass. Six! Much harder than it looks doing that first up. Interesting stat on the radio. England hit 14 sixes in their innings, the same as Australia struck on Friday night, but for 50-odd fewer runs. New Zealand get their second in an over from the bat of Munro to finish, again picking out the backward square region. Brilliantly picked up from off-stump and into the crowd.
Just to clarify. The official double-checked answer is this: NZ need 175 to make the final. Wickets irrelevant. And they are back on the field. Strap in, this should be good.
20th over: England 194-7 (Morgan 80, Jordan 6) Morgan can’t find the boundary with the second to last delivery of the innings, bunting down the ground for a single. It matters not, as Chris Jordan lands a perfect final blow, driving long and strong over long-off to finish the innings in the best possible way for England! That makes 61 from the last four with 18 from the final over. Fantastic batting from both Malan and Morgan to settle England’s innings after losing both openers early, then to pile on the pain as they got set. Excellent work from the bowlers at the end too with Willey, Dawson and Jordan combining for 26 runs in nine balls at the death.
I’ll have an updated equation for you in a tic, but England will need to keep the Black Caps to roughly 175 if they are to make the final. This should be fun. Back shortly.
I said Morgan would want to face the bulk of the last two overs, but the supporting cast have piled on the quick runs. Dawson picks up the shorter ball from Boult and gets more than enough on it to clear the rope at backward square leg. Made it ten in two balls when getting a thick edge from a wide one down to third man. Can’t make it three in a row, holing out to mid-off, but 10 from three balls, once again, is more than worthy. Two balls to come with Morgan on strike. Nice outcome for England.
Clutch catch from Guptill on the point fence from the last delivery, Willey unable to get the ball to the rope for the third time in the over. He’s done his job though, driving Southee straight past him to begin then pulling a slower one past him again later on. 10 from five balls perfectly acceptable at this stage of a T20 innings. Boult coming up with the 20th.
19th over: England 176-6 (Morgan 77, Dawson 0)
18th over: England 166-5 (Morgan 77, Willey 1) Righto, back to Morgan. He went straight back Boult’s head from the crease to begin. How’s he managed that? Class. An inside edge then went the way of the batsman. Four for that. Then another six, his sixth of the night, over the bowlers head again and just about in the sightscreen.18 and a wicket from it. Willey’s turn, he’ll be facing Southee to begin the penultimate over.
Morgan has gone nuts, smacking Boult for 16 in three balls. But we’ll come back to that in a moment because when trying to get into the act later in the over, Billings has managed to get himself out in an odd fashion. Making all the room in the world for himself moving to the off-side, he made great contact on his sweep shot, but the stumps got in the way. Oops.
17th over: England 148-4 (Morgan 60, Billings 6) Thanks for listening, skip. First ball of de Grandhomme’s fresh over and he’s whacks a GIGANTIC SIX over midwicket and over the seating area. His biggest, and it gets him to his half-century. Fantastic return to the team for the captain. The bowler sticks to the plan of pace off the ball, but Morgan is all over it again, waiting in his stance to line-drive another big one over long-on this time. 15 from it. That’s better. 18 more balls available to him. Has to try and face 10-12 of them.
16th over: England 133-4 (Morgan 46, Billings 5) Southee is back with two overs up his sleeve. He’s an expert at this, digging it in each time with off-cutters and slower balls throughout. The new man Billings and Morgan both happy to do it in singles, taking one from each ball. Okay, that’s enough consolidation, time to go laaaarge.
15th over: England 127-4 (Morgan 43, Billings 2) de Grandhomme’s medium pace working a treat here, only four from this one. They just can’t get us cutters away. Wins a couple of leading edges too. Critical that for Jordan, Willey and Curran can do likewise in about an hour. That’s 10 runs from the last three compared to 46 in the previous three.
After Morgan allowed himself a moment of calm after the rapid runs he put on with Malan, Buttler went for a dance at Sodhi and missed the attempted whip. He’s stumped by a mile. Wickets in consecutive overs for the Black Caps and the game changes again. Nearly as important, the second over on the trot with only three runs taken.
Meanwhile, the bloke who took the catch is with us in the press box now. talking about his $50k moment: “When we came in we were sitting high up, but after discussing it we decided to move down where it could carry.” Fair play to him. Seems a nice fella.
13th over: England 120-3 (Morgan 39, Buttler 1) Morgan and his deputy exchange three singles before a couple of dots to Buttler finishes the successful over. So, just three runs and the wicket of Malan. Pace of the ball the name of the game for the seamers.
Dawid Malan's good winter continues, hits his fourth fifty in first five T20 internationals - only man to do so #NZvEng
Malan can’t do it this time, just about the first shot he hasn’t middled. It was in the air for a very long time, but Chapman did nicely to keep his cool and take take the catch just inside the rope at deep midwicket. It’s a slower ball doing the damage for a third time, which won’t be lost upon England’s bowlers. Oh, how New Zealand needed that.
12th over: England 117-2 (Malan 53, Morgan 37) Catch! NO! Morgan is taken at deep midwicket, but the Sodhi delivery is assessed by the third umprie as arriving above the batsman’s waist. There’s no doubt about that on the replay. So instead of a wicket, it’s a free hit that Malan (on strike after they crossed) hits out of the ground! THAT IS MASSIVE! The biggest of the night so far, taking the left-hander to his half-century. Three in the series and four in five hits in T20s. The only man to serve throughout this long tour of Australia and New Zealand, he’s quickly becoming one of the first names on the team sheet. 32 balls to reach the milestone, including five sixes. 11 more from this one, England’s run-rate up to 9.75 and these two have added 93 in 54 balls.
11th over: England 106-2 (Malan 46, Morgan 34) Here comes the captain! Mitch Santner is on for his second over and cops an utter battering from Morgan with 21 runs coming from the set. There’s a sweep then a clip and another sweep for four. Then the biiiiiig slog over midwicket, where the punters are diving over each other to take another one-handed catch for fifty large. They advise on the radio that the sponsor only pays out for one catch per day, but clearly they don’t realise that on the grass. Yikes, watching the replay that is pretty dangerous. Anyway, play on. Two wides in there two with Santner now understandably shaken. That makes 46 in the last three overs.
10th over: England 85-2 (Malan 46, Morgan 15) Ignore what I said last over, consolidate a good over is exactly what England have done, via Malan’s big blade. It takes some guts to take on Sodhi on a spinning surface, but he did first up smashing him on one knee over midwicket. That’s big. Later in the over, he’s dancing down the track at the leggie to hit him with a straight bat, towards us at long-off. Six more! In the process the partnership passes 50 as the left-hander nears another half-century.
9th over: England 71-2 (Malan 33, Morgan 14) FIFTY GRAND!!!! Malan has popped the new man Munro over long-on and over the rope and for the second time in three days a punter has taken a one-handed snaffle (wearing the sponsor’s shirt) to earn himself the prize of NZ$50,000! Oh, it’s a brilliant catch as well, leaning back with the flight to pluck it out of the sky with his right hand. Every bit as good as the legend on Friday night at Eden Park. 11 from the over. Neither side can consolidate with two good overs in a row.
8th over: England 60-2 (Malan 24, Morgan 12) Ish Sodhi’s turn with his leggies. Has a very good habit: taking big wickets. Malan gives him a chance early when going for a reverse sweep, but makes good contact for a couple. But the bowler then beats him with a fizzing googly, the delivery that he rolled out to pick up Warner on Friday. Beaten on the inside edge next up, trying to sweep. Only three from the excellent over.
7th over: England 57-2 (Malan 21, Morgan 12) Williamson brings himself on for a trundle. Misses his run coming in for his first ball, but whwen he does let it down Malan is dancing in his direction, making fantastic contact over long-on for six. There was a man there so it wasn’t without risk, but he had enough on it to land in the grass bank. Morgan’s turn, this time popping his opposing number over the long-off rope! Two sixes in three balls gets the visitors moving in the right direction again. The attempt to squeeze out a cheeky seventh over with the field back for the first time has backfired on the New Zealand captain, taken for 16.
6th over: England 41-2 (Malan 13, Morgan 4) Southee changes ends for the final over of the power play. And he’s done it very well. Back of a length with fingers down the seam throughout. Only four singles from it with two dots to finish (making 16 for the power play), with Malan unable to beat the field with a pull shot.
5th over: England 37-2 (Malan 11, Morgan 2) de Grandhomme on for Southee. Malan is very happy with that arrangement, slaying the seamer past point for his first boundary then next ball cover driving with class to the tope. That’s a top shot. Ten from the over.
There is only one way in which T20 reminds me of test cricket, and that is in the importance of taking wickets. Restraint & containment, ODI style, is utterly ineffective. #NZvENG
4th over: England 27-2 (Malan 2, Morgan 1) A short point in place for the new man Morgan, in his first game back after missing the last couple through injury. He absorbs three dots from Boult before driving down the ground to get off the mark. Malan takes two off his hip to get off the his day underway too. Another excellent over from New Zealand’s other experienced opener. From 22-0 to 27-2 over the last couple.
After 9 balls without a slower ball the NZ quicks have changed approach: 5 of the next 9 balls have been slower balls.#NZvENG
Near identical dismissal! Another slower ball, Boult this time running his fingers over it, and Roy miscues to the captain at mid-off. Just as it was the case with Hales, he pulled back from a full-blooded shot at the last moment. Both openers gone. England, who have to win well to progress, in strife.
3rd over: England 24-1 (Roy 21, Malan 0) Roy back on strike as they crossed, then taking a single to mid-on. Malan can’t get off the mark in the couple of balls he has to look at, but there is a wide in there too. Still, only two runs and the huge wicket from the Southee over. Bowled.
Good bowling but ordinary batting. Hales tries to lift Southee over mid-off but doesn’t get anywhere near enough of it. It was a slower ball off-cutter. Looked to change his shot when picking up on that but was a fraction too late.
2nd over: England 22-0 (Roy 20, Hales 1) The spin of Santner from in front of us. Sprays the first down legside. Not ideal. Roy down the ground for one then Hales gets off the mark behind point using the outside half of his bat. A small victory to the bowler, who is coming round the wicket to him looking to beat that edge. Roy’s turn again, getting down on his knee in time to club a reverse sweep! Great shot. Then takes him over midwicket more conventionally (in this format anyway) for four more. He’s already 20 from nine balls. New Zealand under the pump with 11 taken from each of the first two overs.
A literal force of nature threatens Aussies' title quest, writes @LouisDBCameron: https://t.co/KnEvuPy4F8pic.twitter.com/c89YTAwajT
1st over: England 11-0 (Roy 11, Hales 0) Trent Boult from the City End of the ground to begin. Lands a perfect inswinging yorker second up, but Roy up to the task of digging it out. He is again when the left-armer drops short, depositing him over the midwicket rope for the first six of the night! Stand and deliver. Goes again next ball, behind square with a pull shot that races to the boundary for four more. Neither of those short balls had anything on them; you can’t bang them in on this slow surface. Keeps the strike with another single in that direction. After a poor few weeks, that’s the start Roy needed.
The deep grass banks filling up nicely. It’s a happy hunting ground for the hosts, winning six of their seven T20Is, the most recent of those in 2016 against Pakistan. A lot of grief about the Eden Park boundaries, but not the case here. Still short by Australian standards, if you like, but not 50m straight either. Also: it is England’s 100th T20I today. They’ve grown up so fast. But if they lose tonight, it’ll be six defeats on the trot.
Kids with flags at the players race, so we aren’t far away from formalities/cricket. No national anthems today. New Zealand should run out to this every single time, for mine.
The teams in full. Former NZ captain Jeremy Coney isn’t surprised to see a second spinner (Dawson) for England. “Spin tends to be quite productive here,” he said on radio. “Dawson wouldn’t normally make their final XI, he has here based on some of the games of the past here at Hamilton. It tends to be a bit slower and gets some grip.”
New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (c), Mark Chapman, Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Seifert (wk), Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult.
Talking to RadioSport NZ, Black Caps skipper Kane Williamson says they made the decision because of the pitch, not the circumstances of the points table. “With the sun out there might be a bit more turn around early,” he said. “So regardless of the situation we would have bowled first having had a look at the surface. Then under lights it can skid on so that should help as well.”
They have made one change, spinning all-rounder Mitch Santner back in after missing on Friday. Ben Wheeler, the seamer who was smacked around against Australia, has lost his spot.
Stokes has the red shirt on. Yep, he’s refereeing the football game again rather than playing in it. Yes, I know this isn’t news. Do you reckon he should play on Wednesday if fit and they qualify? Trevor Bayliss isn’t that keen but Eoin Morgan is hinting he is some sort of chance. Ping me an email, or a tweet with your thoughts. Captains are out there now, so we’ll have the toss and teams shortly.
Pleasant. #NZvENGpic.twitter.com/2M2zKJgJjJ
Welcome to Seddon Park in Hamilton for the final group game of the Trans-Tasman T20 tri-series. Got all that? We have England and New Zealand in a quasi semi-final after Australia did the right thing by Eoin Morgan’s men by mounting a record-breaking chase on Friday night in Auckland.
It’s not quite as simple as the winner going through to play Australia on Wednesday in the decider - again at Eden Park. The Black Caps won the one previous encounter between these sides on Tuesday so England have to win by about 20-odd runs, or chase down the total in roughly 18 overs. Give or take. More of those sums here.
Adam will be here shortly.
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