England 110-2 (Salt 56, Brook 23) Overs bowled: 10
Brook was very quick to review, and two singles to complete the over leave England in a great spot.
‘My goodness!’ – Brook smashes huge six out of the ground
Video credit: TNT Sports
NO WICKET!
The eye-test actually shows us that there’s daylight between bat and ball. Wide ball!
The eye-test is inconclusive
And we wait an age for UltraEdge…
WICKET! Brook c Seifert b Bracewell 22
Brook looks to sweep, Seifert grabs, and the umpire perceives a faint edge. Immediately, the England captain reviews…
England 107-2 (Salt 55, Brook 22) Overs bowled: 9.5
The New Zealand fielders couldn’t help but appreciate that Brook mini-onslaught, and a wide from the first ball of Bracewell’s third over raises England’s hundred, then Salt completes a fine fifty, off 33 balls, with a turn to mid-on. A single to Brook then allows him back on to strike, whereupon he hammers to deep backward square for four.
England 99-2 (Salt 49, Brook 21) Overs bowled: 9
Sanrtner continues and, after a single to Salt, Brook comes down … and annihilates over the top for six. And after the power comes the touch, the England captain diving to flip four over his head; pressure for the bowler! Gosh, and when a drag-down arrives, it’s swiftly dismissed from his countenance, astonished on to the roof at midwicket for a second six; that’s 16 off three balls, and when a two completes a 19-run over, England look in a terrific spot.
England 80-2 (Salt 48, Brook 3) Overs bowled: 8
A single brings Brook on to strike; will he play himself in? Only joking. He takes his first ball for two behind square on the on-side, two singles follow, and that’s a better over the Black Caps, five from it.
‘Tough chance’ – Bethell gets reprieve as he is dropped in swirling wind
Video credit: TNT Sports
England 75-2 (Salt 46, Brook 0) Overs bowled: 7
Santner into the attack and Salt quickly greets him, a slash through backward point earning four off his second delivery. A well-run two followed by a single means seven off the over – a quiet one by the standard.
England 68-2 (Salt 39) Overs bowled: 6
Sixty-eight is the highest powerplay total on this ground.
WICKET! Bethell c Neesham b Bracewell 24
“Oh no!” comes the cry as Bethell holes out to mid-on. But his 24 off 12 is a more than useful contribution.
England 68-1 (Salt 39, Bethell 24) Overs bowled: 5.5
The incredibly softly-spoken Bracewell is into the attack for the final powerplay over, and Salt forces his loosener back down the ground for four, no technique just muscle. Oh, and then he hits inside-out over cover for four more, comfortable freeing arms and enjoying the bounce. a leg-bye follows, then Bethell presses forward, skips down, and spanks a bit of a drag-down back down the ground for six! So Bracewell responds by going wider … and Bethell gets down on to one knee, stretching … and lashing a second straight six down the ground!
England 47-1 (Salt 31, Bethell 12) Overs bowled: 5
Duffy, back after changing ends, sends Bethell one on the hip, easily turned behind for four, then, when he sees the batter moving past leg stump, manages to hold on to the ball rather than release. So he runs in again, Bethell goes hard, top-edges into the heavens, and Seifert is underneath it … this is gone … but he misreads the drop, perhaps in the winds, gets himself in a right two-an … and can’t recover, scrambling to palm into the turf. Ooops. Bethell then grinds in the aggravation, spanking four down the ground, and England are motoring.
New Zealand get ‘big breakthrough’ as Buttler falls early
Video credit: TNT Sports
England 37-1 (Salt 30, Bethell 3) Overs bowled: 4
Jamieson into the attack and Bethell swings to deep square for a single, the umpire losing the ball in the sun before just about ducking out of the road at the last moment. Two more follow, England keeping the scoreboard moving without boundaries, then Salt turns to midwicket for two … before waiting for a full one, using the pace to swizzle four to the fence at deep backward. Nine off what was previously a good, tight over.
England 28-1 (Salt 23, Bethell 1) Overs bowled: 3
There’s decent bounce in this track and Henry uses it better in this over, bowling a tighter line. Salt takes one off its third ball, then Bethell drops and runs, a KP-style Red Bull single to get going; a two flicked into the deep follows.
England 24-1 (Salt 20) Overs bowled: 2
But was it a no ball?
It’s close … but a fair delivery.
WICKET! Buttler c Santner b Duffy 4
Buttler comes down the track, clobbers high into the air, and when the ball eventually comes down, the catch is a simple one.
England 24-0 (Salt 20, Buttler 4) Overs bowled: 1.5
It’s Duffy to open from the other end and Salt flays his second delivery into the ground, the ball leaping over point and racing away for four; he’s seeing it. So the bowler responds with a bouncer, lyerman goes again, and a fortuitous flick helps the ball around the corner fo fo mo. It’s a truer wicket today, says Tim Seifert, the New Zealand wicky, no sideways movement, and as is to prove his point, after a single, Buttler spanks over cover for yet another four!
England 11-0 (Salt 11, Buttler 0) Overs bowled: 1
We have our answer! Salt drives Henry’s first ball hard, but to cover, then comes down to his second and swipes with the wind over wide long on for six! A flip to deep backward square makes it 10 off three, and the bowler is already under pressure – neow neow neow ne-ne neow-neow. He takes his slip out, cedes a further single, then Buttler defends a full delivery, and that’s a good start for the tourists.
Here come our teams
Batsmen in, lads.
The pitch
Shane Bond tells us it’s two-paced but there probably won’t be the same movement as the other night. England had to rescue themselves in that one; will they go hard again, or look to build? I think we know the answer to that one.
Teams
New Zealand: 1 Tim Seifert (wk), 2 Rachin Ravindra, 3 Tim Robinson, 4 Mark Chapman, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Michael Bracewell, 7 James Neesham, 8 Mitchell Santner (capt), 9 Kyle Jamieson, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Jacob Duffy.
England: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Jacob Bethell, 4 Harry Brook (capt), 5 Tom Banton, 6 Sam Curran, 7 Jordan Cox, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Liam Dawson, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Luke Wood.
I’m going to get myself a drink
Of water! We’ll be under way in 11 minutes.
New Zealand win the toss and bowl
Harry Brook would’ve bowled too but wasn’t sure, and is happy to bat.
The weather
Looks to be OK. We’ll take it.
Morning all
We go again!
Series schedule
The dates of the T20 fixtures are:
- Saturday, October 18 (07:15) – Hagley Oval, Christchurch – ABANDONED
- Monday, October 20 (07:15) – Hagley Oval, Christchurch
- Thursday, October 23 (07:15) – Eden Park, Auckland
The dates of the ODI fixtures are:
- Sunday, October 26 (01:00) – Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
- Wednesday, October 29 (01:00) – Seddon Park, Hamilton
- Saturday, November 1 (01:00) – Sky Stadium, Wellington
How to watch New Zealand v England
All three T20 matches and all three ODIs between New Zealand and England will be live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
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