NZ vs ENG, 1st ODI Review: New Zealand clinch a cliff-hanger at Hamilton

Two World-class units in England and New Zealand came together at the Seddon Park, Hamilton, to provide an absolutely cracking contest. It went down to the final over and Mitchell Santner was the man for the home side who did the job with an absolute blinder of innings. It really was the best possible beginning to this series.

Batting first, Jonny Bairstow fell in the fourth over of the innings. He was dismissed by the very canny customer Trent Boult, who once again did the job with the new ball. Joe Root and Jason Roy then stitched an outstanding partnership for the second wicket. Roy’s innings was a bit uncharacteristic, but Root was playing free-flowing cricket.

The duo managed to add 79 runs for the 2nd wicket before Jason Roy was dismissed for 49, one run short of a well-compiled fifty. Their skipper Eoin Morgan too didn’t last for a long while and got dismissed a few overs later. Joe Root was just about upping the ante during this time and added a 35-run stand with the comeback man Ben Stokes, who could score just 12 runs.

Root had reached his fifty, but the innings got a brilliant lift when Jos Buttler came in and slammed the bowlers. But unfortunately for him, all his pyrotechnics were visible before the 40th over. It seemed like they’d end up with a score in excess of 320, but the Kiwis bowlers came back strongly towards the death. Buttler completed a fifty as well but didn’t manage to give them the required finish.

England could manage just 68 runs in the final 10 overs, full marks to the bowlers! Mitch Santner returned with the best figures for the Kiwis with 2/54, whilst Boult and Ish Sodhi too picked up braces.

Ross Taylor slams a tremendous century

Chris Woakes and David Willey provided the ideal start for the English, restricting the run flow completely in the Powerplay. Woakes firstly sent back Colin Munro in the second over of the innings and came back to pick up the skipper Kane Williamson. David Willey got the prized scalp of Martin Guptill, which saw the top three walk back inside the Powerplay.

Tom Latham and Ross Taylor had other ideas though, as the duo hung in and played some wonderful cricketing shots. They ensured the required never crept way too much by pacing their knocks beautifully. Ross Taylor and Tom Latham had registered the fifties and the duo was taking their side home.

After adding a whopping 178 runs for the 4th wicket, Tom Latham departed, but not before scoring 79 runs off 84 balls. Ben Stokes was the man who provided the breakthrough and he came back with another wicket in his next over of Colin de Grandhomme, which brought England right back in the game. Ross Taylor managed to complete a hundred, but the job was not done yet.

Taylor departed exactly at the wrong time with the Kiwis needing around 40 runs in the last four and the game seemed to be heading England’s way. But Mitch Santner chipped in with a 27-ball 45 and broke the deadlock. He hit 4 sixes and 2 fours to guide New Zealand past the winning line with 4 balls remaining.

Brief Scores

England: 284/8 in 50 overs (Joe Root 71, Jos Buttler 79, Jason Roy 49; Mitch Santner 2/54)

New Zealand: 287/7 in 49.2 overs (Ross Taylor 113, Tom Latham 79, Mitch Santner 45*; Ben Stokes 2/43)

Player of the match: Ross Taylor