Seifert, Phillips and Chapman counter Bairstow’s fireworks to seal NZ win
New Zealand 179 for 4 (Seifert 48, Phillips 42, Chapman 40*) beat England 175 for 8 (Bairstow 73, Santner 3-30) by six wickets
New Zealand squared this four-match T20I collection by chasing down 176 with relative ease at Trent Bridge. They received forward of the sport by belting 73 runs within the Powerplay, with Tim Seifert nailing 48 in his fiftieth T20I, then stayed there because of Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman.
England had began brightly themselves, with Jonny Bairstow crunching six sixes in his 73 off 41. But their innings fell away after his dismissal, as New Zealand’s three spinners squeezed within the center overs; England’s whole appeared just a little mild at a venue with notoriously brief boundaries, and so it proved.
This was attributable to be a five-match collection earlier than three ODIs, however the fifth T20I was quietly transformed right into a 50-over recreation final 12 months with an eye fixed on the World Cup. As a end result, this was not fairly a decider – and it felt decidedly low-key, with Jos Buttler opting to relaxation himself forward of better checks to return.
Yet it served as extra priceless preparation for New Zealand, who recovered from an abject begin to the collection to share the trophy. Friday’s first ODI in Cardiff marks the beginning of the extra related a part of their tour, however this was a scientific victory underneath the Nottingham floodlights all the identical.
Clinical Kiwis
Finn Allen performed in the one means he is aware of how, smoking three of his first 4 balls for 4 earlier than shedding his off stump when trying to smear Luke Wood throughout the road. His six-ball 16 was solely a cameo, however ensured that New Zealand had been forward of the required fee all through the chase.
Promoted to open, Seifert was brutish. He camped on the again foot, lofting England’s seamers again down the bottom with mid-off contained in the ring, and crunched Adil Rashid for 2 fours and a six within the fifth over. Daryl Mitchell was run out shortly after the Powerplay, taking over Wood within the deep, however New Zealand had been in management.
Rehan Ahmed, taking part in his first worldwide recreation at house – and within the metropolis he grew up in – bowled tidily for his 2 for 27, having Seifert caught-and-bowled and Phillips caught within the deep, however Phillips had crunched Moeen Ali, Rashid and Brydon Carse in between instances for his 42 off 25.
The fee was right down to a run a ball by the point Phillips holed out, and Chapman completed the job in fashion, cruising to 40 not out off 25 balls. Rachin Ravindra reduce the profitable boundary by way of the infield, with Wood misfielding at cowl to sum up England’s disappointing evening.
Bairstow’s fireworks
After 4 quiet video games for Welsh Fire within the Hundred, Bairstow has roared again to kind on this collection. He top-scored in England’s win in Manchester, batting by way of the innings for 86, and raced to 47 off 22 after 5 overs after Moeen selected to bat.
This was Bairstow’s first innings at Trent Bridge since his 136 off 92 in a Test against the same opposition final 12 months, the knock that secured his standing as Bazball’s standard-bearer. His first two boundaries – short-arm jabs for 4 and 6 off Matt Henry – had been harking back to that century, and he swiped 17 runs off Kyle Jamieson’s first over as England raced to 63 for 0 after six.
Bairstow was the one England batter to attain freely towards spin by way of the center, crunching each left-arm spinners – Ravindra and Mitchell Santner – for six, although holed out to long-on instantly after the second. He was attributable to hold wicket within the run chase, although handed over to Buttler after experiencing shoulder ache whereas batting; he later performed down the severity of the damage.
England’s spin slowdown
Bairstow aside, England’s batting line-up floundered towards spin for the second recreation operating. Ish Sodhi was not at his greatest however Will Jacks edged him behind after a fourth consecutive unconverted cameo, earlier than Harry Brook hoicked his drag-down to deep backward sq. leg for 4 off 8 balls.
Neither Dawid Malan nor Liam Livingstone checked out their greatest in making 26 apiece, and Santner claimed two wickets in his fourth over – Malan and Moeen caught within the deep on the leg facet – to complete with 3 for 30. Ravindra, taking part in forward of the rested Devon Conway, had Sam Curran caught at extensive long-on, and the three spinners completed with mixed figures of 6 for 68 in 10 overs.
When Henry closed issues out with an excellent remaining over, which culminated in Livingstone drilling his extensive yorker straight to further cowl, England had fallen a way wanting the whole that they had lined up. It didn’t take lengthy for New Zealand’s high order to underline that their 175 was under-par.
Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @mroller98