Trent Boult (left) celebrates the dismissal of England batsman Sam Billings with Kane Williamson © Getty Images
New Zealand won a thriller of a contest in the second One-Day International (ODI) against England at the Oval on Friday, registering a 13-run win to level the five-match series 1-1. Steven Finn and Chris Jordan were left unbeaten on 6 and 3 respectively, with Nathan McCullum finishing as the pick among the New Zealand bowlers with figures of 3 for 86.
England were off to a cautious start in their reply, reaching a score of 28 off five overs. Jason Roy was given a breather when batting on 12, getting dropped by Nathan McCullum at the slips after edging a Tim Southee delivery. Roy, along with Alex Hales, began to flex their arms towards the end of the batting powerplay, reaching 65 for no loss at the end of 10 overs. Updates: England vs New Zealand, 2nd ODI at Oval
The pair added another 20 runs, looking set to smash their way towards a major opening stand, before Nathan McCullum struck. Roy was the batsman to depart, serving a simple catch to Ross Taylor at backward point, with the first wicket falling for 85 runs. Hales and Joe Root added 15 runs for the second wicket, before two quick dismissals by Mitchell Santner brought the Black Caps in firm control of the game. Both Root and Hales were were caught off attempted sweeps at mid-wicket and deep mid-wicket for scores of 6 and 54 respectively.
England were staring at deep trouble at that stage, when captain Eoin Morgan came to the crease with the intention of playing a skipper’s knock. Along with Ben Stokes, he added 63 quick runs for the fourth wicket to provide some fightback, with Morgan attacking the opposition right from the word ‘go’. Stokes, who was dismissed for a lowly 10 in the previous game at Edgbaston, hit two fours and a six during his stay at the crease. He eventually was dismissed when he edged a Mitchell McClenaghan delivery to the wicketkeeper while attempting a cut.
The drama was far from over at that stage though, as Morgan continue to go slam-bang against the Kiwis thereafter. He brought up his 24th ODI fifty in just 28 deliveries, as the required run-rate for England dipped below eight for a some time during the fifth-wicket partnership. At 259 for four, with the likes of Morgan and Jos Buttler batting solidly at the crease, the hosts were favourites to walk away with the glory.
That’s when New Zealand made a second comeback in the match and a swift flurry of dismissals, a couple of them during the powerplay overs. Buttler (41 off 38), Morgan (88 off 47) and Sam Billings (12 off 16) returned to the pavilion as a result. Morgan was unlucky to have missed out on a century, getting caught by Grant Elliott at deep mid-wicket to give McClenaghan his second wicket of the match, after scoring half-a-dozen fours and as many sixes.
Adil Rashid, one of the star performers from the previous game, and Liam Plunkett looked lost when they arrived at the crease, with the scoreboard transforming from 259 for four to 275 for seven. The pair were expected to go for the big hits, and essentially guide their side to a respectable finish within the range of New Zealand’s total. That was not part of their plans however, as the duo lived up to their expectations of providing some lower-order boost.
With the frequency of fours and sixes increasing with each passing over, the crowd began to get more energetic. They roared with each boundary that Plunkett or Rashid scored. England were brought back from the dead for the second time in the game, this time by the lower-order. At the time of the interruption caused by rain, England were left needing 54 runs off 37 balls. The only worry for the hosts was the Duckworth-Lewis par score, by virtue of which England were 10 runs behind New Zealand as far as the par score was concerned.
Play finally resumed after a long wait, with the target getting revised to 379 from 46 overs, with the hosts needing 34 to win from 13 balls. After Southee finished his ninth over with a dot, Plunkett did not waste much time in getting a six along his way, smashing Nathan McCullum for the big hit over deep midwicket. He was however, dismissed a couple of balls later for a score of 44 off 29, getting caught by Brendon McCullum at extra cover off the bowling of his older McCullum.
Rashid was removed off the last ball of the 45th over, attempting to smash Nathan towards long-on for a six. Southee’s brilliance, catching the ball and throwing in to Boult inside the boundary before going over the rope, sent Rashid back to the pavilion as England lost their ninth wicket needing 24 to win. Grant Elliott came to bowl the last over, maintaining a tight line as only 10 runs were scored off it.
The two sides now head to Southampton for the third one-dayer with the two sides now square as far as the series is concerned.
Brief scores:
New Zealand 398 for 5 in 50 overs (Martin Guptill 50, Brendon McCullum 39, Kane Williamson 93, Ross Taylor 113*, Grant Elliott 32, Luke Ronchi 33; Ben Stokes 2 for 66) beat England 365 for 9 in 46 overs (Jason Roy 39, Alex Hales 54, Eoin Morgan 88, Jos Buttler 41, Adil Rashid 34, Liam Plunkett 44; Nathan McCullum 3 for 86) by 13 runs.
Man of the Match: Ross Taylor.
Full Scorecard