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Collingwood captains England to 2-0 series win over New Zealand

Captain Paul Collingwood made a half century in a 102-run partnership with Owais Shah to guide England to a 50-run win over New Zealand in the second Twenty20 cricket international yesterday.

England took the series 2-0 after winning the first match by 32 runs at Auckland on Tuesday.

Collingwood top-scored with 54 in England's innings of 193-8 as the tourists batted first after winning the toss. Ryan Sidebottom, who bowled superbly at the beginning and end of the New Zealand innings, took 2-19 as the Kiwis were held to 143-8 in reply.

Phil Mustard and Luke Wright put on 65 in 5.5 overs in an outstanding opening partnership, but England lost four wickets for 11 runs to slump to 76-4 four before Collingwood turned the innings around.

Wright battered 30 runs from 19 balls with five fours and a six while Mustard hit 40 from 24 balls with three fours and three sixes.

The partnership ended when Wright was out in the sixth over and New Zealand quickly captured the wicket of dangerman Kevin Pietersen for 3, trapped leg-before-wicket by teenage fast bowler Tim Southee.

Collingwood smashed five fours and three sixes in a 28 ball innings and gained great support from Shah whose improvisational batting carried him to 47 from 36 balls.

"We played pretty well in Auckland the other night and it was pretty much the same tonight but probably even better," Collingwood said. "We got away to a good start with the bat then the innings lost a little bit of momentum, but fortunately ... we got a total that was good to defend."

Collingwood and Shah were out to consecutive deliveries from Paul Hitchcock, when England was 178, but Hitchcock's chance at a rare Twenty20 hat trick was stamped out by Dimitri Mascarenhas, who smashed the hat-trick ball for six.

Mascarenhas made 11 before he was run out one ball before the end of the English innings.
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