Alex Hales produced a batting masterclass as England dominated New Zealand with both bat and ball to race to a 10-wicket win in the Twenty20 series decider in Wellington yesterday.
Stung by a heavy loss in the second match in Hamilton on Tuesday, England bounced back to restrict New Zealand to 139 for eight after sending the home team into bat, with Stuart Broad and Jade Dernbach bagging three wickets apiece.
Hales and fellow opener Michael Lumb then dismantled the New Zealand attack to overhaul the 140-run target in just 12.4 overs in front of a stunned Wellington crowd.
Photo: AFP
Hales scored 80 off 42 balls, including four sixes and nine fours, while Lumb notched 53 off 34 deliveries, sending the ball onto the roof of Westpac Stadium to bring up the winning runs with his fifth six of the night.
Opener Martin Guptill (59) top-scored for New Zealand, but the Black Caps struggled for runs and their bowlers allowed England to score at will, giving them no chance of defending their modest total.
“I’m delighted we could put on a display like that. The bowlers were fantastic, then the batsman entertained,” Broad said. “We’ve played hard-fought cricket.”
Photo: AFP
Despite admitting he was wrong to make the Black Caps bat first in Hamilton, Broad again elected to bowl after winning the toss, aware the chasing side has won all four previous Twenty20 internationals at the Westpac Stadium.
The gamble paid early dividends when he enticed Hamish Rutherford (11) into a pull shot with a short-pitched delivery in the fourth over which sailed to Dernbach in the field for an easy catch.
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum and Guptill steadied the innings. However, they struggled for runs before McCullum tried to break the shackles and was caught on 26 attempting to cart James Tredwell over the boundary.
Incoming batsman Ross Taylor managed the first six of the innings in the next over off the bowling of Joe Root before being caught out.
It capped a disappointing series for Taylor, who has averaged less than 8 in three innings since he returned to the international fold after being dropped as captain late last year.
With Grant Elliott (15) and Colin Munro (1) failing to produce, the pressure was on Guptill to play out a big innings for the Black Caps.
He managed 59 off 55 balls and looked threatening in the latter stages of the innings, before Broad caught and bowled him for his third wicket.
Dernbach mopped up in the last over, dismissing Nathan McCullum for a golden duck and dismissing James Franklin for 15 with the final ball of the innings.
New Zealand’s disappointments continued in the field as Taylor and McCullum both missed difficult catches in the opening overs, and the England batsmen punished lackluster bowling.
Lumb swatted consecutive sixes off Mitchell McClenaghan, while Alex Hales took three fours as Ian Butler conceded 23 runs off his second over, including five wides and four leg byes.
It was then Hales’ turn to take the long handle to McClenaghan, taking three sixes and a four off one over as he brought up his half- century in 34 balls.
With England scoring at will, New Zealand should have run out Lumb to gain a consolation wicket, but McCullum missed the stumps and the Lumb went on to emphatically belt the ball out of the park for the win.
New Zealand will now look to regroup before the first one-day international in Hamilton tomorrow.
PAKISTAN V S. AFRICA
AFP, CAPE TOWN
Vernon Philander took three wickets in three overs before Pakistan tailenders Tanvir Ahmed and Saeed Ajmal frustrated South Africa on the second day of the second Test at Newlands, South Africa, yesterday.
Pakistan were bowled out for 338 at lunch after Tanvir (44) and Ajmal (21 not out) had put on 64 for the ninth wicket after Philander’s early strikes raised the home side’s hopes of wrapping up the innings quickly.
Philander, who took five for 59, struck with his first ball of the day when Asad Shafiq was caught at first slip without adding to his overnight score of 111. Shafiq batted for 308 minutes and faced 230 balls.
Sarfraz Ahmed, the other overnight batsman, fell in Philander’s next over when Alviro Petersen dived full length to his right to hold a good catch at third slip. Sarfraz made 13.
Umar Gul was leg before wicket without scoring as Philander completed his ninth five-wicket haul in Test matches.
However, Tanvir and Ajmal went for their strokes, with Tanvir in particular hitting out aggressively as he made 44 off 59 balls with four fours.
South Africa suffered a blow when fast bowler Morne Morkel left the field after bowling three balls of his 21st over with what was described as a tight left hamstring.
Tanvir fell shortly before lunch when he hit left-arm spinner Robin Peterson to Philander at deep mid-off, with last man Mohammad Irfan following in the next over when he was bowled by Peterson, going for a big hit.
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