England lost three wickets in the space of five balls as New Zealand won a tense World Twenty20 Super Eights match by five runs at Kingsmead yesterday.
The defeat probably ensured that New Zealand would reach the semi-finals while England faced almost certain elimination.
England seemed on course for a win when they restricted New Zealand to 164 for nine and new opening pair Darren Maddy and Vikram Solanki put on 64 for the first wicket.
PHOTO: AFP
Maddy seemed well on the way to a man of the match performance when he made 50 off 31 balls after pulling off a direct-hit run out and taking two wickets but he became the first of three run out victims as the England challenge subsided.
Needing 20 to win off the last two overs, England's hopes were dashed when Owais Shah was run out after he and Luke Wright had put on a partnership of 42 for the sixth wicket.
New batsman Dimitri Mascarenhas was caught at deep cover off the next ball from Shane Bond and Wright followed in the same way three balls later.
Earlier England were on top, with New Zealand in deep trouble at 40 for four after nine overs.
But Scott Styris (42) and Craig McMillan (57) went on a six-hitting blitz.
Styris hit four sixes in an innings of 42 off 31 balls, three of his sixes coming off successive balls from Dimitri Mascarenhas.
McMillan, who was named man of the match, also hit four sixes when making his total of 57 off 31 balls.
Maddy brought England back into the game by running out Styris from deep midwicket, then dismissing McMillan and Jacob Oram in his only over of medium-pace bowling.
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori produced another telling spell of left-arm spin bowling, taking the first wicket of the England innings when Solanki was caught at long-off and he then got the all-important wicket of Kevin Pietersen when the England batsman attempted a reverse sweep.
Vettori took two for 20 off his four overs. He also was responsible for the run out of Shah.
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