More entertainment on the cards as England look to bounce back
Overview
New Zealand v EnglandBay Oval, Mount Maunganui
2nd ODI
Wednesday 28 February; 14:00 local, 01:00 GMT
There was a lot of anticipation ahead of the first one-day international in Hamilton on Sunday, 25 February, when two of the format’s in-form teams came head-to-head. The match lived up to the hype as well, with New Zealand and England playing out a riveting game that kept viewers guessing till the very end. Eventually, New Zealand just about sneaked through.
More than the result, though, it is the promise of more entertainment that really sets up the second of the five ODIs nicely. England seemed to have the upper hand after being put in, with Jason Roy (49), Joe Root (71) and Jos Buttler (79) scoring well on a slow, difficult pitch to post 284/8. Then, with New Zealand reduced to 27/3, the match seemed destined for an early finish.
However, Ross Taylor and Tom Latham put up a strong middle-order resistance, their 178-run partnership helping take the home side past 200, and within 80 runs of sealing victory. At the time, the money was on New Zealand, but Ben Stokes underlined his importance on his comeback match, breaking the partnership with the wicket of Latham. It triggered a mini-slide that comprised the big wicket of the centurion Taylor, and once again England were ahead. Then came Mitchell Santner, giving new meaning to the clean-as-a-whistle cliché with his ball striking, and his unbeaten 27-ball 45 ensured victory was secured with just four balls left.
It helped New Zealand quash talk of them being too reliant on the explosive starts from Colin Munro and Martin Guptill. Their middle order rose to the occasion, and a timely rise it was too. As for England, they did a lot right, and if they perform with the same vigour at the Bay Oval, they could well restore parity to the series.
The Hamilton clash has whetted the appetite. More of the same is now expected.
Key players
Kane Williamson (New Zealand): The New Zealand captain rightly praised Taylor, Latham and Santner following the victory on Sunday, but his own form has been iffy. In his last 10 outings, ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals combined, he’s reached double-digits just thrice. The 72 against England in the T20I tri-series helped silence the critics for a while, but he’s had four poor outings since, and talk of his (lack of) form has resurfaced. Another good knock is imperative, and this time, he’ll be hoping to build on it.
Ben Stokes (England): The England all-rounder made his return to international cricket after being out for six months, but it was no fairy tale return – there was a limp 22-ball 12 with the bat before he holed out off a miscue, and till his final spell, he wasn’t too effective with the ball either. However, it is the mark of a good player that even when rusty, they find a way to influence the match. Stokes did that with the wicket of Latham at a crucial stage, and followed it up with the scalp of Colin de Grandhomme. His 2/43 was eventually in vain, but there were signs of his quality there. He will be itching to get back out there.
Conditions
Rain is forecast for the whole week in Mount Maunganui, and it seems likely the match will be interrupted at some stage. There was enough in the pitch for batting during the T20I between New Zealand and Pakistan earlier in the season. The weather, however, could tilt this in favour of the bowlers.
Squads
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (capt), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wk), Colin Munro, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.
England: Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler (wk), Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Craig Overton, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
