Taylor ton, Santner cameo seals thrilling win

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A crucial century stand between Ross Taylor and Tom Latham, and a late charge from Mitchell Santner gave New Zealand a thrilling three-wicket win over England in the opening one-day international of the five-match series at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday, 25 February.

Put in, England posted a competitive 284/8 built on half-centuries from Joe Root and Jos Buttler, and Jason Roy’s top-order contribution. New Zealand’s openers failed to deliver, but Taylor guided the chase with a 116-ball 113 as the hosts reached 287/7 in 49.2 overs.

At 27/3 inside 10 overs, things looked dire for New Zealand. Colin Munro was the first to fall in the second over of the innings when he edged a wider delivery from Chris Woakes straight into the wicket-keeper’s gloves.

Kane Williamson fell to David Willey for just 8 after facing 23 balls, and Martin Guptill followed soon, becoming Woakes’s second victim.

Latham and Taylor were resilient. They forged a much-needed partnership of 178 runs for the fourth wicket to lift their side from 27/3 to 205/3 before Latham was deceived by a slower delivery from Ben Stokes.

The left-handed batsman had scored a measured 79 in 84 balls with 10 boundaries by then.

Stokes also accounted for the wicket of Colin de Grandhomme, bringing England back in the game. But Taylor continued to make merry and brought up his 18th ODI century in 108 deliveries. He would have 12 fours in his innings.

He almost took New Zealand across the line, but with the side on 244, an Adil Rashid delivery tempted Taylor to step out, and before he could return to the crease, the wicket-keeper splintered the bails.

With nine runs required in the last over, Mitchell Santner, who had been in a belligerent mood, hit the first ball for a boundary. It was followed by a wide, and Santner finished the game in style, hitting a six off the bowling of Woakes.

Santner was unbeaten on 45 off 27, with two fours and four sixes, with Tim Southee on 8*.

England had Root, who sat out of the recent Trans-Tasman Twenty20 Tri-Series, and Stokes, the all-rounder, who had been out of action for almost five months following his involvement in a police case, return to the XI.

Trent Boult drew first blood, sending back Jonny Bairstow, who had looked unsettled against the left-arm paceman from the start. In the fourth over, Bairstow edged a fuller delivery from Boult, and Taylor, the lone slip fielder, took a tumbling catch.

Jason Roy and Root took control of the innings and brought up their fifty-run partnership in 62 balls. Roy got a lifeline in the 18th over when he was on 39, when Ish Sodhi couldn’t pull off a catch off his own bowling. However, Santner bowled him in the next over just short of a fifty, ending the 79-run association.

Roy’s 66-ball innings included five boundaries and a six.

Even as Root brought up his half-century in 53 balls, he didn’t have a steady partner. Sodhi had Eoin Morgan, the England captain, caught for single-figures at mid-off by Southee, while Stokes mistimed a slog-sweep off Santner to offer an easy catch to Taylor.

At 139/4 after 28.2 overs, England needed somebody to stand up, and that’s what Buttler, the No.6 batsman offered. He added 42 for the fifth wicket with Root and, when a knuckle ball from Munro got rid of the Test captain, he added 47 with Moeen Ali.

Woakes and David Willey also chipped in, before Buttler was run out by Southee on the penultimate ball of the match for 79 off 65. His knock was studded with five boundaries and as many sixes.

The spin duo of Santner and Sodhi shared four wickets between them, while Boult chipped in with two wickets.