England snatch T20 series in super finish against Kiwis

Auckland: England once again defeated New Zealand in Super Over in a re-match of controversial World Cup final to claim Twenty20 series on Sunday.

Chris Jordan hit a boundary on the last ball to level the scores as the rain-marred match was pushed into the tie-breaking Super Over.

Jonny Bairstow and Eoin Morgan set New Zealand a target of 18 runs in the match and series deciding Super Over. But unlike the World Cup final where the winner was adjudged by virtue of more boundaries after the Super Over was also tied, New Zealand fell short by nine runs to hand the tourist the match and the series.

Somewhat surprisingly, Tim Seifert opened their super over and was out of six after four balls while the hard-hitting Martin Guptill stood unemployed at the non-striker’s end.

In a match reduced to 11 overs per side because of rain, Guptill and Colin Munro gave New Zealand a flying start after they lost the toss and were sent into bat.

Guptill peppered the short Eden Park boundaries with five sixes and three fours and needed only 19 deliveries to reach his 50 before being removed by Adil Rashid one ball later. Munro had four sixes and two fours in his 46 off 21 balls.

England were rocked early in reply with Trent Boult removing Tom Banton (seven) and Eoin Morgan (17), while Tim Southee accounted for James Vince (1) to have the tourists at 39 for three after three overs.

The pair put on 61 in 24 balls before they fell on consecutive deliveries with Bairstow caught behind on the last ball of a Jimmy Neesham over and Curran (24) stumped on the first ball of Mitchell Santner’s next over.

In the final over of regular play, England needed 13 from the last three balls by Neesham when Jordan went to the middle and belted six, two, and four to set up the tiebreaker.

The first of two Tests between New Zealand and England starts in Tauranga on November 21.

Agencies

Scoreboard

New Zealand

M Guptill c Banton b Rashid    50

C Munro c Vince b S Curran    46

C de Grandhomme c Vince b Mahmood    6

T Seifert b T Curran    39

R Taylor run out (S Curran/Billings)    3

Total (for 5 wkts, 11 overs)    146

Bowling: S Curran 2-0-33-1, T Curran 2-0-30-1, Jordan 2-0-28-0, Rashid 3-0-34-1, Mahmood 2-0-20-1

England

T Banton lbw Boult    7

J Bairstow c Seifert b Neesham    47

J Vince c Kuggeleijn b Southee    1

E Morgan c Kuggeleijn b Boult    17

S Curran st Seifert b Santner    24

S Billings not out    11

L Gregory c Southee b Santner    6

T Curran c de Grandhomme b Neesham    12

C Jordan not out    12

Total (for seven wkts, 11 overs)    146

Bowling: Boult 3-0-35-2 (2w), Southee 2-0-22-1 (3w), Santner 2-0-20-2 (1w), Kuggeleijn 1-0-20-0, Sodhi 1-0-22-0 (1w), Neesham 2-0-25-2