| 0.0 : Aus-SL. Two World T20 and a NZ-Eng game. These are the international matches scheduled on the first day of the 11th month of the 19th year of the 21st century. Not surprisingly, the match mentioned at the end has the biggest priority. With Sri Lanka not doing anything worthwhile other than helping Australia create records and the teams decided to participate in the WT20, naturally, this series starting from today gets the biggest excitement. It is their first encounter since July 14, 2019. Let's |
| A 5-match T20I series? Is that correct? Who plays a T20I series of 5 matches in an age where even 3 is considered to be too much? Well, the people who love this sport with extreme passion do. Yes, England and New Zealand fall in that bracket. There has been a lot of buzz heading into this series and hopefully, we are not disappointed. |
| TOSS - Eoin Morgan has won the flip of the coin. ENGLAND ELECT TO CHASE. A no-brainer in this part of the world. Even normally, teams prefer chasing in this format. |
| TEAM NEWS - As expected, Sam Curran and Pat Brown are making their T20I debuts for England. Joe Denly was supposed to undergo a late fitness test this morning but has failed, so Lewis Gregory gets a chance to feature in internationals as well. New Zealand are going in with two spinners in Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner while the seamers will be Kuggeleijn, Ferguson, Southee, de Grandhomme and Mitchell. England have preferred the solitary spin option in Adil Rashid. |
| New Zealand (Playing XI) - Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Tim Seifert(wk), Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tim Southee(c), Ish Sodhi and Lockie Ferguson. |
| England (Playing XI) - Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, James Vince, Eoin Morgan(c), Sam Billings(wk), Sam Curran, Lewis Gregory, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid and Pat Brown. |
| The players walk out to the middle amidst bright sunshine. This is the 50TH T20I being played in New Zealand and the first ever at Hagley Oval. Martin Guptill and Colin Munro to open the innings for the Black Caps. One of the Currans to bowl with the new ball first up. Sam it will be. Guppy to face. Here we go! |
| 0.1 : Sam Curran to M Guptill, Full and around middle, swinging in, pushed towards mid on. |
| 0.2 : Sam Curran to M Guptill, Landed outside off, swinging away, Guptill feels for it but misses. |
| 0.3 : Sam Curran to M Guptill, Full and down the leg side, swinging in a long way, Guppy misses his flick and is hit on the pads. Curran appeals for LBW but the umpire moves away. The ball deflects towards point and a leg bye is taken. |
| 0.4 : Sam Curran to C Munro, Full and around off, Murno looks to heave but gets a thick inside edge wide of mid on. A quick single taken. |
| 0.5 : Sam Curran to M Guptill, On middle and leg, flicked away for a run. |
| 0.6 : Sam Curran to C Munro, That ball has taken the inside edge of the batsman and thudded into his pads. One run added to the total. That is a terrific over. Just 4 on the board. |
| Tom Curran to share the new ball with his brother. |
| 1.1 : Tom Curran to C Munro, Full on middle, Munro flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 1.2 : Tom Curran to C Munro, On a good length on middle, Munro comes down the track to flick but misses it and gets hit on the pads. |
| 1.3 : Tom Curran to C Munro, Full on middle and leg, Munro flicks it towards fine leg. |
| 1.4 : Tom Curran to C Munro, Length delivery on off, Munro plays it to point. |
| 1.5 : Tom Curran to C Munro, On a length on leg, Munro looks to flick but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 1.6 : Tom Curran to C Munro, Length delivery on leg, Munro looks to heave but gets hit on the pads. The bowler appeals for lbw but the umpire shakes his head. MAIDEN OVER FOR TOM CURRAN! The brothers have started well. |
| 2.1 : Sam Curran to M Guptill, On a good length on middle, Guptill defends it off the back foot. |
| 2.2 : Sam Curran to M Guptill, Short delivery on middle, Guptill pulls it towards fine leg for a single. |
| 2.3 : Sam Curran to C Munro, Length delivery on off, Munro plays it to the off side. |
| 2.4 : Sam Curran to C Munro, Full delivery on middle, Munro comes down the track and drives it through mid on. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 2.5 : Sam Curran to M Guptill, OUT! Dragged on! There falls the first wicket. This was coming. No boundary scored in the first 16 balls, with as many as 10 dots. The pressure was building and Guptill has fallen prey. A short ball, around off, angling away, Guppy looks to pull but the ball comes on slowly after pitching. Takes the inside edge and illuminates the Zinc bails as the stumps are dislodged. |
| Tim Seifert walks in at number 3, on a ground he knows well. |
| 2.6 : Sam Curran to Tim Seifert, Outside off, punched through the covers for a single. |
| 3.1 : Tom Curran to Tim Seifert, On a good length and outside off, Seifert looks to cut but misses it. |
| 0.0 : Sam Billings is on the mic, talking to David Lloyd. Billings says that the Curran brothers have mixed up the pace really well, as the pitch looks a belter. Believes that the deck might be a little slow. Feels that New Zealand is the best place to tour, with the people being very warm to visitors. On the preparations for the T20 World Cup in 2020, Billings says that every spot in the 15 is up for grabs and every one wants to give his best. |
| 3.2 : Tom Curran to Tim Seifert, Length delivery on off, Seifert plays it towards mid off and takes a single. The fielder fires a direct hit at the bowler's end but Seifert was comfortably in. |
| 3.3 : Tom Curran to C Munro, WIDE! Bowls it down the leg side, Munro looks to pull but misses it. |
| Tom Curran to C Munro, FOUR! Nice shot. On a length on leg, Munro flicks it over square leg for a boundary. |
| 3.4 : Tom Curran to C Munro, Good length delivery outside off, Munro looks to cut but misses it. |
| 3.5 : Tom Curran to C Munro, On a good length on middle, Munro looks to flick but gets hit on the thigh pad. It goes towards the leg side. The batsmen cross ends. The umpire gives it as a leg bye. |
| 3.6 : Tom Curran to Tim Seifert, Full delivery on middle, Seifert flicks it through square leg for a run. 8 runs have come from the over. |
| 4.1 : Sam Curran to Tim Seifert, Length delivery on middle, Seifert nudges it towards square leg for a run. |
| 4.2 : Sam Curran to C Munro, On a length on middle, Munro flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 4.3 : Sam Curran to Tim Seifert, SIX! Amazing shot. Short of a length delivery, Seifert pulls it over mid-wicket for a maximum. |
| 4.4 : Sam Curran to Tim Seifert, Length delivery on off, Seifert plays it towards point for a single. |
| 4.5 : Sam Curran to C Munro, SIX! Second maximum of the over. Good shot. Munro comes down the track and lofts it over long on for a biggie. |
| 4.6 : Sam Curran to C Munro, SIX! Back-to-back maximums for Colin Munro. Length delivery on leg, Munro plays a slog sweep over square leg for a maximum. 21 runs have come from the over. Big over for New Zealand. |
| Chris Jordan into the attack now. |
| 5.1 : C Jordan to Tim Seifert, Around off, worked through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 5.2 : C Jordan to C Munro, Landed outside off, left alone. |
| 5.3 : C Jordan to C Munro, Around middle, heaved towards deep mid-wicket for a single. |
| 5.4 : C Jordan to Tim Seifert, Full and outside off, yorker length, squeezed down to third man for a run. |
| 5.5 : C Jordan to C Munro, A full ball, around leg, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 5.6 : C Jordan to C Munro, OUT! Caught! A wicket off a full toss. Jordan goes for the yorker but gets it wrong. Thankfully, for him, isn't it? Munro looks to get it over the infield on the leg side but he is not able to get the elevation. Ends up chipping it straight to Eoin Morgan at short mid-wicket who takes it and celebrates! |
| Colin de Grandhomme walks in at number 4, replacing Munro. Adil Rashid into the attack as well. |
| 6.1 : A Rashid to Tim Seifert, Tossed up delivery on off, Seifert plays it towards covers for a single. |
| 6.2 : A Rashid to de Grandhomme, FOUR! Nice shot. Short delivery on middle, de Grandhomme pulls it over mid-wicket. The fielder in the deep tries to pull it back before the ropes but it goes through him to the fence. |
| 6.3 : A Rashid to de Grandhomme, Flighted delivery on off, Colin punches it towards point for a run. |
| 6.4 : A Rashid to Tim Seifert, Floated delivery on off, Seifert plays it towards point. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 6.5 : A Rashid to de Grandhomme, Tossed up delivery on off, de Grandhomme guides it towards third man for a run. |
| 6.6 : A Rashid to Tim Seifert, Flighted delivery on middle, Seifert comes down the track and plays it towards mid on for a run. |
| Tom Banton to bowl now. Big moment for the debutant. |
| 7.1 : Pat Brown to Tim Seifert, Full and around middle, flicked through mid-wicket for a triple. |
| 7.2 : Pat Brown to de Grandhomme, A slower ball, outside off, de Grandhomme walks down the track to push but misses. The ball goes not carry to the keeper. |
| 7.3 : Pat Brown to de Grandhomme, Short and outside off, cut through point. |
| 7.4 : Pat Brown to de Grandhomme, Around middle, flicked through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 7.5 : Pat Brown to Tim Seifert, Outside off, punched straight to cover. |
| 7.6 : Pat Brown to Tim Seifert, Full and around middle, flicked through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 8.1 : A Rashid to Tim Seifert, FOUR! That is a typical Seifert shot. Landed outside leg, Tim gets to the leg side, brings out the reverse and pulls it over short third man. Gets more height but just about clears the men in the ring. |
| 8.2 : A Rashid to Tim Seifert, Tossed up delivery on off, Seifert plays it towards covers for a single. |
| 8.3 : A Rashid to de Grandhomme, Short delivery on off, de Grandhomme cuts it towards point for a single. |
| 8.4 : A Rashid to Tim Seifert, Flighted delivery on off, Seifert defends it off the front foot. |
| 8.5 : A Rashid to de Grandhomme, Floated delivery on middle, Colin flicks it towards square leg. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 8.6 : A Rashid to Tim Seifert, Tossed up delivery on off, Seifert keeps it out. |
| 9.1 : Pat Brown to de Grandhomme, Full delivery on middle, de Grandhomme flicks it over mid-wicket. The fielder in the deep does well to stop it. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 9.2 : Pat Brown to de Grandhomme, On a length on middle, de Grandhomme flicks it through mid-wicket. The batsmen take a single. |
| 9.3 : Pat Brown to Tim Seifert, Full again on middle, Seifert flicks it towards square leg for a single. |
| 9.4 : Pat Brown to de Grandhomme, Bowls a bouncer, de Grandhomme lets it sail through to the keeper. |
| 9.5 : Pat Brown to de Grandhomme, SIX! Excellent shot. One hand had come of the handle. Short of a length delivery, de Grandhomme pulls it over square leg for a biggie. |
| 9.6 : Pat Brown to de Grandhomme, On a length on middle, Colin flicks it over mid-wicket. The batsmen cross ends. 11 runs have come from the over. |
| 10.1 : A Rashid to de Grandhomme, OUT! Caught! Big wicket. Rashid has taken out Colin de Grandhomme. The batsman has not nailed that shot. We have seen some big sixes from him but this is a mistimed shot. A drag down, outside off, de Grandhomme looks to pull but perhaps the ball comes on a bit too quickly. The mistimed shot goes straight to James Vince at deep mid-wicket who makes no mistake. The 33-run stand is broken. |
| 0.0 : Ross Taylor is the new batsman in. |
| 10.2 : A Rashid to Tim Seifert, Flighted delivery on off, Seifert drives it through mid off. The batsmen take a single. |
| 10.3 : A Rashid to R Taylor, Tossed up delivery on leg, Taylor looks to flick but gets hit on the pads. |
| 10.4 : A Rashid to R Taylor, Floated delivery on middle, Taylor drives it through mid on for a single. |
| 10.5 : A Rashid to Tim Seifert, Flighted delivery on middle, Seifert plays it towards mid on. The batsmen take a run. |
| 10.6 : A Rashid to R Taylor, Tossed up delivery on middle, Taylor flicks it towards mid-wicket. The batsmen take a single. 4 runs and a wicket from the over. |
| Sam Curran is back on. 3-0-27-1 are his figures so far. |
| 11.1 : Sam Curran to R Taylor, On a length on middle, Taylor flicks it through mid-wicket. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 11.2 : Sam Curran to R Taylor, Good length delivery on off, Taylor blocks it off the front foot. |
| 11.3 : Sam Curran to R Taylor, Length delivery on middle, Taylor flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 11.4 : Sam Curran to Tim Seifert, Full delivery on middle, Seifert drives it to long on. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 11.5 : Sam Curran to R Taylor, On a length on middle, Taylor flicks it through mid-wicket. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 11.6 : Sam Curran to R Taylor, Length delivery on leg, Taylor looks to flick but gets hit on the pads. It goes towards the leg side. The batsmen take a single. The umpire gives it as a leg bye. |
| 12.1 : A Rashid to R Taylor, Thrown up outside off, Taylor drives it through the covers. Gregory charges across to his right from sweeper, picks up the ball and sees that the batsmen are taking his arm on, going for the second on the throw. He throws off balance and it lands in the middle of the pitch, making the second run easy. |
| 12.2 : A Rashid to R Taylor, FOUR! That is a bad ball. Full and down the leg side, Taylor sweeps it very fine and gets it to the boundary. No short fine leg on that occasion and now, he comes in. |
| 12.3 : A Rashid to R Taylor, Tossed up delivery on off, Taylor plays it towards mid off. The batsmen take a run. |
| 12.4 : A Rashid to Tim Seifert, Flighted delivery on leg, Taylor plays a sweep towards fine leg. The batsmen take a single. |
| 12.5 : A Rashid to R Taylor, Full delivery on off, Taylor drives it through covers. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 12.6 : A Rashid to Tim Seifert, On a length on off, Seifert punches it towards point for a single. 10 runs have come from the over. |
| Chris Jordan is back on. 1-0-3-1 are his figures so far. |
| Gone! Caught! But is it a no ball? It is high... but how high... the umpires are checking... seems okay in the first look on the replays. Yes. Given. |
| 13.1 : C Jordan to Tim Seifert, OUT! Caught! Jordan gets a wicket immediately on return. A high full toss, dipping down, Seifert looks to pull but the ball hits him high on the bat. He gets more height than distance and Jonny Bairstow takes it running in from deep mid-wicket. Seifert has a look at the umpires and they ask him to wait. The replay is shown on the giant screen and Siefert starts to go back to the batting crease to resume batting. That is strange. Looks to be below the waist as it wa |
| 0.0 : Daryl Mitchell is the next batsman in. |
| 13.2 : C Jordan to R Taylor, On a length on off, Taylor taps it towards point and takes a quick single. The fielder goes for a direct hit at the keeper's end but misses it. |
| 13.3 : C Jordan to D Mitchell, Length delivery on middle, Mitchell flicks it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 13.4 : C Jordan to R Taylor, On a good length and outside off, Taylor looks to drive but misses it. |
| 13.5 : C Jordan to R Taylor, Bowls a yorker on middle, Taylor does well to dig it out. It goes towards the off side. The batsmen take a single. |
| 13.6 : C Jordan to D Mitchell, On a good length on off, Mitchell keeps it out. 3 runs and a wicket from the over. |
| Tom Curran is back on. 2-1-7-0 are his figures so far. |
| 14.1 : Tom Curran to R Taylor, Length delivery on middle, Taylor flicks it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 14.2 : Tom Curran to D Mitchell, On a length on off, Mitchell plays it towards point. The batsmen take a single. |
| 14.3 : Tom Curran to R Taylor, FOUR! FOUR! Slower ball, but gone awry. Full and down the leg side, Taylor tickles it past the keeper, to the fine leg fence. 100 up for New Zealand. |
| 14.4 : Tom Curran to R Taylor, Full delivery on off, Taylor drives it through mid off. The batsmen take a run. |
| 14.5 : Tom Curran to D Mitchell, On a length on middle, Mitchell flicks it through mid-wicket. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 14.6 : Tom Curran to D Mitchell, On a good length on middle, Mitchell blocks it off the back foot. Ross Taylor at the non-striker's end wants a run and is halfway down but is sent back. Curran takes the ball in his followthrough and goes for a direct hit at his end but misses it. Ross Taylor would have been a goner had Curran hit the stumps. |
| Pat Brown is back on. 2-0-16-0 are his figures so far. |
| 15.1 : Pat Brown to R Taylor, Slower ball, fuller in length, around off, flicked through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 15.2 : Pat Brown to D Mitchell, Cracking shot, excellent fielding. Short and around off, Mitchell swivels and pulls it through mid-wicket but the fielder races to his left and stops it nicely. A run taken. |
| 15.3 : Pat Brown to R Taylor, Another slower ball, worked towards mid-wicket, this time wide of mid on for one. |
| 15.4 : Pat Brown to D Mitchell, Full and outside off, pushed down to mid off for another single. |
| 15.5 : Pat Brown to R Taylor, Short delivery and outside off, Taylor cuts it towards point. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 15.6 : Pat Brown to D Mitchell, SIX! As clean as a whistle. Boy, that is a treat to the eye. Knuckle ball, outside off, Mitchell spots it, holds his position and lofts it through the line, over long off! 11 from the over, Brown's figures read 3-0-27-0 so far. |
| Chris Jordan is back on. 2-0-6-2 are his figures so far. |
| 16.1 : C Jordan to R Taylor, Full and outside off, Taylor looks to drive but misses. There is mild appeal for a catch and there is a noise as the ball goes past the bat. The bowler is happy to go back to bowl but Eoin Morgan at short extra cover seems interested. He asks his bowler and with 5 seconds left on the clock, signals for the review. The third umpire has a check and replays seem to indicate that the bat hit the ground. |
| 16.2 : C Jordan to R Taylor, Full delivery on middle, Taylor flicks it through square leg. The batsmen take a run. |
| 16.3 : C Jordan to D Mitchell, On a length on middle, Mitchell drives it towards long on for a single. |
| 16.4 : C Jordan to R Taylor, FOUR! That is a terrific shot but Jordan will be disappointed with himself. There are not too many bowlers in world cricket who are as good as Jordan off their own bowling. Full and outside off, Taylor hammers it straight back. Jordan looks to stop it but the ball races past him. |
| 16.5 : C Jordan to R Taylor, Full delivery on middle, Taylor drives it through mid on. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 16.6 : C Jordan to D Mitchell, SIX! Misses the length and is punished! A low full toss, around leg and Mitchell swings it over square leg! 13 from the over, 24 off the last 2! |
| Tom Curran is back on. 3-1-16-0 are his figures so far. |
| 17.1 : Tom Curran to R Taylor, Full and wide outside off, Taylor goes hard at it and slices it over point for a single. |
| 17.2 : Tom Curran to D Mitchell, Short and outside off, cut through point for a run. |
| 17.3 : Tom Curran to R Taylor, Short and outside off again, pulled through mid-wicket for one. |
| 17.4 : Tom Curran to D Mitchell, FOUR! BANG! Full and outside off, Mitchell hamers it straight back. Curran looks to stop it but the ball whizzes past him. Long off gets across, dives to his right but in vain. |
| 17.5 : Tom Curran to D Mitchell, Dropped short, pulled to deep mid-wicket for a run. |
| 17.6 : Tom Curran to R Taylor, Full and around middle, literally swept through mid-wicket for one. Tom Curran finishes with figures of 4-1-25-0. |
| 18.1 : C Jordan to R Taylor, Full delivery outside off, Taylor drives it to covers. |
| 18.2 : C Jordan to R Taylor, DROPPED! Simple chance. A short ball, outside off, Taylor pulls it straight to deep mid-wicket. James Vince looks to take the catch but spills it. A single taken. |
| 18.3 : C Jordan to D Mitchell, Full delivery on off, Mitchell drives it towards covers for a single. |
| 18.4 : C Jordan to R Taylor, SIX! Amazing shot. Short of a length delivery, Taylor pulls it over mid-wicket for a maximum. 50 partnership between Ross Taylor and Daryl Mitchell. It has come at a good time for New Zealand. |
| 18.5 : C Jordan to R Taylor, Full delivery on off, Taylor drives it to mid off. |
| 18.6 : C Jordan to R Taylor, Full again on off, Taylor drives it through covers for a single. |
| Pat Brown is back on. 3-0-27-0 are his figures so far. |
| 19.1 : Pat Brown to R Taylor, TOP EDGE, SAFE! A short ball, outside off, Taylor looks to pull but gets a top edge. The keeper runs back, fine leg comes running in but the ball lands right in between. A single taken. |
| 19.2 : Pat Brown to D Mitchell, Another short ball, down the leg side, Mitchell looks to pull but is cramped for room. The ball hits the glove and goes towards square leg. A run taken. |
| 19.3 : Pat Brown to R Taylor, OUT! Caught! Pat Brown has his first international wicket for England, thanks to Jonny Bairstow. Not keeping in this game but that has made no difference to his athleticism. An ordinary ball, a half tracker, Taylor pulls and pulls with aplomb. The connection is good as well but the elevation, not so. The hit is a flat one and Bairstow at deep mid-wicket spots it like a hawk. Comes running in a touch and dives forward to take the catch inches above the ground. Never e |
| Mitchell Santner walks in at number 7, replacing Taylor. |
| 19.4 : Pat Brown to D Mitchell, Another ordinary ball. Short and down the leg side, pulled towards fine leg for one. |
| 19.5 : Pat Brown to M Santner, A short ball, dragged towards square leg for another single. |
| 19.6 : Pat Brown to D Mitchell, A short ball, Mitchell pulls it towards deep square leg. The batsmen take the couple. Billings looks to parry it behind onto the stumps and affect a run out but the ball goes further away. There is a chance for the third and Santner spots it but Mitchell has backed up too far and has no idea where the ball is. NEW ZEALAND FINISH ON 153/5! |
| It has been an excellent bowling performance by England. They have bowled well and done well to restrict New Zealand under 160. Chris Jordan was the pick of the bowlers with his 2/28. He continued his excellent form, averaging just 18.46 in his last 10 T20Is. The debutants were not too great but not too bad either. Overall, a combined effort. |
| On the other hand, New Zealand did not get to the best of starts as they lost Martin Guptill early. Colin Munro and Tim Seifert started to rebuild the innings. Colin de Grandhomme and Tim Seifert's partnership was also crucial while Ross Taylor's innings helped New Zealand reach a respectable score. |
| 154 is the target then. Is it enough? Seems like England have the upper hand at this stage but Simon Doull reckons that anything around 150-160 can be defended. Stay tuned for the chase. |
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