England smash their highest ever T20 total in NZ series leveller
England step on the gas in game 4 to square T20I series
Put in to bat first, England stuck with opener Tom Banton after a sizzling but short-lived 18 run innings in the 2nd game of the series. And with the need for a victory to keep the series alive, Morgan brought back his A-list players with the return of Jonny Bairstow also opening and excellent Chris Jordan.
Repaying his captain’s faith Banton struck his way to a rapid-fire 31 off 20 balls as his opening partner Bairstow fell cheaply for 8. But it was not exactly rocket fuel as England at one point found themselves on 18-1 after the first 4 overs.
Dawid Malan came to the crease and starting sensibly reached 12 runs off his first 12 balls. At the loss of Banton, he was joined by captain Morgan and that’s when the fireworks started. Morgan’s trademark aggression bolstered the solid start of Malan and allowed him to loosen up and begin to really express himself.
The pair ripped New Zealand’s bowling attack to shreds as boundary after boundary were pummelled into the stands. T20 has the capacity to light up at any moment and this was one of those moments. Dawid Milan’s 50 came off 31 balls and the acceleration continued apace as he smashed his way to England’s quickest ever ton in T20s finishing on 103 not out. His second 50 coming off just 17 balls. His innings included nine fours and six sixes. He is only the second England player to make a T20 century after Alex Hayles’ 116 against Sri Lanka in 2014.
What made his innings even more remarkable was that Eoin Morgan was doing exactly the same at the other end. Not to be out done, Morgan creamed his way to England’s fastest ever T20 half century on his way to a brutal 91 off just 41 balls.
Malan and Morgan put on 182 runs – the highest stand for England in a T20 international – in just 12.2 overs.
By the end of it all, New Zealand looked shellshocked and England had amassed their highest ever T20 total of 241-3 beating their previous best of 230-8 against South Africa in the 2016 World Cup.
The Black Caps response was going to have to be their best ever result chasing a T20 match.
Guptil and Munro, seasoned professionals didn’t panic and knocked up a tidy 27 and 30 between them flying to 49-0 after their first 4 overs. But then the wheels came off. Wickets tumbled as New Zealand found themselves floundering, punished by the brilliance of Chris Jordan (2-24) and the exciting promise of new leg spinner, Matt Parkinson who ended up with an impressive 4-47.
The fight was knocked out of the middle order with only stand-in captain, Southee showing some resilience with a quick-fire 39 off 15 balls.
But it was just too little too late as England mopped up the tail, ending the NZ innings on 165 all out.
New Zealand and England skippers sum up a fast moving game
After the game, New Zealand stand-in captain Tim Southee said:
“That can happen in Twenty20 cricket, in two days time we’ve got another chance to go out and win the series.
“It’s more about guys learning from the experience of Morgs and Malan doing that. You’ve still got to take wickets – that’s the best way of slowing them down. It’s good learning for the bowlers.
“You have to go out and believe when you’re chasing a target like that, we got off to a good start but whenever we looked like getting away they took wickets.”
For England, it was about making amends for a couple of loose performances and Eoin Morgan seemed well pleased with his day’s work:
“It was quite a clinical performance. Dawid Malan scoring 100 today is absolutely brilliant. To see a guy who has had limited opportunity come in and make the most of it is exactly what you want to see.
“Myself and Dawid have played for a long time together at Middlesex and we know each other pretty well. It was enjoyable; we had a lot of laughs out there. It was a beautiful wicket to bat on.”
Of England’s overall performance he said:
“I said before the game that our method doesn’t really waver at any stage, just our skill level needs to get better,”
“Today it was right on the money, particularly with the bat. In T20 cricket you have to continue to take risks.”
And for star of the day Dawid Malan it was a game to remember. Beaming, he said:
“It’s not often in your career everything comes off; it was a lot of fun out there. I felt rusty in the first game of the series but it’s felt smoother and smoother. I said this morning that I felt I had got rid of the rust and thankfully it clicked here with the short boundaries. Morgs came out and changed the momentum of the game and I piggy-backed that. All credit should go to Morgs for changing the game with the way he played.”
With series finely poised at 2-2, it seems likely that England will field a side very similar to today’s as they look to impose themselves and take victory in the fifth and final game due to be played at Eden Park on Sunday 10th November. Expat Sport is looking forward to the denouement with anticipation.
