Key events
Simon’s report is in so I’ll call it a day (at 8am). Cheers!
Brook is the player of the match. For all of his obvious gifts, that knock is also a bit of a breakthrough for him in this format. He didn’t get too many in the recent series against South Africa and his career average, in the mid-30s, doesn’t match up to his talents.
Well, the game was decided quite a while back but we still got something resembling a contest: that seemed out of reach when England were 10 for four and then 56 for six. Cue an extraordinary Harry Brook century, one of the greatest ODI knocks by an Englishman, even if it wasn’t match-winning.
New Zealand win the first ODI against England by four wickets
Mitchell launches Rashid for a straight six, leaving just four runs required. Out comes the leggie’s worst delivery of the night: a long hop that is pulled away to end the contest.
36th over: New Zealand 212-6 (Mitchell 66, Smith 5) Nathan Smith punches Overton off the back foot for four … before the quick bowls a ripsnorter that whistles past the outside edge and even surprises Jos Buttler.
35th over: New Zealand 208-6 (Mitchell 66, Smith 1) I still can’t see a way back for England.
WICKET! Santner c Overton b Rashid 27 (New Zealand 207-6)
Right, it’s time for New Zealand to wrap this game up. Santner launches straight against Rashid for two sixes – a third attempt lands in the mitts of Jamie Overton at long-off.
34th over: New Zealand 195-5 (Mitchell 66, Santner 15) Carse hooped the new ball, jagged it to trap Tom Latham on the crease and gave England some early hope. He finishes with three for 45 off his 10 overs.
33rd over: New Zealand 191-5 (Mitchell 64, Santner 14) Santner hooks Wood to deep backward square … but Carse can’t pull off a difficult grab when diving forward. I’m not entirely sure whether it carried, but Wood continues to trouble New Zealand’s captain with the bumper. Mitchell cuts the final ball of the over for four but the hosts aren’t exactly racing to this target.
32nd over: New Zealand 181-5 (Mitchell 59, Santner 10) Carse continues to offer extras, a no-ball and wide accompanying six dots.
31st over: New Zealand 179-5 (Mitchell 59, Santner 10) Wood thinks he has Santner out gloving behind to Buttler after a brutal bumper. England go upstairs in the search for evidence, but the ball came off the arm guard.
30th over: New Zealand 177-5 (Mitchell 59, Santner 8) Carse wobbles the seam down from around the wicket to Santner … but oversteps in the process. Santner uses the free hit to slice a full toss over point for four, reminiscent of a stroke Moeen Ali played against South Africa in a T20 a few years ago. If you know, you know.
29th over: New Zealand 168-5 (Mitchell 58, Santner 2) Wood adds to the squeeze, conceding two off five deliveries … before Mitchell innovates: he walks across his stumps and scoops over fine leg for six!
28th over: New Zealand 160-5 (Mitchell 51, Santner 1) New Zealand are still in a very comfortable position, even as Brydon Carse, England’s best bowler today, returns. He gives up just two singles.
WICKET! Bracewell run out Overton 51 (New Zealand 158-5)
Mitchell and Bracewell celebrate their half-centuries, with this game pretty much done … wait, a wicket! It’s Overton who brings the magic. Bracewell tries to run through a quick single, but the quick arrives from mid-on to complete the underarm hit.
27th over: New Zealand 158-5 (Mitchell 50, Santner 0)
26th over: New Zealand 151-4 (Mitchell 49, Bracewell 45) Mitchell gets the reverse sweep right this time round, taking four off Rashid’s first ball of the over. That being said, the same stroke goes wrong moments later; England go upstairs for an lbw review but it quickly goes Mitchell’s way.
25th over: New Zealand 142-4 (Mitchell 40, Bracewell 45) Curran goes a little too short, the ball ending up as a wide. Mitchell has battled for fluency in this innings – Bracewell has overtaken him – but he pulls nicely to run three at the end of the over.
24th over: New Zealand 134-4 (Mitchell 34, Bracewell 44) Dropped! This really should’ve been taken by Luke Wood at short third, with Daryl Mitchell reverse-sweeping off Rashid. The leggie is a calm character but he does look a touch frustrated at the end of the over.
23rd over: New Zealand 130-4 (Mitchell 33, Bracewell 41) Curran continues and keeps it tight without causing any serious bother. I’d like to see that ultra slower ball of his come out and cause a surprise.
22nd over: New Zealand 127-4 (Mitchell 33, Bracewell 39) Bracewell climbs into Overton, pulling away for four. In other news, the Bay Oval is some sight as the sun goes down.
21st over: New Zealand 121-4 (Mitchell 32, Bracewell 34) Harry Brook finally turns to Sam Curran, who Makes Things Happen. Yet the churn of singles continues.
20th over: New Zealand 114-4 (Mitchell 30, Bracewell 30) Bracewell strums the ball down the ground for a boundary off Overton. England are slipping away now, in desperate need of a wicket.
19th over: New Zealand 107-4 (Mitchell 29, Bracewell 24) Rashid gets his tricks out: the slider that jags away from the left-hander, then the flighted delivery. But he’s also going at more than a run a ball.
18th over: New Zealand 104-4 (Mitchell 29, Bracewell 21) Three singles off the over and, well, this game has lost a bit of edge. So here’s a random musical interlude:
17th over: New Zealand 101-4 (Mitchell 28, Bracewell 19) Bracewell drives Rashid through extra cover for a pair of boundaries and New Zealand appear serene once again, this stand moving at a run a ball.
16th over: New Zealand 92-4 (Mitchell 28, Bracewell 10) Bracewell, having survived a drop in Overton’s previous over, pulls for four and cuts for one, settling himself in.
15th over: New Zealand 86-4 (Mitchell 27, Bracewell 5) Mitchell v Rashid is a tasty battle: the former is well up for it, getting the sweep out to find the boundary.
14th over: New Zealand 75-4 (Mitchell 19, Bracewell 2) Jamie Overton gets to thunder in and nearly has Mitchell miscueing a pull to backward square. Ben Duckett pulls off a decent stop at backward point off Bracewell as the batting pair run up the singles. The over closes with an outside edge … and Root puts it down at slip! It was a standard chance in the cordon, with Bracewell the lucky man after prodding outside off.
13th over: New Zealand 71-4 (Mitchell 17, Bracewell 1) Rashid floats the ball up to Mitchell before a flatter delivery is ripped down. He’ll continue mixing it up, demanding respect from the batters. A googly closes the two-run over.
12th over: New Zealand 69-4 (Mitchell 16, Bracewell 1) Michael Bracewell is the new man in. Carse oversteps to grant Mitchell a free hit, but the damage is limited to a single. Bracewell then sets off for a run before turning back in desperation, nearly caught out by a shy at the stumps from being point.
WICKET! Latham lbw Carse 24 (New Zealand 66-4)
Carse continues … and he traps Latham! It’s full from around the wicket, plumb and the batter knows it. He doesn’t review and a promising stand is broken.
11th over: New Zealand 65-3 (Mitchell 14, Latham 24) Adil Rashid is immediately on after the powerplay, Brook needing wickets quick. A fizzing ball out the front of the hand jags past Latham’s outside edge, but the left-hander has deft sweeps to keep the scoreboard ticking.
10th over: New Zealand 59-3 (Mitchell 13, Latham 19) The swing seems to have left us. Latham gets away with an inside-edge, the ball running to the ropes.
9th over: New Zealand 53-3 (Mitchell 12, Latham 14) Mitchell and Latham have just calmed things down for New Zealand here: the former, who loves a lofty hit down the ground, plays the stroke off Wood to move to double figures.
8th over: New Zealand 46-3 (Mitchell 6, Latham 13) Mitchell gets himself moving with a pull for four, grateful to Carse for dropping short. Carse has called for some fresh boots, prompting a break in play.
7th over: New Zealand 40-3 (Mitchell 1, Latham 13) I should have mentioned: the dismissal of Ravindra was Luke Wood’s first ODI wicket … and just his sixth in List-A cricket, a reminder of the format’s relegation in the English domestic game since the introduction of the Hundred.
6th over: New Zealand 31-3 (Mitchell 1, Latham 5) Carse is getting some lovely shape on the ball, curving it away from Mitchell with two slips waiting. Brook tweaks the field: second slip moves to leg slip before Latham gets on strike and pushes to mid-on for one.
5th over: New Zealand 28-3 (Mitchell 1, Latham 4) Who’s going to play the Brook role for New Zealand? Tom Latham puts his hand up with an early boundary.
WICKET! Ravindra c Overton b Wood 17 (New Zealand 24-3)
Another one! Wood finds the perfect line, getting Ravindra to push and nick to second slip, where Jamie Overton collects.
4th over: New Zealand 23-2 (Mitchell 0, Ravindra 17) Ravindra leaves the hat-trick ball well alone outside off but Carse has got some serious zip here. There’s a shout for a catch behind – there was a noise, too – but I reckon it’s flicked the leg, not the bat. Ravindra responds with a flay through the covers for four.
3rd over: New Zealand 19-2 (Mitchell 0, Ravindra 13) Wood hoops the ball past Ravindra’s bat and off stump before dropping a touch short: the left-hander pulls to the ropes.
WICKET! Williamson c Buttler b Carse (New Zealand 12-2)
Game on! New Zealand’s greatest ever batter is gone first ball, with Carse finding the perfect channel and enough movement to nab the outside edge. Buttler cleans up behind the stumps.
2nd over: New Zealand 12-2 (Mitchell 0, Ravindra 6)
WICKET! Young b Carse 5 (New Zealand 12-1)
Brydon Carse takes the ball from the other end and he gets it to swing into Ravindra, prompting a brief leg-before shout. The juiciest of half-volleys is driven through point for four by Young … but the quick cleans him up! It’s full, fast and rattles the pads before taking the stumps. Game on?
1st over: New Zealand 6-0 (Ravindra 5, Young 1) Will Young has the strike, with the elegant Rachin Ravindra at the other end. Wood gets a bit of shape into Young, the right-hander, who clips for a single. Ravindra immediately receives a gift on his pads, whipping away for four. An edgy drive by the southpaw narrowly escapes the leaping man at backward point.
Right then, here we go: can Luke Wood find some early hoop and turn this into a proper contest?
I’m still trying to get my head around that England innings. Plenty of credit goes to Jamie Overton for helping Brook out at 56 for six – the all-rounder was the leading scorer in their stand, worth 87.
England are bowled out for 223
The masterpiece is over. Santner gets Brook to sweep to deep square leg and New Zealand need 224. England, I must remind you, were 10 for four. Brook finishes with 135 off 101 balls – Jamie Overton was the only other batter to get to double figures.
WICKET! Brook c Smith b Santner 135 (England 223 all out)
35th over: England 223-9 (Brook 135, Wood 5) Wood gets himself going with a nice drive for one off Smith … before Brook plays his trademark hook over fine leg for his 11th six of the innings. Regardless of the result, this is already one of the best ODI knocks played by an Englishman. Wood closes the over with a lush guide behind point for four.
34th over: England 209-9 (Brook 126, Wood 0) Henry returns … and Brook gets a leading edge that travels over the keeper’s head for six. As you do. Brook has some words with himself after a swish and miss … before whipping over the leg side for another six. This is against one of the best quicks in the world by the way. Add a pull over the ropes to close the over. This partnership is worth 43: Wood remains on none.
33rd over: England 190-9 (Brook 108, Wood 0) Brook reverse-sweeps Santer for a couple and takes a single to keep the strike.
Hundred for Harry Brook!
Duffy bowls a wide off-cutter, and it looks like Brook hasn’t got all of it … oh, ignore me, he’s sent it over extra cover for six. And then comes the whip over midwicket for another! Brook moves to 98, and he sends a full toss behind square on the leg side, all the way! What a ridiculous knock by a ridiculous cricketer. He loves batting in New Zealand, having hit three Test tons here.
32nd over: England 187-9 (Brook 105, Wood 0)
31st over: England 167-9 (Brook 86, Wood 0) Santer continues, and Brook is surely going to come for him. After two dots … there’s a forward defence. He drives for a single, so what will Luke Wood do? Surely just block these two balls? He sees it out.
