New Zealand v England, 2nd ODI Review: Visitors Snatch Thrilling Victory to take a 1-2 lead

England registered a nail-biting victory against the Kiwis in the 2^nd ODI at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington top level the 5 match series 1-1. It was a low scoring affair and in the end, it was the English bowlers who held their nerves and did the job for their team. It was New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson who won the toss and put the visitors in.

Openers Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow began with a couple of exquisite drives to began proceedings. However, none could convert their starts and were dismissed for 15 and 19 respectively. The whole middle order was not been able to execute the big shot to perfection. Big-hitter Ben Stokes was not at his usual best as he ended up scoring 39 of as many as 73 deliveries.

Jos Buttler gave the much-needed impetus with a breezy 29 of 23 deliveries which included 3 fours and a six. Moeen Ali also struck a couple fours en route to 23 of 19 deliveries. Eventually, England finished their allotted 50 overs on 234. Leggie Ish Sodhi was the pick of New Zealand bowlers bagging 3 wickets for 53 runs.

While chasing the total down, New Zealand lost the first wicket of Martin Guptill pretty cheaply. Southpaw Colin Munro struck a few boundaries en route to 49. Captain Kane Williamson was at his imperious best beginning with some good shots. From 80/1, New Zealand was reduced to 103/6. However, Williamson kept going and was keeping the hosts alive.

The skipper was finding the gaps on quite a few occasions. On the other hand, Mitchell Santner was giving him ample support. He struck 3 fours en route to his 41 while Williamson went on to complete a sensational century. However, it was the English bowlers who held their nerves in the end and did the job. It also keeps the series alive as both teams will feel having a realistic chance of winning the series.

Brief Scores

England 234 all-out in 50 overs (Eoin Morgan 48, Ben Stokes 39)

New Zealand 230/8 in 50 overs (Kane Williamson 112*, Mitchell Santner 41, Moeen Ali 3/36)

England won by 4 runs

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