On this day in 2015: New Zealand thump England in high-scoring thriller
England and New Zealand have been involved in a couple of blockbuster ODI encounters with one of them obviously being the epic 2019 World Cup final at the ‘Mecca’ of cricket Lord’s, which eventually had to be decided on boundary counts. Apart from that game, these two teams were also involved in yet another 50-overs entertainer that saw the Kiwis come out on top in a high-scoring encounter.
The thriller was played on a batting paradise in London on this very day in 2015 and despite England’s brilliant resistance where they scored well in excess of 350, they failed to get the job done.
When England fell short despite a blistering performance in a run-fest
Both teams locked horns in the second ODI at the Oval. England had thrashed the Black Caps in the series opener by a mammoth 210 runs and the visitors had to win this one in order to stay alive in the series. Skipper Brendon McCullum won the toss and elected to bat first.
Openers McCullum and Martin Guptill added 61 runs for the first wicket and the New Zealand batters that followed only kept the scoreboard ticking. However, it was the key partnership between Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor that stood out the most. The duo added 121 runs for the third wicket and their partnership spanned almost 18 overs as the English bowlers were shred into pieces.
Ultimately, Williamson was dismissed for a vital 93, but Taylor continued to march and also received some support from the middle-order. He remained unbeaten on 119 from 96 deliveries as the Kiwis finished at a mammoth 398/5.
In reply, the hosts got off to a brisk start with their explosive openers Jason Roy (39) and Alex Hales (54) adding 85 runs for the first wicket. They then suffered a setback after losing their top-order for 100 before the middle-order took up the responsibility of the chase.
Skipper Eoin Morgan took the onus of getting the job done as he played a whirlwind knock of a 47-ball 88. Nonetheless, once he was dismissed, the middle-order could not show much resistance and succumbed under pressure. Even though tail-ender Liam Plunkett tried to delay the inevitable with a solid 30-ball 44, it was not good enough as England finished at 365/9 from their allotted 46 overs. New Zealand thus registered a 13-run victory by DLS method to level the five-match series 1-1.
