England captain Eoin Morgan sends one to the fence during his 47-ball 88 in the second ODI against New Zealand at The Oval in London on Friday. (Action Images via Reuters)
By Ali Martin at The Oval/The Guardian
This new-look England side, we have learned, are no longer prepared to die wondering in 50-over cricket. In the second one-day international against New Zealand at the Oval on Friday, Eoin Morgan’s side produced a thrilling run chase, only to cruelly fall 13 runs short of their rain-adjusted target of 379 from 46 overs.
At 8.20pm, when the brief downpour began in south London, England had reached 345-7 following an eighth-wicket stand of 70 between Adil Rashid and Liam Plunkett, and needed 54 runs from 37 deliveries to overhaul a monster first innings of 398-5 from the tourists.
But after 45 minutes were lost the equation changed to 34 needed from just 13 balls and New Zealand held their nerve, with Plunkett caught in the deep off spinner Nathan McCullum for 44 and Rashid dismissed by a stunning relay catch on the boundary between Tim Southee and Trent Boult.
England eventually ran ashore on 365-9.
That they failed to overcome such an imposing target should not detract from their reaction to the scenario in front of them, registering their highest second-innings total in a one-day international—thanks to the captain, Morgan, striking 88 from just 47 balls—in the same week they passed 400 for the first time.
Both teams—and Surrey’s head groundsman Lee Fortis—should be praised for a match that demonstrated some astonishing hitting, with 27 sixes and 74 fours struck in what is the highest run aggregate for a one-day international played in England.
The series is now level with three to play but there is little time to catch one’s breath, with the next encounter for opponents seemingly intent on carving every ball to or over the rope scheduled for the Ageas Bowl tomorrow.
Ross Taylor’s unbeaten 119 from 96 deliveries was the stand-out in the first innings, as he
and Kane Williamson, with 93, powered the tourists to their position of dominance at the halfway stage.
Their total was 11 higher than the 387-5 England shipped against India in Rajkot in 2008, meaning that in its first two games this series has already seen England’s highest ever ODI total, their biggest winning margin, and the highest score they have conceded.
Amid the chaos Chris Jordan also equalled Steve Harmison’s record of conceding 97 runs for his one wicket, missing out on history only because a side strain denied him a 10th over, with Ben Stokes the pick with two for 66 on an otherwise chastening day for England’s bowlers.
The attack lacked penetration, with New Zealand’s first four partnerships topping 50 runs, the best of which was the third-wicket stand of 121 between Taylor and Williamson, who turned 114-2 into 235-3 by the 36th over and laid the platform for a late surge from Grant Elliott (32 from 15 balls) and Luke Ronchi (33 from 16).
Staring at such a lofty target, the team that performed so badly at the World Cup would surely have allowed their heads to drop.
But not this group, who in the first two matches of this series appear to have awoken from a decades-old inclination to play constipated one-day cricket and are now prepared to take on opponents blow for blow.
The key word for England’s new era is intent and certainly Jason Roy and Alex Hales opened the reply at the Oval with the required positivity, creaming 65 from the first 10 overs and combining for 85 in total before the former reverse-swept Nathan McCullum to short third man.
Hales continued to register his maiden half-century from just 43 balls, including three sixes and six fours—one of which flew off the back of his blade as he attempted to leave—but in the space of an over from the left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner, 100-1 became 100-3 as he followed Joe Root in perishing in the deep playing the slog sweep.
But as with their record 408-9 at Edgbaston on Tuesday, England no longer react to a cluster of wickets with consolidation.
Instead they continued the assault, Morgan taking up the challenge with a blistering array of shots to record a 28-ball half century and fashion partnerships of 63 and 98 with Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler respectively.
With 20 overs remaining the hosts needed 158 with six wickets in hand—a regulation Twenty20 scenario.
Buttler’s departure, caught behind off Boult for 41, followed by Morgan’s, caught at deep point attempting what would have been a seventh six, and then Sam Billings in the space of six deliveries looked to have taken the wind out of England’s pursuit.
Rashid and Plunkett renewed hope, crashing eight fours and three sixes between them in 8.3 overs, only for the rain to destroy that momentum. Those hardy souls who stuck around and cheered as the groundstaff removed the covers were not to be rewarded, however, with New Zealand taking the spoils after the restart.
