Cricket: Ball gets parity at last

England produced the best first innings bowling performance of the five-match series.

Finally the ball exacted utu... or at least got parity in the one-day international series between England and New Zealand.

The hosts' bowlers produced the best first innings display of the five matches to 'restrict' the visitors to 283 for nine.

The match is a decider with the series locked at 2-2.

It was refreshing to have a contest rather than a clobbering, but only once has a higher score been chased in 14 ODIs at the ground - Zimbabwe's 290-4 to beat the West Indies in 2000.

Statistics highlighted the bowling counterattack. Ben Stokes (three for 52) and David Willey (two for 50) were feisty, but the outstanding display came from Adil Rashid.

The leg spinner bookended his four for 55 in the first match at Edgbaston with two for 45 here.

The clinical display took the middle order wickets of Mitchell Santner and Grant Elliott. He lured Santner (two off six) from his crease and spun the ball through his defence into middle stump. Elliott (35 off 36) was stumped by stand-in wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow.

Batsmen had to be more circumspect, playing themselves in.

England also took wickets at crucial junctures. After a 94-run second-wicket partnership between Martin Guptill (67 off 73) and Kane Williamson (50 off 65), no other pair passed 55.

The only time bat secured unparalleled dominance was Steven Finn's final over when Ben Wheeler, on his way to 39 from 28, whacked 22, including three sixes.

Debutant Andrew Mathieson watched from the other end without facing a ball. He joined the Chris Pringle Legion of players to be called up while playing club cricket in England, this time for Sidmouth in the Devon Premier League. In what may have been bluff, the Herald was told he would be 'fielding cover only' when he joined the nets sessions earlier in the week.

The word from the New Zealand camp was that he impressed Brendon McCullum at practice yesterday. He decided to give him a crack. The decision was allegedly made last night. It's uncertain what that says for McCullum's present faith in Mitchell McClenaghan.

Mathieson's debut should not entirely shock. He was the top wicket-taker in the Ford Trophy with 31 wickets at 18.58 and an economy rate of 6.08.

McCullum's dismissal for six off four balls with the final delivery of the first over drew the usual barrage of social media vitriol, regardless of his achievements over the last 18 months.

Williamson, as has become custom, steadied the operation. He became the first player to score 1000 ODI runs this year, finishing with 1037 at 57.61 and a strike rate of 94.

England won the toss and decided to field under overcast skies. Rain delayed the start by 20 minutes but no overs were lost with an hour's insurance built into the schedule.