No Matt Henry, no problem.
Even without their bowling spearhead, the Black Caps have sealed a One-Day International series win over England, taking victory by five wickets in Hamilton, courtesy of an unlikely hero.
Playing his first match for New Zealand in any format for 908 days, Blair Tickner shone as the best of the Black Caps’ attack, taking career-best figures of 4/34 to bowl England out for 175.
After removing England’s premier batter Joe Root in his first over, Tickner returned to clean up the tail and dismiss the visitors in just 36 overs – a slight improvement from the 35.2 overs they managed in Mount Maunganui.
Jamie Overton was the best of England’s batters with 42 off 28 balls, but regardless, the tourists’ lineup boasts too much quality to have collapsed the way they have, twice in two games.
Chasing just 176 for victory, Rachin Ravindra (54) and Daryl Mitchell (55 not out) ensured that New Zealand got home with 101 balls to spare, to seal the series with a game in hand.
Ravindra’s effort, his fifth in ODIs, saw him blunt the dangerous early spell from Jofra Archer (3/23), but cash in against an England attack that simply didn’t have enough runs to defend.
Once he’d departed, Mitchell picked up where he’d left off in Tauranga and added a further 55 not out, to go with an unbeaten 78 from the series opener.
While the result sees the Black Caps accrue their 10th home ODI series win in a row, unbeaten since 2019, England have lost eight of their past nine – even after instilling former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum as coach.
The Black Caps, meanwhile, can now head to Wellington with the series trophy securely locked away, as the first on home soil for new coach Rob Walter, and eyeing a series sweep.
And while another series loss isn’t ideal for England before next month’s Ashes series against Australia, the form of Archer – playing his first game on tour – gives McCullum’s side a positive to take across the Tasman.
England might not have fallen to 10/4 as they did in the series opener, but the Black Caps’ new ball bowlers again backed up their captain’s decision to bowl first.
In place of the injured Henry, battling a calf-strain, Jacob Duffy (1/16) struck first when he found Ben Duckett’s outside edge through to Tom Latham for one at 3/1.
And while Jamie Smith (13) went better than the royal duck he managed at Bay Oval, the England opener’s aggression came back to bite when a miscued hoick across the line off Zak Foulkes (1/33) took a leading edge to Kane Williamson at point.
As Tickner removed Root, England should have slipped to 55/4, when captain Harry Brook was dropped without scoring, as Santner nearly pulled off a stunning catch jumping backwards at mid-off.
At the other end, Brook would keep losing partners as Nathan Smith (2/27) struck. First ball after drinks, Jacob Bethell (18) pulled a short ball straight to Foulkes at deep square leg, before Jos Buttler (9) was trapped LBW to leave England 81/5 after just 19 overs.
Having worked to 34, Brook’s luck finally ended when he fell to a spectacular diving Will Young catch at point off Santer, tasking England’s bowlers to set a total from 105/6, and then 164/8 – after Michael Bracewell and Tickner removed Sam Curran and Brydon Carse respectively – Jamie Overton took it upon himself to try to get the visitors to a defendable total.
The all-rounder clubbed three boundaries and two sixes in his 42, but became Tickner’s third when he miscued a pull shot to Santner running back from mid-off. And when Adil Rashid (9) pulled a short ball to Bracewell at midwicket, England had been bowled out again, this time for 175.
In reply, needing less than four runs per over, the Black Caps lost Young in the opening over when he was trapped LBW by Archer for a duck.
From 0/1, England burned both reviews trying to remove Williamson, who also appeared to edge behind to Buttler off Archer, only for replays to show the ball had touched the ground before finding the keeper’s gloves.
On 21, Williamson’s fortune finally deserted him when he dragged an Overton cutter back on to the stumps after adding 42 with Ravindra.
Undeterred by Williamson’s loss, though, Ravindra and Mitchell added a 50-run stand at better than a run a ball, as England’s slim hopes of victory faded fast.
Mitchell greeted Curran with a straight six, while Ravindra was flawless playing along the ground, but also cleared the ropes with a pull over midwicket off Overton.
A pull off Rashid saw Ravindra not just raise the Black Caps’ 100, but his own 50 in 52 balls, as further evidence that he’s surpassed Williamson as New Zealand’s premier batter in the format.
Archer’s return saw the end of Ravindra, who pulled to Rashid at fine leg. But with 54, Ravindra had ensured that New Zealand needed just 71 runs from 170 balls as he left Seddon Park.
Latham followed for two, when he missed a reverse sweep against Rashid, while Bracewell added five before he was strangled down leg to give Archer his third.
Once Archer had completed his spell, which contained 51 dot balls, England didn’t have any other bowlers that offered the same threat.
Santner (34 not out off 17) took the attack to Rashid, with a six over long-on, before Mitchell followed suit in the same over – with six more over long-off, before bringing up his 50 in 56 deliveries with a reverse-sweep for four.
With victory in sight, Santner decided to put his foot down. The New Zealand captain hammered a straight six off Overton to raise the 50-stand in just 30 balls, before Mitchell sealed the win with a miscue over third man.
The Black Caps can complete a whitewash on Saturday, when both sides travel to Wellington’s Sky Stadium as England’s tour finale.
England 175 all out (Overton 42; Tickner 4/34)
New Zealand 177/5 (Mitchell 55 not out, Ravindra 54; Archer 3/23)
New Zealand win by five wickets