Dramatic tie for Black Caps in Napier (+photos)

Key Points:

New Zealand and England played out a thrilling draw in their fourth one-day international at Napier on Wednesday.

Both teams finished on 340 runs, leaving New Zealand with a 2-1 lead in the series with one match to play.

England batted first and made 340-6 with four players scoring half-centuries. New Zealand lost seven wickets in their run chase with Jamie How top scoring with a superb 139 and Brendon McCullum making 58.

How was run out off the penultimate ball of the match, leaving the Kiwis requiring two runs off the final ball to win. However, they could only manage a single.

Phil Mustard (83) and Alastair Cook (69) had given England the perfect start by putting on 158 for the opening wicket before they were dismissed in successive balls by Jesse Ryder.

Kevin Pietersen and England captain Paul Collingwood continued the attack. Pietersen's 50 came off 47 balls and Collingwood smashed six sixes to finish unbeaten on 54 from 30 deliveries.

New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori, who had sent England into bat after winning the toss, captured two wickets but it was a day when bowlers were very expensive.

New Zealand are one of only two teams to have chased more than 340 runs to win a one-day international, achieving that feat against Australia a year ago.

How struck 10 fours and three sixes in his 139, the highest score by a New Zealander in a one-day international against England, while McCullum smacked six fours and a six to lay the foundations for an epic encounter.

The final match of the series will be played in Christchurch on Saturday.

FIRST INNINGS

Jesse Ryder made a stunning interlude with the ball and will likely have to do similar with the bat at McLean Park in Napier today to prevent New Zealand's one-day cricket series against England going on the line in Christchurch on Saturday.

New Zealand require 341 to win the fourth match and take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series.

After New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and opted to bowl first England posted a challenging total on the back of two significant partnerships.

Openers Phil Mustard and Alastair Cook put on 158 for the first wicket while Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell added a brisk 74 off 73 balls before captain Paul Collingwood continued his fine form with an unbeaten 54 to close out the innings.

Collingwood followed up his unbeaten 70 in the third match with a blistering aerial assault that featured six sixes as he helped himself to 54 off just 30 deliveries.

He was an integral figure as England piled on 101 runs in the last 10 overs.

New Zealand's attack did not threaten on a perfect batting surface and the home side had to rely on Ryder's medium pacers to at least momentarily slow England's progress when he took two wickets in his first over.

Ryder, a left-handed opening batsman, had Mustard caught at long on by Jacob Oram for 83 with his fifth ball to break the opening partnership before Cook, on 69, had his leg stump disturbed next ball to give Ryder and the crowd brief pause for celebration.

Pietersen, who scored 50 off 47 balls, comfortably negotiated the hat-trick and England were soon back in the groove.

England's batsmen clubbed 10 sixes as they threatened to eclipse the highest innings at the ground - Australia's 347 for five three years ago.

New Zealand struggled to exert any pressure on the English, a glaring miss by wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum in the sixth over summing up an off-key performance.

McCullum spilled a straight forward catch when Cook was on two. Chris Martin was the unlucky bowler and suffered at the end of his spell also as 70 was taken off his 10 overs.

Vettori, with two for 66 off nine, and Jacob Oram, none for 43 off seven, also struggled.

Iain O'Brien, in his one-day debut, leaked 59 off his six overs, leaving Ryder's cameo of two for 14 off three as the solitary positive as New Zealand conceded 6.8 runs an over.

Mustard's 83 represented his maiden one-day half-century.

SCOREBOARD
England
A Cook b Ryder 69
P Mustard c Oram b Ryder 83
I Bell c Mills b O'Brien 43
K Pietersen b Vettori 50
P Collingwood not out 54
O Shah c Fulton b Vettori 5
L Wright c Fulton b Martin 24

Extras (4b, 2lb, 6w) 12

Total (for 6 wkts, 50 overs) 340

Fall: 158 (Mustard), 158 (Cook), 232 (Bell), 277 (Pietersen), 291 (Shah), 340 (Wright).

Bowling: K Mills 9-1-52-0 (1w), C Martin 10-1-70-1 (2w), J Oram 7-0-43-0 (1w), I O'Brien 6-0-59-1 (1w), D Vettori 9-0-66-2 (1w), S Styris 6-0-30-0, J Ryder 3-0-14-2.

New Zealand
J Ryder c Anderson b Broad 39
B McCullum std Mustard b Shah 58
J How run out (Anderson) 139
R Taylor c Mustard b Anderson 48
S Styris c Anderson b Sidebottom 20
P Fulton run out (Pietersen) 0
J Oram c Pietersen b Broad 6
D Vettori not out 14
K Mills not out 0
Extras (1lb, 15w) 16

Total: (for 7 wkts, 50 overs) 340

Fall: 70 (Ryder), 161 (McCullum), 253 (Taylor), 301 (Styris), 304 (Fulton), 315 (Oram)

Bowling: J Anderson 10-0-86-1 (2w), R Sidebottom 10-0-45-1 (1w), S Broad 10-0-75-2 (8w), P Collingwood 10-0-67-0 (1w), D Mascarenhas 2-0-14-0, O Shah 7-0-46-1 (3w), L Wright 1-0-6-0.

Result: Match tied, New Zealand lead five-match series 2-1.

- NZ HERALD STAFF, NZPA, REUTERS