A week ago, Blair Tickner would have been surprised at being the Black Caps’ saviour with the ball. He’d have never believed he’d do it with the bat.
Having only been called into the side as injury cover, the 32-year-old – who had gone more than 900 days without an international appearance – played the winning hand to guide New Zealand to a 3-0 One-Day International (ODI) series whitewash over England.
Chasing 223 for victory in the third and final match at Wellington’s Sky Stadium, Tickner arrived at the crease at 196/8 and scored a composed 18 not out, as he and Zak Foulkes (14 not out) put on an unbeaten 30 runs for the ninth wicket, to get the Black Caps home with two wickets and 32 balls up their sleeve.
So unlikely was Tickner’s display, he didn’t even have his own bat to use.
“I was telling the boys I actually got that bat out of the shed,” he told TVNZ.
“[I] don’t have a kit sponsor at the moment, so I just found whatever one that felt nice and, yeah, I didn’t think I’d be batting for New Zealand, but nice to get us across the line.”
The result marks just the second time the Black Caps have whitewashed England in an ODI series and the first time they’ve done it since 1983.
As had been the case in the first two games of the series, the Black Caps’ win was built on the bowlers’ efforts. For the third time in a row, England were skittled without using their full allotment and made just 222 from 40.2 overs as all 10 wickets fell.
In fact, England’s batting has been so poor, the visitors’ top four added just 84 runs across the whole series. In the history of ODIs, a top four have never added fewer runs across three matches.
Carrying on from a man-of-the-match display in Hamilton, Tickner was the Black Caps’ standout with the ball and took another 4/64 to give him eight wickets for the series, from just two matches. He was supported by the new-ball pair of Jacob Duffy (3/56) and Foulkes (2/27), as England’s top order wilted yet again.
Instead, England’s bowlers – led by 68 to Jamie Overton – dug the visitors out of a hole with the bat and at the very least set an optimist’s defendable total of 222.
As he’d done in Tauranga and Hamilton, Daryl Mitchell provided the substance to New Zealand’s innings. Without Kane Williamson, missing to a groin concern, Mitchell added a vital 44 from 68 balls, which saw him finish as the series’ leading scorer.
But despite a Kiwi wobble after an opening stand of 78 between Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway, the Black Caps lost 8/118 and left it to the tail to get New Zealand home for a clean sweep.
The Black Caps have just a couple of days off before their next assignment, as the West Indies arrive in New Zealand for a full tour, including the only tests of the home summer, before Christmas.
England, meanwhile, can leave these shores with their eyes firmly on Australia, as the Ashes series begins later this month.
Having fallen to 56/6 and 81/5 in the series’ first two matches, England losing the toss and being asked to bat first again saw their top order blown away for the third time.
Courtesy of Duffy and Foulkes’ opening burst, England lost half their side before the Black Caps had made a bowling change. But being 44/5 didn’t halt England’s scoring, thanks to a half-century stand between Jos Buttler (38) and Sam Curran (17).
Tickner’s introduction saw England slide further, when he had Curran drag on, and then knocked Buttler’s off-stump out of the ground to leave the tourists out of specialist batters in the 24th over.
A brief counter-attack from 102/7 saw Brydon Carse (36) dominate the eighth-wicket stand with Overton and add 50 in just 40 balls, after taking the attack to Nathan Smith and Mitchell Santner.
Once Tickner’s return saw the end of Carse, when his top edge was gratefully accepted by Mitchell at cover, then Jofra Archer for 16 when he miscued to Bracewell at mid-on, only Overton’s maiden ODI fifty lifted England to a respectable score.
The allrounder raised his bat after 51 balls, with eight boundaries and a six, and saw England past 200 in the process.
But even after denying both Tickner and Duffy the chance at career-best figures, Overton couldn’t prevent England being bowled out inside 50 overs, as he skied Santner to Will Young at cover, having added 36 for the last wicket with Adil Rashid.
All up, England being bowled out three times saw them leave 246 balls unused across the three matches.
Chasing 223 for a series sweep, the Black Caps openers got off to the perfect start, as Conway and Ravindra took just 57 balls to add the first 50 runs on their Wellington home ground.
The pair raced to 78/0 in the 13th over, but once they went in quick succession, the Black Caps couldn’t string another partnership together.
A straight drive from Ravindra deflected off Overton and back on to the stumps at the bowler’s end with Conway short of his ground for 34.
One over later, Ravindra missed a straight delivery from Curran and was bowled for 46 from just 37 balls, as New Zealand’s 78/0 became 81/2, then 92/3 when Will Young was out for one attempting to pull Overton.
Mitchell began to get the innings back on track, only to lose Tom Latham (10) to another deflected run out at 113/4 and then Bracewell (13) at 147/5 when he was caught off Rashid’s bowling.
Santner added a quickfire 27 off 29 balls, and even became the third player to hit a ball out of Sky Stadium – joining Martin Guptill and Craig McMillan in doing so. But a double strike saw the captain depart and he was quickly followed by Smith (2) four balls later, as 188/5 became 191/7, with 32 runs still needed.
Given the small-ish target, though, the Black Caps were able to see out both Archer and Overton, but lost Mitchell for the first time in the series, when he was caught behind for 44 off Curran at 196/8.
Batting at No 10, a Tickner cover drive took New Zealand past 200, as he and Foulkes whittled the target to less than 20 and then less than 10 as the pair were able to find singles. A Foulkes sweep off Rashid left the Black Caps one hit away from a whitewash, before a Tickner ramp over slip left New Zealand two runs away.
And when a miscued pull from Tickner skewed over Curran, the Black Caps could at the very least breathe more easily, knowing they’d brought scores level. But with a Super Over possible, Foulkes tickled Curran off his pads to the fine leg boundary and got New Zealand home with more than five overs to spare.
England 222 all out (Overton 68; Tickner 4/64, Duffy 3/56)
New Zealand 226/8 (Ravindra 46; Overton 2/32)
New Zealand win by two wickets