England registered a clinical performance against Black Caps in the 2nd T20I Match. Harry Brook‘s unit won the match by a whopping margin of 65 runs and now has taken 1-0 lead in the match. Harry Brook‘s onslaught and captaincy were breathtaking. Harry Brook was in complete control and invincible with the bat as well as in marshalling the troops.
Harry Brook demolishes New Zealand
England’s batters were asked to bat first by New Zealand. Phil Salt was in beast mode; the power-play overs yielded 68-2. Jos Buttler’s early exit didn’t trouble Phil Salt, who, along with Jacob Bethell, dismantled the bowling unit. Jacob Bethell’s quickfire came off 24 runs in 12 balls, giving the side much-needed impetus. Michael Bracewell had the last laugh in the 6th over when Jacob Bethell went for another six, but Bracewell foxed him.
Harry Brook then came to the crease, whose intentions were very much clear from the word go. In the 9th over, Harry Brook gave belt treatment to Mitchell Santner, who was whacked around the park. Harry Brook smashed Mitchell Santner for two sixes and one four as all variations were proving to be ineffective. At the halfway stage, England’s score was 110-2 & Harry Brook was looking unstoppable.
Harry Brook was looking determined in his batting style & approach. Harry Brook pumelled James Neesham for 3 fours in the 12th over as all the tricks were looking inefficient. Phil Salt while on the other hand was happy to play role of anchor as Harry Brook was capitalizing on the loose deliveries. At the end of 15 overs, England’s score was 177-2 & Phil Salt’s score was 74 runs in 48 balls whereas Harru Brook was on 70 runs in 28 balls. Both batters had a chance to smash a ton.
Harry Brook’s blitz came to an end in the 18th over. The England skipper was duped by Kyle Jamieson and was dismissed on 78 runs in 35 balls, in which he hit 6 fours and 5 mammoth sixes. England’s score at that time was 197-3 in 17.2 overs. Philt Salt in the same over was dismissed by a slower delivery and all of a sudden, England’s score was 198-4 and Salt had to depart to the pavilion on 85 runs in 56 balls as he hit 11 fours and 1 six.
Tom Banton, who came to bat at the No.6 batting position, played a blinder of a cameo of 29 runs in 12 balls. England ended their innings on a really high note as they scored 236-4. Not a single Black Caps’ bowler had a productive spell as all bowlers were mercilessly taken to the cleaners. Kyle Jamieson, though, took 2 wickets but gave away 47 runs in his 4-over spell.
Phil Salt’s powerful knock at the start gave England the boost. Harry Brook, though, stole the limelight as his three-dimensional shots were a treat to watch for the fans. We can say that England’s all-out attack approach was quite beneficial as the side under the coach Brendon McCullum has started to dominate after the 1st T20I match debacle, which was washed out after England’s batting unit struggled.
Adil Rashid & Liam Dawson spins a web
New Zealand needed a flying start to get close to the 237-run target. What Kiwis feared happened, that only Tim Robinson & Rachin Ravindra were dismissed in powerplay overs. Undoubtedly, New Zealand had a kind of productive powerplay overs as they scored 60 runs for the loss of 2 wickets, but they needed 80+ powerplay overs as they were behind the eighth ball.
Liam Dawson worked his magic in the 10th over as Mark Chapman’s struggles ended as Jordan Cox at long on took a regulation catch. At that time, New Zealand’s score was 87-3 in 9.1 overs. The middle overs dented New Zealand’s scoring. At the halfway stage, the Kiwis’ score was 90-3, and they needed another 147 runs to win in the last 10 overs, which was a tough task even in modern cricket.
The spin duo of Adil Rashid & Liam Dawson pulled back the things enormously for Great Britain. New Zealand, all of a sudden, was restricted to 112-6 in 13 overs. The likes of Dary Mitchell, Tim Seifert & Mitcael Bracewell went berserk and weren’t able to read the variations, which put New Zealand’s run chase in a deep muddle. At the end of 15 overs, New Zealand’s score was 144-6 and they needed another 93 runs to win the match in 30 balls, which was an arduous task but somewhat gettable.
Adil Rashid completely turned the tide in favor of England in the 17th over. Adil Rashid sent back James Neesham & Mitchell Santner in 17th over, and New Zealand’s score was 164-8 in 17 overs, requiring another 83 runs to win from 18 overs. Adil Rashid was the pick of the bowlers, who took 4 scalps and gave away 32 runs in his 4-over spell.
Luke Wood also filled his wickets column; in the 18th over, he took 2 scalps and ended his 4-over spell, where he conceded 36 runs. New Zealand got bundled out for 171 runs and England won the match by a huge margin of 65 runs. Apart from Sam Curran, all the bowlers had a wicket to their name as the experienced, flamboyant all-rounder hasn’t quite hit a purple patch with the ball in hand, even after making a return.
The credit should also go to Liam Dawson as his impeccable line & length made life harder for Kiwi batters. New Zealand would be dejected with this performance, as not a single batter scored 40 runs in the run chase. From the top 6 batters, four batters registered single-digit scores, which doesn’t help much when the side is we can say chasing a magnificent score of 237 runs.
Turning Point
New Zealand’s top order wobbled as they needed someone like Rachin Ravindra to set the stage on fire. Tim Seifert played a good knock of 39 runs in 29 balls, but starts don’t help the team much while chasing an immensely massive target. The middle overs phase hurt Black Caps, who weren’t able to put the accelerator on as they scored only 84 runs and lost 4 wickets from 7 to 15 overs, which was the main turning point of the match.
What lies ahead for New Zealand & England
New Zealand would not only be crestfallen with their performance but also feel the annihilation. The 3rd T20I match is on 23rd October at Auckland, and now it becomes a must-win fixture as England has taken a 1-0 lead in the series. Kiwis badly need the top order batters to make the most out of their starts, and it won’t be a bad option to take a leaf out of Phil Salt & Harry Brooks’s batting, who took calculated risks and decimated them fully.
England, on the other hand, would be over the moon after a batting spectacle led to their win. The bowlers also did a commendable job in response, as it was a dominant win for England. England’s batting style changed overnight we can say as in 1st T20I match, their score was 153-6 in Christchruch, at the same venue. England looks like a powerhouse, given their ‘Bazball’ looks invincible at the moment. Let’s see if they can continue their positive and ultra-attacking brand of cricket in the 3rd T20I match and win the series 2-0, or the Kiwis will spring a surprise.
Also Read:NZ vs ENG: Run Feast On Cards As England Take On Mighty Kiwis