06/03Result
4th ODI, England tour of Australia and New Zealand at Dunedin, Mar 7 2018
New Zealand won by 5 wkts (3b rem)
Player of the Match
Ross Taylor
Ross TaylorNew Zealand
06/03Result
4th ODI, England tour of Australia and New Zealand at Dunedin, Mar 7 2018
New Zealand won by 5 wkts (3b rem)
Player of the Match
Ross Taylor
Ross TaylorNew Zealand

7.20pm Phew. I might have mentioned this before, but in case I didn't - what a game. What. A. Game. The perfect finish too, New Zealand drawing level to 2-2, which leaves all to play for for both teams in the fifth and final ODI in Christchurch on Saturday. Do join us for that, and keep sending in your feedback. Until then, it's goodbye from Chandan, Varun and me.

Ross Taylor: "[This innings is] right up there [among my best], I think. It was nice to be there at the end. I thought I batted quite well in Hamilton, but I wasn't there at the end. Got a bit of cramp. It was good to have all those partnerships. You've just got to give yourself a chance, set those little goals along the way. You can't win it in the first 10 overs, but you certainly can lose it. It looked like England would get 360-380 at one stage, so our bowlers did well to keep them down. I was about a 110 or 120, physio came out and asked if I wanted to stay in or come out. I'm glad I stayed in. I couldn't run any twos, so I didn't want to put any pressure on the other guy. So I had a go, and hit a couple out of the screws. The way Nicholls batted and finished it off - you don't want to panic in that situation. It's my birthday tomorrow, and I was like, "damn it, I can't drink tomorrow." I've got a nice bottle of red, but if I have any chance of playing [the fifth ODI], I can't drink any of it tomorrow."

Kane Williamson: "Great game of cricket. With the ball we were put under pressure and didn't execute well in the first half. It was a wicket where, once you got in, you could really score quickly, which they showed by getting to 260 so quickly. Ross - after a tough start, he got himself in and played his best one-day knock. One of the best of all time. A few niggles, hopefully nothing serious."

Eoin Morgan: "A beauty of a game. I'm sure everyone was thoroughly entertained. A high-scoring game, and a magnificent wicket. I thought there was more moisture at the toss. I would have done exactly what Kane did. We got into a really commanding position. We lost 4 for 20 or 25 which we cannot afford to do. 335 was a good score, but we would certainly have liked more. We're lucky enough to bat quite deep, and we usually go hard in that situation. We didn't manage to do it today. New Zealand bowled well. We thought the period between the end of our innings and the start of New Zealand's innings was the best time to bat, and we did well to create chances then. Usually, when someone gets injured, they go hard earlier, and offer more chances. Ross didn't do that. He went hard earlier, and took the game away from us."

Ben: "Wow... this is why I love cricket. So many things can happen. England sets huge total..*groan* NZ lose 2 quick wickets..*groan* then after a slow start thing got real exciting. Great job guys."

Farooq: "Great match and great innings from Taylor. But please, the greatest ODI inning belong to Gibbs for that infamous chase of 443." -- That's a debate for later - let's celebrate LRPL Taylor now.

Usman Khan: "It's Taylor's birthday tomorrow. He just gifted himself an advance birthday gift"

7.03pm Ross Taylor has just played one of the great ODI knocks to win one of the great ODI chases. The University Oval is up on its feet as he walks towards the rope, and his teammates spill into the ground to embrace him. What a player. He walked in, remember, with the score 2 for 2 in the third over. He finishes unbeaten on 181 off 147 balls, and the last third of his innings was made on one leg.

Don't forget New Zealand's other contributors too: Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, Colin de Grandhomme and Henry Nicholls right at the end. And what about that man Ish Sodhi and his career-best 4 for 58? England seemed on course to get 400, at one point. They ended up with 335.

49.3
6
Curran to Nicholls, SIX, full, on the pads, and Nicholls finishes with a six! He's done it! A flick, and it sails flat over the square leg boundary. What a hit. It was in his slot, but he had to put all the nerves of the last few balls out of his mind. He does it, and there's barely a smile on his face at the end of it as Taylor hobbles across to hug him

Four balls to go. Three runs to get. Ross Taylor is off strike. What a match.

49.2
0
Curran to Nicholls, no run, full outside off, and he drives it hard, along the ground, and straight to mid-off. Oh man.
49.1
0
Curran to Nicholls, no run, swings across the line at a full one, misses, there's a huge lbw appeal, that's not given (pitched outside leg, I think), he scrambles out of his crease, he's sent back, he slips. The throw from backward point misses the stumps. Everything is happening, and Henry Nicholls is the bundle of nerves in the middle of it all

Three to win from the last over. Tom Curran to bowl. Over the wicket to Nicholls.

Abubakr Arshad: "Worth pointing out that we are witnessing one of the great one day innings of all time." -- Absolutely.

END OF OVER:
49 | 10 Runs | NZ: 333/5 (3 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 6.79, RRR: 3.00)

  • Henry Nicholls7 (9b)
  • Ross Taylor181 (147b)
  • Chris Woakes8-2-42-1
  • Tom Curran8-0-51-2
48.6
1
Woakes to Nicholls, 1 run, full, flicked off his legs to deep square leg, and he retains the strike
48.5
1
Woakes to Taylor, 1 run, in the blockhole close to off stump, flat-batted hard to mid-off and he hobbles through for one
48.4
0
Woakes to Taylor, no run, short outside off. He'd usually cut this, but he's thinking six now, and he goes for the big pull and misses

Just five to get. Taylor needs six to beat Shane Watson's record for the highest score in an ODI chase. Can he do it in one hit?

48.3
1
Woakes to Nicholls, 1 run, length ball wide of off, flat-batted to sweeper cover

What's happened here? Taylor's holding his right forearm now!

48.2
1
Woakes to Taylor, 1 run, length ball on off stump, makes a bit of room and carves it to deep point
48.1
6
Woakes to Taylor, SIX, full-toss on off stump, stump-high, and he opens up at the hips and just swats it away over the midwicket boundary. The bat speed was just astonishing

13 off 12. Can Woakes rediscover his accuracy?

Dickson: "This vein of form for Taylor is an absolute treat. He and Williamson are our Mahela and Sanga, and we have been dying for a pair like them since forever."

END OF OVER:
48 | 4 Runs | NZ: 323/5 (13 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 6.72, RRR: 6.50)

  • Henry Nicholls5 (7b)
  • Ross Taylor173 (143b)
  • Tom Curran8-0-51-2
  • Chris Woakes7-2-32-1
47.6
0
Curran to Nicholls, no run, yorker outside off, jabbed to extra-cover
47.5
1
Curran to Taylor, 1 run, back of a length on middle and off. Makes a bit of room and dabs it down to third man
47.4
1
Curran to Nicholls, 1 run, and again, misses the pull. This one's a slower short ball, and it hits top edge, left shoulder, and then rolls down to third man
47.3
0
Curran to Nicholls, no run, skiddy short ball on off stump and Nicholls doesn't time the pull right. Bottom-edges into the pitch, down by his feet
47.2
1
Curran to Taylor, 1 run, slower ball on the pads, clipped away to the left of short fine leg. Deep backward square leg runs around to stop it
47.1
1
Curran to Nicholls, 1 run, slower ball, back of a length on middle stump, tucked away through square leg

END OF OVER:
47 | 15 Runs | NZ: 319/5 (17 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 6.78, RRR: 5.66)

  • Ross Taylor171 (141b)
  • Henry Nicholls3 (3b)
  • Chris Woakes7-2-32-1
  • Tom Curran7-0-47-2
46.6
4
Woakes to Taylor, FOUR, again he misses the yorker, and sends down a wide half-volley. Taylor flat-bats it to the cover boundary, and it's down to under a run a ball again. He's moved into the 170s too
46.5
2
Woakes to Taylor, 2 runs, lovely hands. Wide yorker, squeezed away to the right of third man, forcing him into a desperate dive, and they somehow scamper two as well
46.4
6
Woakes to Taylor, SIX, that's yuuuuge! He's been landing his yorker there or thereabouts for two overs now, but this one's underpitched, and it's a half-volley just outside off stump. Taylor swings freely through it and sends it flying over long-on and out of the ground
46.3
1
Woakes to Nicholls, 1 run, in the blockhole on leg stump, clipped to the left of midwicket
46.2
1
Woakes to Taylor, 1 run, wide-ish yorker, stabbed away to the left of the sweeper. Could have taken two had his legs permitted it
46.1
1
Woakes to Nicholls, 1 run, full, slanting away from off stump, driven to sweeper cover

Just five runs off the last two overs. This is excellent from Woakes and Curran. New Zealand need 32 off 24 now.

END OF OVER:
46 | 2 Runs 1 Wkt | NZ: 304/5 (32 runs required from 24 balls, RR: 6.60, RRR: 8.00)

  • Ross Taylor158 (137b)
  • Henry Nicholls1 (1b)
  • Tom Curran7-0-47-2
  • Chris Woakes6-2-17-1
45.6
0
Curran to Taylor, no run, good yorker, provokes an lbw appeal as Taylor plays around it. Not given, and Taylor looks in a lot of pain. Has he smashed his bat into his own toe? Looks likee an inside-edge too
45.5
1
Curran to Nicholls, 1 run, fullish outside off, driven to the left of sweeper cover

In walks Henry Nicholls. Curran goes round the wicket.

45.4
W
Curran to de Grandhomme, OUT, wide full-toss, and de Grandhomme smashes it straight to backward point. He could have hit that anywhere, but he finds the man right on the edge of the 30-yard circle, at knee height. Dunedin goes silent. What a match this is

C de Grandhomme c Woakes b Curran 23 (15m 12b 2x4 2x6) SR: 191.66

Match Coverage

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New Zealand 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st0MJ GuptillC Munro
2nd2MJ GuptillKS Williamson
3rd84LRPL TaylorKS Williamson
4th187LRPL TaylorTWM Latham
5th30LRPL TaylorC de Grandhomme
6th36LRPL TaylorHM Nicholls