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New Zealand clinches series

Ted Corbett

— PHOTO: AP

CASTLED: New Zealand’s Daniel Flynn looks back to see his stumps disturbed in the final one-dayer at Lord’s on Saturday.

LONDON: All eyes were on Kevin Pietersen, pushed into the England one-day captaincy of the final match of the series between England and New Zealand at Lord’s after Paul Collingwood’s suspension. It was his first trial as captain and he will not want to remember either his own part, six scored off 23 balls or another wretched batting show by an England side beaten by 51 runs, 3-1 loser in the series and lucky not to lose 4-1.

Its masters at the ECB are hoping for a world one-day title in the next few years but there was no sign of that in this match. The England team consists of a rag bag collection and there is no-one around with the potential of Tim Southee, 19-year-old Man-of-the-Series.

Pietersen began well, winning the toss, a captain’s primary duty and putting New Zealand in, which showed a shrewd assessment of the pitch which never allowed the free shot-making often seen at Lord’s. He attacked for the first 30 overs and only gradually withdrew his fielders as the Kiwis stumbled to 100 off 24 overs, 142 off 35 and did not touch 200 until the 43rd.

Oram, Styris impress

Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor, New Zealand’s fearsome pair at the top of the order never got going. The first five Kiwis batsmen gritted their teeth until Jacob Oram smashed his way to 52 off 40 balls, inspired Scott Styris to open up in the last ten overs and finish with an undefeated 87 off 91 deliveries.

By the time England batted the sun had taken the green out of the pitch. Ian Bell and Alastair Cook maintained a rate ahead of New Zealand’s. Fifty came in the 11th over but in the next over Bell was lbw trying to flick a ball from Gillespie to square leg and in came Pietersen.

He is an anxious starter and failed to connect with his first four balls but, after a series of deep knee bends, hit the fifth and came close to a run out in the next over. Southee got Cook in his first over.

Pietersen seemed determined to prove he was the patient captain round whom the rest could play their shots but at 86 he tried a square cut off young Southee that settled easily into Oram’s hands and 15 runs later Ravi Bopara was bowled off his boot by Daniel Vettori. Luke Wright made only six off 22 balls before he was Vettori’s second victim and Ambrose only two off 11 before he was caught off Vettori.

By the 35th over England had been so bemused by the careful bowling of Styris, the dynamism of Southee and the skill of Vettori that it had dropped behind New Zealand’s rate. Owais Shah’s stylish 69 off 75 balls was wasted.

SCOREBOARD

New Zealand: J. How c Bopara b Broad 22, B. McCullum c Swann b Anderson 23, R. Taylor c Ambrose b Broad 4, S. Styris (not out) 87, D. Flynn b Swann 35, J. Oram c Broad b Swann 52, G. Elliott (not out) 23; Extras (lb-13, w-7) 20; Total (for five wkts. in 50 overs) 266.

Fall of wickets: 1-39, 2-54, 3-71, 4-124, 5-201.

England bowling: Sidebottom 10-0-52-0, Anderson 10-0-46-1, Broad 10-1-50-2, Wright 6-0-36-0, Swann 10-0-33-2, Bopara 1-0-6-0, Shah 3-0-30-0.

England: I. Bell lbw b Gillespie 27, A. Cook c McCullum b Southee 24, K. Pietersen c Oram b Southee 6, R. Bopara b Vettori 30, O. Shah c sub b Southee 69, L. Wright b Vettori 6, T. Ambrose c sub b Vettori 2, G. Swann c McCullum b Mills 12, S. Broad c Flynn b Mills 5, R. Sidebottom (not out) 10, J. Anderson c Oram b Gillespie 2; Extras (b-1, lb-10, w-10, nb-1) 22; Total (in 47.5 overs) 215.

Fall of wickets: 1-53, 2-60, 3-86, 4-101, 5-130, 6-138, 7-164, 8-186, 9-209.

New Zealand bowling: Mills 9-1-55-2, Gillespie 9.5-2-29-2, Oram 6-0-22-0, Southee 9-0-49-3, Vettori 10-1-32-3, Styris 4-0-17-0.

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