AFTER a limp batting performance in the rain-hit opener, captain Harry Brook had a simple message for his batters: Stay aggressive through the course. He led by example in the second T20I with a blistering 35-ball 78, and alongside Phil Salt’s 85 off 56, powered England to 236 for 4, the highest T20I total ever at Hagley Oval, a mountain that was too steep for New Zealand to climb.
The surface this time was quicker, as Salt noted between innings. The ball came on better, and the change was evident almost instantly. After Mitchell Santner opted to bowl, Salt wristed Matt Henry’s second ball over mid-wicket for six, then whipped the next for four, 11 runs in the first over offering an early statement of the carnage to follow.
Three more boundaries came in the next over from Jacob Duffy, though Jos Buttler accounted for just one of those before falling to a short ball that cramped him for room.
England quietened briefly before Jacob Bethell found rhythm with a pair of boundaries. Then Santner turned to off-spinner Michael Bracewell for the sixth over, a move that spectacularly backfired. Salt struck two fours, Bethell followed with back-to-back sixes, and though Bracewell dismissed the left-hander for a 12-ball 24 off his final delivery, England already had 68 on the board at the PowerPlay mark.
Brook arrived with the field spread, and, after a brief sighter, exploded. In Santner’s ninth over, he launched a six down the ground, scooped a four, and pulled another six to take 19 off it. James Neesham, who dismissed Brook in the first game with a slower ball, was hit for 20 in his first over this time, and then compounded his woes by dropping Brook on 39 at the long-on boundary off Henry.
The England captain capitalised immediately, finishing the over with another six, continuing to condemn his partner to a support role. For the record, Salt was on 70 off 44 at that stage.
Brook smashed two more sixes off Kyle Jamieson to take his tally for the day to five, before falling for 78 in the 18th over, ending a 129-run partnership. Salt followed two balls later, but there was still enough firepower in the visitors’ ranks as evidenced by Tom Banton’s 12-ball 29* that ensured that England closed at a commanding 236.
New Zealand were always facing an uphill chase, and Brydon Carse made it steeper with a double strike in his opening over, removing Tim Robinson and Rachin Ravindra even as 13 runs came off it. That halted early momentum, though Mark Chapman and Tim Seifert’s bright start kept them within touch at 60/2 after the PowerPlay, just eight short of England’s mark.
The innings stalled soon after. Only 30 runs came in the next four post-PowerPlay overs, and Liam Dawson built on a tidy first over by having Chapman hole out to long-on. Adil Rashid then teased Seifert with the wide line, drawing a miscue to long-on for 39 off 29, before Dawson struck again to remove Bracewell.
When Daryl Mitchell slog-swept Rashid straight to deep mid-wicket, the chase was as good as done at 104 for 6. Captain Santner fought back briefly, smashing Dawson for 23 in one over, but Rashid returned to finish things off, removing both Neesham and Santner (35 off 18) in the same over. Six balls later, the scorecard confirmed a 65-run rout, and a 1-0 series lead to the visitors. (Cricbuzz)