England 172-6 (Michael Lumb 33, Moeen Ali 36, Mitchel McClenaghan 4-22) lost to BLACKCAPS 52-1 in 5.2 overs (Kane Williamson 24, Brendon McCullum 16) by nine runs (D-L method).
It wasn't the way they wanted to do it, but the BLACKCAPS will take the win over England by nine runs on Duckworth-Lewis after only 5.2 overs of their innings were possible due to a thunderstorm. England set a challenging target of 173 to win after a BLACKCAPS fielding performance highlighted by some spectacular catches. An enthralling match was unfolding as the heavens opened.
The BLACKCAPS' tournament got off to the best possible start when Kyle Mills got a wicket on the third ball when Alex Hales chipped the ball seemingly over Corey Anderson at mid-off, but he was able to throw a hand over his head and hang on.
The joy was short-lived as Moeen Ali strode to the wicket and immediately started hitting boundaries to all corners and England quickly raced to 48-1 after five overs. His partnership with Micheal Lumb through the power-play overs was devastating as the BLACKCAPS bowlers struggled to find an effective length.
The turnaround came when Anderson had Ali pulling to deep mid wicket, where Mitchell McClenaghan took a fine catch. Anderson then repaid the favour in the next over when Lumb, the other set batsman, thick-edged McClenaghan high to third man, where Anderson made a lot of ground to take a low sliding catch.
With two new man at the crease Brendon McCullum's men were able to apply pressure and stem the flow of runs from the breathless start. Eion Morgan and Jos Buttler made cautious progress for England, until the former tried to dig a Tim Southee delivery out of the pitch, but could only balloon it up to Brendon McCullum at mid-off, who took another diving, cracking catch.
In the 17th over Ravi Bopara edged Southee to Luke Ronchi who couldn't hang on despite a couple of attempts - Bopara then hit two sixes from the rest of the over to rub salt into the wound.
England lost their last wicket in the 18th when Nathan McCullum bowled Chris Jordan for eight. From there, Bopara and Tim Bresnan got England to 172, a challenging target indeed.
In reply, Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson got the BLACKCAPS off to a flyer, with Williamson finding the gap and the boundary through the offside regularly, and Guptill clubbing a couple of fours before chipping a catch to Chris Jordan from Jade Dernbach for 11.
In the fourth over there were several big flashes of lightning and thunder - the Duckworth-Lewis target at the end of over was 42, and Brendon McCullum hit Stuart Broad for two sixes and a four to put New Zealand ahead at the five-over mark, when the match would count as a game.
It turned out to be the decisive move of the match, as after Williamson hit Dernbach for four then one in the sixth, the players left the field, never to return after a spectacular storm. Eventually the BLACKCAPS were awarded the win by nine runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method, and sit on top of their group on net run rate.
