NZ vs ENG | Blair Tickner shines on ODI return as New Zealand seal series with five-wicket win

‌New Zealand took an unassailable lead in the three-match ODI series with a five-wicket win over England in the second game at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Wednesday. The visitors had to pay for a lacklustre batting display yet again, with pacer Blair Tickner making the most of his opportunity with a four-wicket haul on his ODI return. With no scoreboard pressure, the home side was guided by half-centuries from Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell as they went 2-0 up, with the final game to be played in Wellington on Saturday.

After captain Mitchell Santner opted to bowl first, the Kiwis' new ball duo of Jacob Duffy and Zakary Foulkes sent back the England openers Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith, respectively, inside just six overs. However, former captain Joe Root (25) and Jacob Bethell ensured that the visitors did not lose yet another wicket in the powerplay as they moved to 49/2 after the first 10 overs. But both batters were guilty of throwing away promising starts, departing in the gap of four overs. And with Jos Buttler also perishing cheaply, half the side were back in the hut with the score not even reaching 100. Just as in the first match, skipper Harry Brook tried to pull the visitors out of trouble with a run-a-ball 34, but his rush of blood cost him his wicket, with counterpart Santner having the last laugh. The visitors would have been bowled out for a sub-150 score if not for Jamie Overton’s lusty blows during his 28-ball 42. The all-rounder hit four boundaries and two sixes before being the penultimate batter to fall, and soon the innings ended at 175 with 14 overs to spare. For the home side, Tickner ended with impressive figures of 4/34 in eight overs, while Nathan Smith chipped in with two wickets.

In return, the hosts had to face a hostile spell from Jofra Archer with the new ball as the pacer struck in the very first over to dismiss Will Young for a duck. However, fellow opener Rachin Ravindra and former skipper Kane Williamson steadied the ship with a 42-run partnership for the second wicket in 67 balls. But Daryl Mitchell ensured that the home side was not affected by Williamson’s departure, as he joined Ravindra to take the side past the 100-run mark. The southpaw scored consecutive boundaries in the 21st over, the second of which brought up his fifty in 52 balls. But the opener, who scored seven fours and a six, was dismissed in the next over by Archer, who had returned for a second spell. His dismissal triggered a mini-collapse for the home side as they slipped from 105/2 to 118/5 in about six overs’ time. But Mitchell was still there as he shifted gears to target Adil Rashid. He smashed a six and a four in the leg-spinner’s eighth over to bring up his half-century in style. He remained unbeaten on 56, hitting six fours and two sixes during his 59-ball knock. On the other end, Santner chipped in with an aggressive cameo, smashing three sixes and two fours in his 17-ball 34 as the Kiwis romped home to finish at 177/5 in just 33.1 overs. Archer stood out for the visitors with an impressive spell of 3/23 in 10 overs, albeit in a losing cause.