Teenage quick Tim Southee’s career-best haul paved the way for up an unlikely 22-run win for New Zealand in the third one-day international in Bristol on Saturday as they levelled their series with England at 1-1.
Southee’s figures of four for 38 took New Zealand to the brink of victory as England, chasing just 183 to win, were bowled out for 160.
The 19-year-old was responsible for a middle-order collapse that saw England lose three wickets for no runs in eight balls as they slumped to 64 for six.
He then returned to have Paul Collingwood lbw for a top score of 34 when the England captain looked as if he might win the game off his own bat.
New Zealand, who were in deep trouble after collapsing to 49 for five, were indebted to Grant Elliott, who top-scored with 56 in only his second match at this level, and a rapid, career-best 47 from man-of-the-match Kyle Mills.
It was another impressive effort by the South Africa-born Elliott (29), who took three for 23 on debut during Wednesday’s controversial no-result at Edgbaston following his call-up into the squad last week from south-east English club side Weybridge.
The medium-pacer finished the match with 22 balls to spare when Chris Tremlett skied to New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori.
This was New Zealand’s first major international win on a tour that saw them beaten 2-0 in the Test series before suffering thrashings by nine wickets and 114 runs in the lone Twenty20 and first one-dayer respectively.
”Our performance today was one of our better ones. It’s the sort of victory you remember defending 180-odd,” said Vettori. ”Obviously this has been a tough tour, but this still gives us a chance of winning the series. If we’d lost here, we were 2-0 down and it would have been tough to get everyone up for the last two games.”
Reflecting on Southee’s display, Vettori said: ”Everyone knows he is going to be a really good bowler and one-day cricket is about giving him experience. We just have to keep putting our faith in him as he is a natural talent.”
Defeat capped a bad double for England against New Zealand on a day when their rugby union side were whitewashed 2-0 by the All Blacks after being overpowered 44-12 in the second Test in Christchurch.
But unlike that match, Collingwood’s side gave themselves every chance of victory only for their batsmen to let them down.
”We were in a very strong position and were very happy keeping them to 182,” said Collingwood, who put on 65 for the seventh wicket with Graeme Swann. ”We kept losing wickets and it was a disappointing run chase.”
And when Collingwood was lbw to Southee, England were 152 for eight. That left them 31 short of a target which, with no front-line batsman at the crease, proved beyond them.
England were making progress when Southee, in only his third one-day international, struck.
Ravi Bopara went for 27 when a cut was well-held by a diving Jamie How at backward point before the dangerous Owais Shah fell for a three-ball nought, undone by a good length delivery that bounced and was caught by Styris at second slip.
Tim Ambrose also exited for a duck, Taylor holding a first slip chance at the second attempt.
Earlier, New Zealand’s scored 50 runs off their final five overs, with paceman James Anderson conceding 18 runs off his last.
Mills’s runs came off just 40 balls with two sixes and five fours.
As a result England, who saw fast-bowler Stuart Broad take two for 14 in an unbroken 10-over spell, had to chase a much bigger total than looked likely when New Zealand were five down.
Elliott faced 102 balls with three fours before he was caught by Luke Wright after hooking Anderson, who saw Brendon McCullum smash 16 off the first five balls of his second over before the opener was caught by Kevin Pietersen, leaping at mid-off, off the sixth.
England’s reply then began shakily when Mills removed Wright and Pietersen to leave them 19 for two.
The five-match series continues on Wednesday at The Oval. — Sapa-AFP