England v New Zealand, 5th ODI, Lord's
New Zealand chip away as England chase 267
June 28, 2008
25 overs England 101 for 4 need another 166 runs to beat New Zealand 266 for 5 (Styris 87*, Oram 52)
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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England's batsmen were under significant pressure at the halfway mark of their chase as they aimed to stop New Zealand winning the series, as Daniel Vettori's men chipped away to leave the hosts at 101 for 4 after 25 overs. They required a further 166 runs to overhaul New Zealand's strong total on a reasonable pitch and a lot was resting on Owais Shah, who had 4, and Luke Wright, who was yet to score.
It looked like a confident Ravi Bopara was preparing to guide the chase as he struck a couple of sweetly timed boundaries straight and through midwicket off Southee . However, when he had reached 30 from 39 deliveries, he was comprehensively beaten by a Vettori arm ball that crashed into his off stump. The heat was already building on the middle order after Kevin Pietersen failed to provide a heroic captain's knock from when he cut Southee straight to Jacob Oram at point on 6.
Pietersen was trying to lift England after the loss of Alastair Cook and Ian Bell, who began well but failed to capitalise on their starts. They added 53 in 11 overs and Bell got things moving in the first over when he drove a slightly wayward Kyle Mills through the on side for a pair of boundaries that raised roars of approval from the England fans.
Cook also showed some encouraging signs in his first ODI of the series, picking off a couple of loose Mills deliveries for boundaries to reach 24 before he edged behind off Southee's second ball. It gave New Zealand two wickets in three overs after Bell walked across his stumps and was trapped in line by Mark Gillespie for 27. They had given England a solid platform but the match was destined to be in the hands of their middle-order colleagues.
50 overs New Zealand 266 for 5 (Styris 87*, Oram 52) v England
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
A perfectly-paced unbeaten 87 from Scott Styris and an entertaining half-century from Jacob Oram ensured England would face a challenging chase to level the series at Lord's, where New Zealand reached 266 for 5 after 50 overs. At the close Grant Elliott was with Styris on 23 and Kevin Pietersen's decision to send New Zealand in on a reasonable batting pitch was looking questionable.
After laying a solid platform of 170 for 4 from 40 overs, New Zealand added 96 in the final ten as Pietersen failed to work out how to plug the leak. At the 40-over mark New Zealand had managed only eight fours and a six, a subdued compilation for a team featuring strikers like Oram, Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor, but by the end of the innings they had more than doubled the boundary count.
Oram cut loose with a pair of sixes that cleared long on, giving him a 37-ball fifty and leaving Owais Shah with a double-figure economy rate and even though he departed to a catch at long off, the crowd was given further fireworks when Styris suddenly lifted his tempo. When he reached his half-century from 75 deliveries - with a miscued six - Styris had managed only two fours.
But his next 34 came from 16 balls as he powerfully launched Ryan Sidebottom and James Anderson into the crowd for sixes, making England pay after he was given a life on 13. Styris flashed hard at a Graeme Swann delivery outside off stump and the ball flew over the head of the backward point Bopara, who hurled himself in the air only to see the ball bounce off his outstretched hand.
For most of his stay Styris played the risk-free anchor role that Michael Hussey does so effectively in Australia's middle order. He was happy to take ones and twos and initially had impressive support from a confident Daniel Flynn, who was dropped on 21 at cover by Ian Bell. The pair's 53-run stand soon ended when Flynn (35) misread the line and was bowled trying to drive Swann but the partnership was strong enough to steady New Zealand following their early wobbles.
The big blow came when McCullum edged a good-length Anderson delivery to slip for 23, having been tested by some short stuff in the previous few overs. For a man who usually wields his bat like a lethal weapon it was a remarkably harmless innings from McCullum, who occupied the crease for 57 deliveries.
In the early stages as he struggled to pierce the field it was almost as if his bat was broken. Perhaps there was some fault-line lurking in the middle of his willow, because later in his stay the bat unexpectedly snapped in half as he pushed Anderson to midwicket. While Anderson removed the primary danger man to leave New Zealand at 71 for 3, it was Broad who had grabbed the first two wickets. Taylor edged behind for 4 after an overexcited Jamie How (22) drove a catch to Bopara at backward point having just clubbed Broad for a four and a six earlier in the over.
It meant England did not pay too heavily for giving How a life on 4, when he top-edged an attempted pull that flew high over the head of Tim Ambrose, who ran back and grassed what he should have taken. That was hardly the start the stand-in captain Pietersen wanted after sending New Zealand in on a reasonable batting pitch and by the close the first-time skipper's concerns were mounting.
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