New Zealand outclassed England in all departments of the game in the second ODI, played in Hamilton and bagged a five-wicket win. Earlier, the toss favoured New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner and he invited
the visitors to bat first. New Zealand’s fast-bowling unit looked exceptional as Jacob Duffy and Zakary Foulkes got rid of openers Ben Duckett (1 off 5) and Jamie Smith (13 off 17) in the first powerplay. In the 12th over, Blair Tickner dismissed Joe Root (25 off 34). Within 20 overs, England lost five wickets as Nathan Smith stood tall against Jacob Bethell (18 off 28) and Joe Root (9 off 10). In the crunch situation, captain Harry Brook also fell against his counterpart Santner after scoring only 34 off 34.
Riding on Sam Curran’s 17(27) and Jamie Overton’s 42(28), England posted 175 in 36 overs. Tickner looked extraordinary with the ball and picked up 4/34 figures in his four-over spell and emerged as the highest wicket-taker in the match. Nathan Smith also got two wickets while Duffy, Foulkes, Santner, and Bracewell also bagged one scalp each.
New Zealand chased down the target comfortably
Following the low target, the Kiwi side lost opener Will Young in the first over but Rachin Ravindra stood at the crease and built crucial partnerships with Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell. Veteran Williamson departed after scoring 21 off 39 but Ravindra went to rack up his fifth ODI fifty. Ravindra concluded his knock after scoring 54 off 58.
After Ravindra, the hosts lost two wickets in quick succession but Daryl Mitchell (56* off 59) and skipper Santner (34* off 17) batted responsibily and took the team home with five wickets in hand and 101 balls to spare. Tickner became the Player of the Match (POTM) for his superb bowling performance. With this victory, New Zealand took an unassailable lead in the three-match ODI series.
