Late replacement Tickner sparks England collapse as New Zealand win ODI series

Late replacement Blair Tickner took four for 34 and Daryl Mitchell hit 56 not out as New Zealand beat England by five wickets in the second one-day international in Hamilton on Wednesday to seal the three-match series.

The Black Caps skittled the tourists for 175 in just over 35 overs and, despite some fine pace bowling from Jofra Archer, Mitchell again steered the hosts across the line as he had in their victory in the series opener in Tauranga on Sunday.

This New Zealand’s first bilateral series win against England at home since 2008.

Seamer Tickner was brought into the squad on Sunday as a replacement for the injured Kyle Jamieson and got his first international start since May 2023 when Matt Henry was ruled out of the match with a calf strain on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old wasted no time in making his presence felt at Seddon Park by strangling Joe Root down the leg side to oust the former England skipper for 25 before ripping through the tail to claim his best figures in the ODI format.

“I thought I was just going to come in and run some drinks, but it was awesome to play,” said Tickner.

“The boys up front did well, and I just sort of continued the job off. It was a good bowling performance all round from everyone. No pressure, really, for me, I’m just going to go back to the domestic grind.”

Mitchell Santner’s spin accounted for dangerman Harry Brook after a run-a-ball 34, while Jamie Overton top-scored for the tourists with 42 from 28 balls before he holed out.

Archer (3-23) trapped Will Young in front for a duck on the fourth ball of New Zealand’s innings and the England quick’s pace made the early part of the chase distinctly uncomfortable for the home batters.

Kane Williamson eked out 21 from 39 balls before dragging on an Overton delivery to bring Mitchell out to join Rachin Ravindra with 134 runs still required for victory. Opener Ravindra picked out a fielder at deep fine leg with a pull shot early in Archer’s second spell to depart for 54 and Tom Latham quickly followed to give Adil Rashid his first wicket.

Archer removed Michael Bracewell for five with his final delivery of the match but skipper Santner made 34 not out and Mitchell secured the winning runs in the 34th over with a thick outside edge for his sixth four.

Santner said: “It was a great game from us. The boys were exceptional. “We knew it was going to be a challenging chase, especially with the likes of Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer. Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra did a hell of a job to get us through the powerplay.”

Archer averaged 141 kph (88 mph) and seamed the ball sharply, looking fully fit ahead of the Ashes Test series in Australia which starts in less a month.

“It’s disappointing to say the least,” said the England captain Brook.

“They’re nice wickets to bat on, but it’s just trying to get through that first period of your innings, the first 15-20 balls and then you’ve got to try and cash in from that. We want to get out there and entertain the world, entertain everybody watching here, and it’s just not come off in the last couple of games. It was only two-three games ago when we got 400 against South Africa, so it’s not far away, and hopefully we can have a good game on Saturday.”

With the last game of the ODI series yet to be played, England would hope to end the series on a victorious note and avoid a whitewash. Speaking of the team’s plans ahead of the final game, Brook stated: “Just dig deep again. Same messaging. We’re going to try and entertain, we’re going to try and be positive and aggressive, and hopefully it comes off this time.”

The skipper was all praises for the Archer, dubbing him as ‘a valuable asset’ for the team.

“He’s an awesome bowler. Everybody loves watching him. He bowls 90-95mph and he hoops it both ways. So he’s a valuable asset for us. For him to bowl 3/23 off 10 overs is just amazing. So, it’s awesome to have him back,” Brook added.

Agencies