England vs New Zealand Cricket Series 2008

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England vs New Zealand Cricket Series 2008

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England in New Zealand Cricket Series 2008

England vs New Zealand Cricket Series

England beat New Zealand to seal Test series win (2:1)

Monty Panesar spun England to a crushing 121-run victory as New Zealand went down despite a late flourish by teenager Tim Southee in the third and deciding cricket Test at Napier Wednesday.
The win, to give England the series 2-1 and their first away series win in three years, cemented a determined fightback after they were three wickets down for four runs early in their first innings before reaching 253. When they destroyed New Zealand's first innings for 168, taking the last nine wickets for 65 in 25 overs, and followed with centuries by Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell to set a 553-run target, the outcome was never in doubt.
After losing the first Test in Hamilton by 189 runs, England won by 126 runs in Wellington before wrapping up the series at McLean Park in Napier, although captain Michael Vaughan noted both victories came from poor starts. New Zealand resumed the final day at 222 for five in their second innings but with Panesar proving near unplayable they struggled through to lunch at nine for 360 in their second innings, still 193 runs short of victory.
With only 19-year-old Southee and one of the world's worst tailenders in Chris Martin at the wicket the match should not have lasted much after lunch.

Third Test, Napier, day five (close): England 253 & 467-7d bt New Zealand 168 & 431 by 121 runs

NZ vs ENG, Second Test, Wellington: England square series with Wellington win (1:1)

England wrapped up the second Test by 126 runs to level the series and take it into a decider in Napier, where the final match begins on Saturday. Needing four wickets, after New Zealand began the day on 242 for six, the bowlers took an hour and half to complete the task.
Brendon McCullum was last out for 85, his brave resistance ending when he was caught by Ryan Sidebottom at long-on as he tried to launch Monty Panesar for six. Earlier, Sidebottom had taken two of the wickets to fall to record five for 105, the third five-wicket Test haul of his career. The victory was Michael Vaughan's first for seven Tests, the longest fallow period of his captaincy. Yet he has never lost two matches in a row, something upheld here after the loss in Hamilton.
An away win must be celebrated as they do not happen that often. This was England's first in 10 Tests abroad, the previous one being the famous 'Ring of Fire' victory in Mumbai two years ago, when a Johnny Cash song played at lunch allegedly inspired England to bowl India out cheaply. No such spurs were needed here, though England did make sweeping changes to their bowling attack, a move that brought much more than any pep talk. With the second new ball only an over old, and Sunday's strong wind stilled to no more than a zephyr, England's bowlers had perfect conditions for a quick kill. As he has was in the first Test, where he took 10 wickets, Sidebottom was the pick. His combination of swing and aggression has undone many batsmen and in the second over yesterday it did for Daniel Vettori.

NZ vs ENG, 2nd Test, Wellington, day five: England 342 & 293 bt New Zealand 191 & 311 by 126 runs

NZ vs ENG, 1st Test: New Zealand thrash England in first Test (1:0)

New Zealand scored an emphatic 189-run win over England in the first Test, with fast bowler Kyle Mills taking four wickets to help dismiss the tourists for just 110 in their second innings on the final day in Hamilton.
The hosts declared their second innings at 177 for 9 early in the opening session, setting England an attainable 300 runs for victory from a minimum 81 overs.
However Mills took his four wickets before the lunch break, destroying the England top order and any chance of victory for the tourists, with Chris Martin taking two wickets in one over after lunch to send New Zealand well on their way to a memorable win. It was New Zealand's biggest victory margin in terms of runs against England, surpassing the 83-run win at the Oval in 1999, and was just their eighth Test win in 89 matches against England since they began playing each other in 1930.
The only shining light for England was the performance of paceman Ryan Sidebottom whose four wickets in the first innings and six in the second, including a hat-trick, gave him his first Test match 10-wicket haul.
The second Test of the three-match series begins on March 13 in Wellington, with the final Test in Napier starting on March 22.

NZ vs ENG, 1st Test, Hamilton: New Zealand 470 & 177-9d beat England 348 & 110 by 189 runs

NZ vs ENG, 5th ODI, Christchurch: New Zealand seal series win(3:1)

New Zealand clinched a 3-1 series victory with a 34-run win over England in the fifth and final ODI in Christchurch.
The five-match series was delicately poised at 2-1 to the home side after a thrilling tie in Napier in game four, but the Black Caps made sure that England failed to come back from 2-0 down. Having been asked to bat first, England made 242-7 from their 50 overs, although no batsman passed fifty, with Luke Wright's quickfire 47 the highest contribution.
Alastair Cook (42) and Kevin Pietersen (39) also played useful knocks, while Dimitri Mascarenhas smashed 22 off the final over of the innings to boost England's total. Seamer Kyle Mills impressed in taking 4-36, while Daniel Vettori was typically frugal in conceding just 28 runs from his ten overs, taking two wickets in the process.
The Black Caps' reply got off to a flying start as Brendon McCullum dismantled the England attack, hitting five fours and six sixes in blasting 77 from a mere 43 balls faced. Ryan Sidebottom slowed the charge by taking three wickets, but rain then intervened to leave New Zealand to be declared winners by 34 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method, having reached 213-6 from just 37 overs.

NZ vs ENG, 5th ODI, Christchurch: New Zealand 213-6 (37 ovs) bt England 242-7 (50 ovs) by four wickets (D/L)

NZ vs ENG, 4th ODI, Napier: New Zealand, England play out thrilling ODI tie

New Zealand and England have conjured up a pulsating 680-run stalemate in a one-day cricket international at McLean Park in Napier.
The tie, with both sides scoring 340 runs in their 50 overs, left New Zealand in an unbeatable position as the one-day cricket series heads to Christchurch on Saturday.
After three comprehensive winning margins, the penultimate contest turned into a cliffhanger after New Zealand's attempt at another record run chase - this time 341 - floundered in the dying overs. New Zealand seemed on course to replicate their sensational Chappell-Hadlee Trophy heroics 12 months to the day they beat the world champions Australians in Hamilton. Luke Wright emerged as the hero for England after delivering the last over - his only one of the game.

NZ vs ENG, 4th ODI, Napier: New Zealand 340-7 tie with England 340-6

England beat New Zealand by 6 wickets

England kept the five-match series alive by beating New Zealand by six wickets in the third one-dayer in Auckland on Friday.
The visitors, chasing an adjusted victory target, cruised to victory with three overs to spare to cut their series deficit to 2-1
New Zealand hit 234 for nine in 50 overs but England were set 229 off 47 overs to win after rain interrupted their innings. Ian Bell top-scored with 73 while captain Paul Collingwood finished unbeaten on 70 to complete a fine double after capturing three wickets with the ball.
England's seamers enjoyed their best day of the series when they ripped through the New Zealand top-order in quick fashion only to come unstuck against Jacob Oram [Images]. The big all-rounder belted four fours and four sixes to crack 88 off 91 balls and help the hosts recover from 95 for six.
Oram, who did not even get a chance to bat in the first two matches, started cautiously but exploded into life after reaching his half-century off 65 balls. Daniel Vettori chipped in with a valuable 42 off 35 deliveries, featuring four fours and a six, as he and Oram added 74 for the seventh wicket at better than a run a ball. England made a nervous start in reply when the openers went cheaply before Bell and Kevin Pietersen (41) steadied the ship with a third-wicket partnership of 107.

Third ODI, Auckland: England 229-4 (44 overs) bt New Zealand 234-9 (50 overs) by six wickets (Duckworth-Lewis method)

New Zealand beat England by 10 wickets

Jesse Ryder hit an immaculate maiden half century as New Zealand beat England by 10 wickets on Tuesday in the second one-dayer.
Former New Zealand wicketkeeper Adam Parore was among those who questioned Ryder’s call-up two weeks ago to the Black Cap Twenty20 and one-day squads, saying the Wellington opener lacked the physique to play at the top level. But in only his second ODI, Ryder smashed an unbeaten 79 as New Zealand took a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
New Zealand first bowled England out for 158 in 35.1 overs in a match reduced by rain from 50 to 36 overs per side. Ryder, 23, and Brendon McCullum (80) then shared a record opening partnership for New Zealand against England as the hosts reached their winning target of 165, revised under the Duckworth-Lewis system, in 18.1 overs.

Second one-day international, Hamilton: New Zealand 165-0 beat England 158 by 10 wickets by Duckworth-Lewis method

New Zealand thrash England by six wickets

New Zealand thrashed England by six wickets to claim the opening contest of their five-match ODI series on Saturday, the hosts controlling proceedings from start to finish to win with 20 overs to spare.
New Zealand looked a different side from the one that was outclassed in the two Twenty20 internationals that preceded this series and handed England a first loss on the tour after skittling out the tourists for a feeble 130 in 49.4 overs.
The hosts welcomed back regular captain Daniel Vettori and all-rounder Jacob Oram from injury and never allowed England to settle into their innings after skipper Paul Collingwood had won the toss and opted to bat on a blustery day in the capital.
In front of a crowd of 16,000, the sluggish pitch was not to England's liking and they limped to 69-4 by the halfway mark, pressured into making some poor shots off New Zealand's accurate bowling and sharp fielding. Wickets continued to fall in the second half of the innings, leaving the lower order with no alternative other than to accumulate runs steadily in a bid to see out the 50 overs.

First one-day international, Wellington: New Zealand 131-4 beat England 130 by six wickets

ENG v NZ, 2nd T20, Christchurch: England beat New Zealand by 50 runs

England captain Paul Collingwood inspired his team to another comfortable Twenty20 victory over New Zealand in Christchurch.
Collingwood hit the only half-century of the match as England recovered from a top-order collapse to reach a competitive 193 for eight and secure a 50-run triumph at the AMI Stadium, after restricting New Zealand to 143 for eight.
His superb 54 off only 28 balls, which included five fours and three sixes, halted England's slide after they lost four wickets for 11 runs in 16 balls. Man-of-the-match Collingwood was given superb support from Owais Shah (47) in a 102-run stand off 63 balls, an England Twenty20 record, to ensure the tourists reached a total way beyond New Zealand's injury-hit line-up.
England got off to a flying start courtesy of a record opening partnership of 65 off only 35 balls from Luke Wright (30) and Phil Mustard (40). But after Wright was dismissed in the sixth over, Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell followed in quick succession, which left Collingwood and Shah to rebuild the innings.
New Zealand needed a good start and hard-hitting opener Jesse Ryder began promisingly by hitting the first ball of the innings from James Anderson through point for four. Once again, though, England's new-ball attack made early inroads, with Anderson having Ryder caught off a leading edge in his second over and left-arm seamer Ryan Sidebottom bowling stand-in captain Brendon McCullum off an inside edge.
Only Jamie How offered any great resistance, scoring 31 off 25 balls, but without injured all-rounder Jacob Oram's firepower down the order and the required run-rate increasing every over, England picked up wickets at regular intervals, with Sidebottom, Dimitri Mascarenhas and Graeme Swann claiming two apiece. It leaves England with an immaculate record as they move on to Wellington for the start of the five-match one-day series on Saturday, hoping to build on their impressive recent series triumphs over India and Sri Lanka.

Second Twenty20 international, Christchurch: England 193-8 beat New Zealand 143-8 by 50 runs

England beat New Zealand by 32 runs

England continued their perfect start to their tour of New Zealand by beating the Kiwis by 32 runs in their first Twenty20 international at Eden Park in Auckland on Tuesday.
England, who opened their two-month tour with back-to-back wins over Canterbury last weekend, compiled an impressive total of 184 for eight from their 20 overs. New Zealand could only manage 152 in reply despite a gallant 61 from their big all-rounder Jacon Oram.
Kevin Pietersen top-scored for England with 43 off 23 balls while Dimitri Mascarenhas thumped four successive sixes off spinner Jeetan Patel in a brisk 31. The captain Paul Collingwood (26), opener Phil Mustard (20) and Owais Shah (23) also chipped in with valuable runs for the tourists. Chris Martin and fellow seamer Kyle Mills captured two wickets each for New Zealand. Oram dominated the Kiwis' innings, striking seven boundaries and two sixes in his spectacular 40-ball knock. Only two other players made double figures and Ryan Sidebottom led the way for England, collecting three wickets.
The teams will play a second Twenty20 match at Christchurch on Thursday before squaring off in five limited-overs ODIs and then three Tests.

First Twenty20 international, Auckland: England (184-8) beat New Zealand (152 all out) by 32 runs

Injured Flintoff likely to miss New Zealand tour

England is expected to be without one of its major drawcards – all-rounder Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff – for its tour of New Zealand during February and March. Flintoff has had another operation on his troublesome ankle.
Flintoff faces a seven-month lay-off after the operation in Holland last week to remove bone fragments – the fourth time the ankle has been operated on. "It has been decided that the priority will be for him to regain full fitness ahead of England's home international programme in 2008," said an England Cricket Board statement.
That means Flintoff seems certain to miss the series to New Zealand which includes five one-dayers during February and three test matches in March. He would then be looking to be ready for the return series with the Black caps in England during May and June.
The operation removed extra bone and bone fragments from the back and front of Flintoff's ankle which were causing compression of the tendon. "The surgery was performed successfully and, at this stage, the surgeon is optimistic that he has addressed the underlying root of the problem," the statement said. Flintoff first had surgery after England's tour to South Africa in 2004-05 followed by another last year and the third in June.