RESULT: England beat BLACKCAPS by six wickets (ICC World Twenty20 warm-up)
Summary: The BLACKCAPS have rounded off their preparations for the ICC World Twenty20 by going down to England in the final over of a quality warm-up match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Kane Williamson lead from the front with 63 from 39 balls after winning the toss and electing to bat. The early momentum was stalled by a standout spell of bowling by leg spinner Adil Rashid and the final total of 169 always felt a little light. So it proved as lead by a pacey half century from opener Jason Roy and some middle order hitting, England got home by six wickets with four balls to spare.
Scorecard
Man of the Match (Unofficially): Adil Rashid. A tight run call with Roy’s 36 ball half century taking the sting out of the BLACKCAPS bowling effort, but Rashid came on when the BLACKCAPS were flying and by the time he finished his four overs the game had swung. A handful on turning wickets and certainly one to keep an eye on at the tournament.
Key moment: The middle period of the BLACKCAPS innings which saw three wickets fall for 18 runs in a 26 balls. After Williamson fired the BLACKCAPS out of the blocks, England managed to break that momentum with some tight bowling and wickets at regular intervals. Rashid was at the heart of the fight back, scaling the England target back after it looked set to go over 200.
Shot of the match: Rather than one strike, it was a series of shots which takes out this category. Kane Williamson took full advantage of the opening power play for the BLACKCAPS, playing a series of lofted drives over mid-off and cover to help his side reach 68-1 at the end of six overs.
Ball of the match: No stand out delivery, so this category will go to the spinners. On a turning wicket Adil Rashid, Moen Ali, Nathan McCullum and Mitchell Santner all claimed wickets and proved hard to get away. Spin is set to be crucial to the fortunes of all sides at the ICC World Twenty20 and both sides showed they have bowlers capable of exploiting the tweaker friendly conditions.
In the field: Martin Guptill on the receiving end of another good grab. Having hit the previous ball off Reece Topley down the ground for six, the BLACKCAPS opener looked to repeat that effort, but slightly miscued it. Nevertheless the ball looked likely to sail over the head of mid-on, but Chris Jordan made good ground to take a tricky catch over his shoulder while running back. Joss Buttler a close second with his one handed leaping effort to dismiss Mitchell McClenaghan
Quirk: The two teams had a practise superover at the end of the match which England also claimed. It didn't count for much other than good practise, but certainly got the crowd excited.
Next up: The tournament opener against hosts India in Nagpur. Doesn't get much tougher or more exciting for the BLACKCAPS, who have the chance to make a real statement. Game is early on Wednesday morning NZ time - worth getting up for!
