The BLACKCAPS ensured a NatWest ODI series victory with a 51-run win over England at Lord’s.
Former Middlesex captain Scott Styris set up the visitors' 266 for five with an unbeaten 87, backed by a half-century from Jacob Oram.
Captain Daniel Vettori was the pick of the BLACKCAPS attack with three for 32 as England, led by Owais Shah with 69, finished on 215 all out with 13 deliveries to spare.
Vettori’s performance was backed a disciplined showing by the seamers.
Tim Southee was confirmed as the leading wicket-taker with three more to complete a haul of 13 wickets from the five-match encounter.
Southee was named man of the series, while Kyle Mills claimed two more wickets.
Kevin Pietersen, replacing the banned Paul Collingwood, had won his first toss and invited the BLACKCAPS to bat first as his team sought parity in the series.
Alastair Cook was called in to the team, with Luke Wright taking Collingwood’s position in the middle order.
Grant Elliott (bruised thigh) and Mills (back) shook off injuries to take their place in the visiting team.
Stuart Broad struck twice from the Pavilion End to slow the visitors’ progress. Jamie How’s innings ended at 22, with Ross Taylor compiling five.
Brendon McCullum fell for 23 for James Anderson’s only wicket, but Daniel Flynn and Styris off-set fears of a collapse with 50-stand for the fourth wicket.
Flynn showed his resolve to push through to 37, but fell victim to Graeme Swann. The left-hander failed to deal with a straight ball from the off-spinner.
Styris and Oram pushed up the pace from 10 overs out, with Oram bringing up his 50 with a six over long-off from a fruitful 43rd over delivered by Owais Shah.
Displaying contrasting styles, the towering left-hander Oram took the lead with a 37-ball 50, striking two fours and three sixes as he accelerated the run rate.
The stocky right-hander Styris, meanwhile, initially played patiently, sharing a 50-stand with Daniel Flynn (35) before supporting Oram before lashing out.
Styris' expert closing of the innings boosted the competitive total, alongside another solid cameo by Grant Elliott (23 not out).
Cook and Bell put on 53 in 11 overs to open the reply, but Mark Gillespie struck with first ball of the 12th to remove the latter lbw for 27.
Southee came on and immediately accounted for the second opener, Cook, caught by McCullum for 24, and then took the key wicket of the captain, for three, caught at backward point by Oram.
Off-spinner Swann (2/33) was the pick of the English attack, and Vettori also prospered.
The visiting captain clean-bowled Ravi Bopara for 30, the batsman failing to deal with the flight before sub James Marshall caught Ambrose for two.
A fine leg-side diving catch by McCullum accounted for Swann (12), and Broad (five) went for the boundary off Mills but fell short to Flynn at deep mid-wicket.
Middlesex right-hander Shah, on home soil, took the fight to the BLACKCAPS, but saw his partners fall by the wayside on a regular basis.
He eventually fell looking to force the issue, caught at long-off by Marshall off Southee.
With that, any English hopes of victory petered out, leaving the BLACKCAPS to wrap up matters when Gillespie accounted for James Anderson.
