New Zealand won the toss and opted to bowl first. Matt Henry (3/48), Mitchell Santner (2/37) and Glenn Phillips (2/17) combined to restrict England to 282/9. Devon Conway (152* off 121) and Rachin Ravindra (123* off 96) then combined to feature in an unbroken 273-run stand for the second wicket as the Kiwis romped home in 36.2 overs.
Bowling first, New Zealand kept chipping away at England’s wickets, with Joe Root (77 off 86) being the only batter to cross the half-century mark. Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan added 40 for the opening wicket in 7.4 overs before Malan (14 off 24) played a poor shot to be caught behind of Matt Henry. Bairstow perished for 33 off 35, falling to the guile of Mitchell Santner.
Harry Brook, getting a chance with Ben Stokes unavailable, looked good before being dismissed by Ravindra for 25 off 16. After smacking two fours and a six off consecutive balls, he miscued one and was caught in the deep. Glenn Phillips then knocked over Moeen Ali (11). Skipper Jos Buttler and Root added 70 for the fifth wicket to lift England.
Just when Buttler was looking good for a big score, he fell for 43 off 42, caught behind attempting to cut Henry. Liam Livingstone (20 off 22) got a start but could not carry on. At the other end, Root held one end up before he too was knocked over by Phillips. A few handy contributions from the lower order lifted England from 229/7 to 282/7.
In the chase, New Zealand lost Will Young for a golden duck as he was strangled down leg by Sam Curran. However, that was about it as far as joy for the day for England was concerned. The duo of Conway and Ravindra reigned supreme as they sent England’s bowlers on a leather hunt.
Conway hit 19 fours and three sixes, while Ravindra struck 11 fours and five maximums. Their unbroken stand of 273 is now a record for the highest partnerships for New Zealand any wicket in the World Cup, beating the 168 by Lee Germon and Chris Harris against Australia in Chennai in 1996.
--By A Cricket Correspondent
