Clinical New Zealand Seal Series By Defeating England in 2nd ODI at Hamilton

New Zealand defeated England by 5 wickets in the 2nd ODI at Hamilton. They chased down the small target of 176 runs in 34 overs, courtesy of some great batting by Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell. With this victory, New Zealand sealed the series against England by taking an unassailable lead of 2-0. They are confident to win the next match as well, which is scheduled on November 1 in Wellington.

As far as England is concerned, they have faced yet another drubbing in an international ODI series. This is now becoming a matter of concern for English cricket, as they have been consistently performing poorly in ODIs for quite some time.

Batting first, England once again looked completely out of touch. They struggled to get a good start in the Powerplay, as New Zealand bowlers removed both their openers early. Joe Root tried to steady the innings. However, he also got out quickly after making just 25 runs. Losing him brought a lot of pressure on the England team, as they lost their main batter quite early in the innings.

The captain, Harry Brook, tried to counterattack after the early wickets, but he didn’t find much support from the other end. As a result, he also went back to the pavilion after scoring just 34 runs, courtesy of some smart bowling by Mitchell Santner.

The rest of the England batting lineup then collapsed quickly, with Jamie Overton remaining the star player by scoring 42 runs. This disappointing performance left England with a very low score on the board, as they gave New Zealand a small target of 176 runs to win the second match.

From the New Zealand perspective, Blair Tickner remained their star bowler, as he picked up 4 wickets by giving away just 34 runs. He bowled with great consistency throughout the innings, making batting quite difficult for the England team.

When New Zealand came out to bat in the 2nd innings, they looked in complete control. Despite Will Young’s dismissal in the first over, the home team didn’t look panicked at all. They steered the innings smartly by scoring boundaries at regular intervals. Rachin Ravindra played an exceptional knock for the Kiwis by scoring 54 off just 58 balls. He was accompanied by Daryl Mitchell at the other end, who also smashed a quick fifty to solidify the chase of the home team.

By producing a collective batting performance, New Zealand completed the chase in 34 overs. They won the 2nd ODI at Hamilton comprehensively, taking an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the series. This dominant performance has now made them confident to win the last game of the series as well, which will be played in Wellington on November 1.