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NZ, England in dramatic tie
20/02/2008 08:29 - (SA)
Napier - Jamie How scored a maiden century, a classy 139, but was run out one ball and two runs from the end of New Zealand's fourth limited-overs cricket international against England, leaving the match to finish in a thrilling tie on Wednesday.
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori took one run when two were needed from the last ball of the match to leave his team 340 for seven in reply to England's 340 for six, the second tie between the teams in one-day internationals.
The result keeps alive the five-match series which concludes in Christchurch on Saturday. New Zealand leads 2-1 but England can square the series if it wins the last match at Lancaster Park.
How did everything to win the match for New Zealand in his 19th one-day international. He came to the crease at the end of a 70-run opening partnership between Jesse Ryder (39) and Brendon McCullum (58) and stayed until the fifth ball of the final over, when he was run out chasing a crucial single.
New Zealand was cruising toward victory at 301 for three in the 44th over but lost three crucial wickets - Scott Styris, Peter Fulton and Jacob Oram - for 14 runs to leave the match in a precarious balance.
Suspended
The hosts needed 17 runs to win from the last 12 balls with four wickets standing. How and Vettori improved the odds of a New Zealand victory by taking 10 runs from the 49th over, leaving seven needed from the last six balls.
In an inspired stroke of captaincy, Paul Collingwood threw the ball to Luke Wright, the Leicestershire medium pacer, who hadn't bowled previously in the innings. Wright produced a superb over which allowed only six runs, featured the run out of How, and left the match suspended in a high-scoring tie.
The New Zealanders took singles from both of the first two balls then a two to leave three runs needed for victory from three balls.
Vettori took a further single but How, in chancing a run from the next ball, was left short of his ground. Vettori faced the final ball but could only scramble another single and the match ended in the first tie between the teams since 1997.
"It's worse than a kick in the groin," How said. "It's gutting.
"We always thought we had a good chance. We've chased bigger totals than that and it was a good (pitch).
"It was a great day but we let ourselves down at the end."
Opening partnership
How had support in his run chase from McCullum, Ross Taylor (48) and Stryis (20) but the innings then fell away.
Earlier, Alastair Cook and Phil Mustard made half centuries in a 158-run opening partnership to set up England's biggest total in a limited-overs international on foreign shores.
Mustard made 83 from 74 balls with 11 fours and two sixes and Cook 69 from 88 balls in a partnership which had Vettori ruing his decision to bowl on winning the toss.
After batting together for 26 overs, Cook and Mustard were out to successive balls in the first over bowled by Ryder.
Ian Bell then made 43 from 41 balls, Kevin Pietersen 50 from 47 balls and captain Collingwood smashed 54 from 30 balls with six sixes.
The total was England's third highest in all one-day internationals, well behind its best of 391 against Bangladesh at Nottingham in 2005.
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