AFP
WELLINGTON, FEBRUARY 20
Paceman Tim Southee recorded the best one-day figures by a New Zealander while Brendon McCullum hit the fastest World Cup half-century to lead their team's one-sided eight-wicket win over a hapless England on Friday. Southee took seven for 33 in his nine overs as England collapsed to 123 all out in just 33.2 overs. New Zealand captain McCullum's rollicking 25-ball 77 with seven sixes and eight fours at the top of the order then saw the tournament co-hosts romp to victory in just 12.2 overs of their reply in Wellington.
When the umpires called for a dinner break with New Zealand needing just 12 more runs to win, jeers rang out around the packed 33,000 capacity Westpac Stadium.
But although the amount of cricket played was under half the scheduled 100 overs of a one-day international, the crowd certainly got their money's worth.
Victory gave New Zealand, one of the tournament favourites, their third win in as many Pool A games while England were left with two defeats in two following a 111-run thrashing by Australia.
Sensing an easy win, McCullum launched a ferocious attack on the England bowling, hitting Stuart Broad for a six off the first ball he faced.
Fast bowler Steven Finn was not spared as McCullum hit six, four, four and six off the Middlesex paceman's first four balls and then another six to bring up his fifty off just 18 balls.
McCullum held the previous record for the fastest World Cup fifty, off 20 balls against Canada at St Lucia in 2007.
Finn's two wicketless overs cost a whopping 49 runs Chis Woakes ended McCullum's knock by bowling him off a bottom edge. South Africa's AB de Villiers holds the record for the fastest-ever one-day international fifty, off just 16 balls, made against the West Indies last month.
Earlier it was Southee who left England clueless after Eoin Morgan won the toss and batted on a flat looking pitch.
Southee achieved the third-best figures in all World Cups and beat the previous best by a New Zealander in all ODIs, recorded by Shane Bond, now the team's bowling coach, who took six for 19 against India at Bulawayo in 2005.
Only Joe Root, last man out in the 34th over, offered resistance with 46 while opener Moeen Ali made 20 and Morgan managed 17 in an otherwise disappointing batting display.
"It's a bit of a blur at the moment," said Southee during the change of innings. "We're good swing bowlers and, although we lost the toss, the ball swung throughout the innings. They say that when there's a bit of blue sky in Wellington, the ball swings."
England were looking at a revival at 103 for three with Morgan and Root at the crease.
But former Ireland left-hander Morgan, who had managed just two runs with four ducks in his previous five innings, holed out at long-on off Vettori.
He was left to rue his shot as England lost their last seven wickets for just 19 runs.
Openers Ian Bell (eight) and Moeen Ali (20) were both bowled by Southee, who subsequently dismissed James Taylor (nought), Jos Buttler (three), Chris Woakes (one), Stuart Broad (four) and Steven Finn (nought).
He took his final five wickets in the space of just 18 balls to record the third best figures in all World Cups behind the Australian duo of Glenn McGrath (7-15) and Andy Bichel (7-20).
Seamer Tim Southee says it may take some time for the magnitude of New Zealand's crushing eight-wicket World Cup win over England to sink in. The Black Caps dominated a one-sided affair in Wellington on Friday as Southee returned 7-33 - the best ODI figures by a New Zealander and the third best figures in all World Cups - to fire England out for just 123 in 33.2 overs.
In reply, New Zealand raced to their target as skipper Brendon McCullum smashed 77 off 25 balls in front of a sell-out crowd at the Westpac Stadium.
"A packed house was pretty special to come out in front of,” reflected Southee. “We've been bowling well as a group for a long time and today was one of those moments when it all went well for us.”
“We haven't swung the ball like that in a one-day game for a while and for the old ball to swing like that was the difference. Our bowling coach, Shane Bond, does a lot of work behind the scenes, though, and puts confidence into us. It's a blur at the moment but in time, this will be something we all look back on and realize how amazing this occasion was.”
Southee's figures were the best ever by any New Zealand bowler in one-day international cricket but he refused to accept individual plaudits.
"Someone did mention that. It just goes to show that it was another great team performance that we have shown," he said.
McCullum ran amok with the bat to register the fastest one-day fifty in World Cup history off just 18 balls and he was thrilled with his side's display. "It was an incredible performance. We wanted to bat first as well," he said. "Tim Southee and Trent Boult, when they bowl like that they are pretty hard to play against. It was a world-class performance and the crowd was amazing. I really enjoyed playing in front of such a big crowd."
He added, "It's a great win, while England have probably struggled of late, we knew we'd have to keep them quiet. To win by that sort of margin, it's bizarre really. We've earned ourselves a good break after a great first week of the tournament."
Eoin Morgan is reluctant to make wholesale changes to the England side despite their World Cup humbling at the hands of New Zealand.
Morgan's men were skittled out for 123 in 33.3 overs at The Westpac Stadium - Tim Southee (7-33) recording the best ODI figures for a New Zealander and the third best in all World Cups - before Brendon McCullum's brutal 77 off 25 balls helped steer the Black Caps home in 12.2 overs.
England now sit rock bottom of Pool A ahead of Sunday's encounter with Scotland, but Morgan says he won't "panic" when it comes to team selection.
"I don't want to go into a state of panic where we make three or four changes in the one game," said Morgan, who also admitted that he made a mistake by opting to bat first against New Zealand.
"That's certainly not what I'm about. I've always believed in making good decisions and backing the right players at the right time.”
"At the moment, we have a squad of players where any of them can play, but the XI that played today I believed were the best to win the game. If conditions change, we'll change plans accordingly, but just because we were outperformed today doesn't necessarily mean I'm binning anybody for [the next game]."
England's eight-wicket loss to New Zealand was the second thrashing of the week, following their 111-run reverse against Australia at a packed-out Melbourne Cricket Ground on Valentine's Day.
Morgan says he always anticipated the clashes with both co-hosts being tough but feels his side's displays have been below the required standard. "These first two games against two favourites were going to be difficult games playing but there's no way we should be beaten by this amount," he said.
"Maybe we were out-skilled against New Zealand but certainly in the first game we played against Australia we were way below par. We are not doing our basics right and we are not reproducing what we practice.”
"We’re very disappointed so things are pretty quiet at the moment but over the next day or so everyone will look at themselves individually and how they can improve. I think collectively we're going to have to get tighter as a group, too, and produce performances that we've been searching for."
Morgan, though, was buoyed slightly by his mild return to form, the captain notching a patient 17 off 41 balls following four ducks and a score of two in his five previous innings.
"I feel a lot better after today," he added. "I have struggled these last couple of innings but having some time in the middle has certainly helped. I am probably further along than I was earlier this week."
