All-round England thrash NZ in 2nd T20I: Key stats
What's the story
In what can be stated a one-sided encounter, England thrashed New Zealand by 65 runs in the second T20I in Christchurch. With the series opener getting washed out, the visitors are now 1-0 up in the three-match affair. Captain Harry Brook and Philip Salt played fiery knocks as England posted 236/4 batting first. The Kiwis (171/10) felt way short in response.
ENG innings
Strong total posted by England
Salt (85) came out all guns blazing as England were off to a flier batting first. After the fall of the second wicket, the 29-year-old joined forces with Brook (78), who was even more aggressive. The duo added 129 runs as England posted an impressive total of 236/4. Jacob Bethell (24 off 12) and Tom Banton (29* off 12) also played solid cameos.
Run chase
NZ falter in response
The Kiwis were off to a poor start with Brydon Carse claiming two early wickets. Though Tim Seifert (39) and Mark Chapman (24) added 69 runs for the second wicket, the hosts suffered another collapse following Chapman's departure. Though captain Mitchell Santner scored a fiery 36 toward the end, NZ were all out for 171 in 18 overs. Adil Rashid took four wickets.
Salt
1,500 T20I runs for Salt
Salt's knock of 85 came from 56 balls with 11 fours and a six. This was his seventh T20I half-century (100s: 5). The England opener has raced past 1,500 runs (now 1,540) at an average of 38.50. His strike rate is a stunning 168.12. This was his second T20I outing against NZ as he was dismissed for just three in the series opener.
Feat
Salt misses out on this feat
As per ESPNcricinfo, Salt could have equaled Rohit Sharma and Australia's Glenn Maxwell in terms of most centuries in T20Is (5 each). The Englishman currently has four tons from just 46 innings. India's Suryakumar Yadav is the only other batter with more than three T20I hundreds (4). Meanwhile, no other Englishman has multiple T20I hundreds.
Brook
1,000 T20I runs for Brook
Brook made 78 off 35 balls as he hammered six fours and five sixes. This knock took his T20I tally past 1,000 runs (now 1,012) across 51 games. His runs have come at an average of 30.66. This was his fifth T20I fifty, and a maiden one while leading the team. 227 of his runs have come vs NZ at 37.83 (50s: 2).
Milestone
Brook only behind Morgan on this list
Brook completed his fifty off just 22 balls, the second-fastest half-century by an England captain in this format. He is only behind Eoin Morgan, who had achieved 21-ball fifties twice while leading the Brits. Meanwhile, the skipper helped England post their second-highest T20I score against NZ (236/4). This is only behind their 241/3 in the 2019 Napier affair.
Knocks
Santner, Seifert get into the 30s
While Seifert slammed four fours and two sixes en route to his 29-ball 39, Santner made 36 off 15 balls (3 fours, 3 sixes). No other Kiwi batter could touch the 30-run mark. As far as their bowlers are concerned, Kyle Jamieson was the only one to take multiple wickets. He finished with 2/47 from four overs.
Rashid
Rashid claims his fourth four-wicket haul in T20Is
Rashid finished with 4/32 in his four-over spell. As per ESPNcricinfo, the spinner has now raced to 145 T20I wickets from 133 matches at 23.93 (ER: 7.48). This was his fourth four-wicket haul in T20Is and a maiden one vs NZ. He now owns 15 wickets against them at 30.20. Overall, he now boasts 383 T20 wickets at 22-plus (4W: 11). You're 66% through
Feat
England fielders register this record
Along with Rashid's stellar performance, England's fielding was also on point as all the 10 NZ wickets fell to catches. Only the 13th time it happened in T20Is, as per Cricbuzz. This ensured that New Zealand never really threatened the target and fell well short of it. Luke Wood (2/36), Brydon Carse (2/27), and Liam Dawson (2/38) were England's other wicket-takers in the contest.