England will take on New Zealand in the third ODI of the five-match series at The Rose Bowl in Southampton on Sunday. Having lost the second match by a close margin, the hosts would look to bounce back in this match against the Kiwis.
The 2nd ODI at Kennington Oval saw the Englishmen playing some brilliant cricket, but unfortunately rain curtailed the match and the officials used the Duckworth-Lewis (D/L) method that made England's chase even more difficult.
Surprisingly, the English batsmen did not give up even after the D/L method was used and they kept on samshing the ball out of the park, especially, the rising stars of England in the shorter format of the game - Liam Plunkett and Adil Rashid.
England lost the second ODI by 13 runs as Rashid and Plunkett got out in quick succession. The Black Caps came into the ODI series as the firm favourites, but England have proven themselves that they will not bow down that easily.
Skipper Eoin Morgan have led the English side from the front as he was also instrumental in getting England closer to their target. Morgan scored a half-century in the first ODI at Birmingham too, which the hosts won by a huge margin of 210 runs.
New Zealand batsmen were equally good in the second ODI. Ross Taylor scored a big hundred while Kane Williamson was unfortunate to miss out on a century. Martin Guptil gave them a steady start alongside the captain Brendon McCullum, who is known for his aggressive brand of cricket.
New Zealand had posted 398 runs on the board in the 2nd ODI at the Oval. It takes a lot of calmness, composure and positive mind-set to chase down the huge total. Considering the way English batsmen have played throughout the series, one might be compelled to think about whether this is the best ODI team England have ever introduced to the world of international cricket.
Jason Roy and Alex Hales can blast any bowling attack in the world if they start timing the ball from the sweetest part of the willow. They are followed by Joe Root who can play the long innings and attack when needed, just like he did in the first ODI.
Skipper Morgan comes in at number four and he showcased in the second ODI how devastating he can be. Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Sam Billings, Plunkett and Rashid comes in after that and that is a lot of firepower right till the end of the England batting line-up.
Unfortunately, England will be missing the services of Chris Jordan and Liam Plunkett due to injuries. They are ruled out of the remainder of the ODI series against the Kiwis. Both the players have done well so far in this series and losing Plunkett is a big blow to England as he was contributing with the bat alongside Rashid.
"Both players will now undergo a rehabilitation programme and their response to treatment over the coming days will determine the timescale for a return to competitive cricket," read an ECB statement that was released on Saturday ahead of the third ODI between England and New Zealand.
Where to Watch Live
England vs New Zealand 3rd ODI is scheduled for 10:30am BST (3.00pm IST, 5:30am ET, 9:30pm NZ time) with live coverage in India on Star Sports 2 and Stars Sports HD2. The match can also be watched via live streaming online on Starsports.com.
Viewers in the UK can flip over to Sky Sport2 to watch England vs New Zealand Live, while the live stream options are on Sky Go and Watch Sky Sports.
Audience in the US can catch the match live on ESPN3 and Watch ESPN, while viewers in New Zealand can do so on Sky Sport and Sky Go NZ.
