Jonny Bairstow pulled off a thrilling three-wicket win for England to clinch their record-breaking run-fest one-day international series 3-2 against New Zealand.
Bairstow, who ended unbeaten on 83 and was playing at Chester-le-Street only after being called up 24 hours earlier to replace the injured Jos Buttler, proved he, too, can hit as powerfully as England’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batsman as he carried them from the depths of 45 for five to victory with an over to spare.
Set a revised target of 192 in 26 overs after the Kiwis had made 283 for nine, England’s reply following a three-hour break between innings thanks to stubborn drizzle began miserably against Mitchell Santner.
But after Brendon McCullum’s surprise decision to open with the slow left-armer paid remarkable dividends and a career-best 3-31, Bairstow took over, firstly in a sixth-wicket stand of 80 in just 57 balls with Sam Billings.
Billings stayed the course for a match-winning first one-day international half-century, although he was dropped by wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi on 39 and then later by Santner when he uppercutted Matt Henry to third man on 56.
“I worked hard in the winter and Caribbean and had a pretty tough family time, with my grandpa passing away,” an excited Bairstow said at the presentation ceremony. “Disappointing for Jos but I was happy to make a contribution. These guys have worked very hard.”
By the time Bairstow and fellow Yorkshireman Adil Rashid saw England home, in an unbroken stand of 54, Bairstow had hit 11 fours off 60 balls.
It was a fitting climax to the first five-match ODI series to contain more than 3,000 runs, England prevailing despite half-centuries from Martin Guptill (67) and Kane Williamson (50) and Ben Wheeler’s late hitting.
“The cricket here has been nothing short of sensation,” McCullum said. “Credit to England. They held the nerve under pressure when the series was on the line. We are hurting to have come second but the new talents did well. I am really excited. Cricket in our country is in a good space.”
England’s shortened chase was in almost immediate difficulty.
First, Alex Hales was brilliantly caught one-handed high to his left by Williamson off Santner and then Joe Root was stumped by Ronchi, who took a painful rebound off his chin in the process.
Eoin Morgan’s prolific run of form came to an abrupt end when he picked out deep midwicket off the young spinner to get out off the first ball.
Ben Stokes crunched a catch off Wheeler straight to mid-off and then opener Jason Roy donated a first wicket to debutant Andrew Mathieson with his first ball in international cricket – lobbing a simple catch to point.
Billings and Bairstow took over, until the Kent batsman was caught by a diving Ross Taylor at midwicket, and then David Willey holed out. But Bairstow would not be denied.
Guptill and Williamson’s second-wicket stand of 94 had helped provide New Zealand with a 30-over platform of 150 for three, but thanks to Stokes (3-52), neither remained to cash in during the second half of the Kiwi innings.
Williamson under-edged a front-foot pull on to his stumps and Guptill was caught behind to some extra bounce.
After being put in on a cloudy morning, the tourists lost McCullum in the first over.
He had gone up the wicket to Steven Finn and smashed him over long-on for six the previous ball, but was then cramped for room on the back foot and chopped on to his stumps.
Williamson scored his fourth successive 50, but the visitors lost wickets at regular intervals.
With only the tail left, New Zealand had to grab what they could and that included 22 off the last over from Finn, with Wheeler hitting the final three balls for a four and two sixes, but it proved inadequate.
* With agencies
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