Opener Finn Allen has erupted at the top of the batting order to steer New Zealand to a 74-run Twenty20 win over England and keep their four-match series alive at Birmingham.
Trailling 2-0 after sub-par performances in the opening two encounters, the Blackcaps have shown their abilities, rattling up 202/5 in their allocated 20 overs and then dismissing their rivals for just 128 in the penultimate over of their innings.
Allen provided the backbone of the batting effort, hitting 83 runs off 53 balls, including six sixes, but he found a willing ally down the order, when Glenn Philips had 69 off 34. The pair put on 88 runs for the third wicket, before Allen was bowled by Luke Wood.
"Much better in all three areas, in a style we expect to see from New Zealand," said captain Tim Southee. "Finn's innings allowed people to bat around him and GP's innings on a wicket like that showed his class.
"First few overs were crucial and allowed the spinners to come through the middle."
The NZ bowling effort was also a marked improvement from previous matches, limiting the English to 30/2 in the opening six overs, as the batters fell further behind the required run rate.
Wicketkeeper Jos Buttler produced a mid-innings flurry, with 40 off 21 balls, but when he departed at 92/5, caught and bowled by Mitchell Santner, the home side quickly fell away, losing their last five wickets for 36 runs.
All the bowlers tasted success, with Kyle Jamieson (3/23) and Ish Sodhi (3/33) taking the lion's share of the wickets.
After being clearly outplayed in their two opening matches, New Zealand can now salvage a series draw on Wednesday (NZ time) at Nottingham.
The series marks the start of a build-up towards the World Cup one-day tournament in India in October, with a four-match ODI against England to follow next week.
New Zealand 202/5 (Allen 83, Phillips 69; Atkinson 2/31) England 128 (Buttler 40, Ali 26; Jamieson 3/23, Sodhi 3/33)
NZ win by 74 runs, England lead series 2-1
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