ICC Champions Trophy 2017: England vs New Zealand, 5 Talking Points

#5 New Zealand’s dismal collapse

New Zealand’s middle order failed to come to the party

New Zealand lost their last eight wickets for just 65 runs and that sums up how poor they were with the bat. No one apart from Martin Guptill (27), Kane Williamson (87) and Ross Taylor (39) crossed the 20-run mark.

Once Williamson departed, the rest of the Kiwi batsmen fell like a pack of cards. Neil Broom (11), James Neesham (18), Corey Anderson (10) and Mitchell Santner (3) were the lower middle order batsmen on whom much of the run chase depended.

However, they failed to deliver the goods as the English bowlers proved to be too hot to handle for them. It was Liam Plunkett who finished off things for New Zealand, claiming the wickets of Anderson, Adam Milne (10) and Tim Southee (2) off back-to-back overs.

Plunkett thus ended up with bowling figures of 4-55 which turned out to be his second four-wicket haul in as many games.