Ross Taylor heroics send New Zealand and England to ODI series decider

Rarely will you see a more valiant, match-winning knock than the one played by Ross Taylor. Of the boxes ticked – a century made in a winning chase, seeing his side over the line, on one leg – the crucial point is a five-wicket victory that squares the series 2-2, with one match to play. If they still make DVDs, they should get to commissioning this series. Not many have contained as much drama and intrigue.

Taylor’s unbeaten 181 from 147 – his second hundred of the series, a 19th in ODIs, and a new top score – was brutal, but equally damaging was England’s spectacular collapse. Having been set-up for a big finish by Jonny Bairstow’s third ODI century, they conspired to lose eight wickets in the space of 75 balls. Only Joe Root’s 102 and an unbeaten cameo of 22 from Tom Curran took England to 335-9 – the second-highest total posted on this ground – when 400 was calling.

Bairstow had done, walking off at 267-2 having been caught off a top edge, with 12.2 overs of the innings to go. The clatter of wickets, for 68 runs, ceded control to the Blackcaps. Ish Sodhi profited, removing Jos Buttler, caught and bowled, for a two-ball duck, Ben Stokes caught slog-sweeping to square leg and Moeen Ali slashing down to long off, for ODI-best figures of four for 58. Root’s 11th ODI hundred ensured England did not finish in the gutter.

Eoin Morgan, dismayed by the four quick wickets after Bairstow - Buttler, himself, Stokes and Ali - insisted this collapse was “a one-off”.

“It’s not happened before and is extremely disappointing,” said Morgan. “All four of us were gutted because there was a hell of a lot of hard work put in to get us in that position. We’ve had collapses of the top order. But certainly when we’ve earned the right to push for a 370 score, we’ve not had a collapse like that. Normally one of us has come off. It has been a one-off. If it continues to be a pattern we’ll look into it deeply.”

Source: theguardian