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Cricket

New Zealand beat England in final-ball thriller

25/06/2008

New Zealand have won the fourth one-day international at the Oval by one wicket after Mark Gillespie scored two runs off the final ball of the match.

England bowler Luke Wright had conceded just one run from the first five balls of the final over as last man Gillespie struggled to get bat on ball.

With the field closing in the Kiwi struck the final delivery to point but when Graeme Swann missed his shy at the stumps there was no fielder backing up, allowing the Black Caps to get another run and achieve victory.

England had earlier set the tourists 246 for victory, a modest total on an excellent batting wicket at the Oval, having lost wickets at regular intervals during their innings.

Ian Bell had looked comfortable before he hit a slower ball straight to Brendon McCullum off Tim Southee for 46. That left England on 81-3 after the earlier failures of Wright (18) and Kevin Pietersen (0).

Paul Collingwood could only add 14 to the score leaving Ravi Bopara and Owais Shah to rebuild the innings.

However, when Bopara was out for 58 England lost momentum, the final five wickets went for just 45 runs in a lacklustre finish which put New Zealand in a commanding position.

England were buoyed by the early wicket of danger man McCullum when Ryan Sidebottom had him caught at slip by Swann in the third over of the innings for one run.

Ross Taylor (6) soon followed but veteran Scott Styris anchored the Kiwi innings well, allowing his team-mates to accumulate runs around him to keep up with the meagre scoring rate England had set.

The match was finely poised when good work from Swann in the deep had Styris run out for 69. That brought Grant Elliott to the crease and his dismissal proved to be controversial.

The all rounder was calmly getting New Zealand towards their total when he collided with Sidebottom when attempting a quick single. Bell tossed the ball to Pietersen who ran out the helpless Elliott – much to the anger of the New Zealand team who felt he had been impeded.

Following the incident a dazed England side then leaked easy runs to allow New Zealand to move towards the winning total. Kyle Mills hit Collingwood for a six in the penultimate over to get to within three of victory only for Gillespie to struggle in the final over against Wright.

However, the tourists won the inevitable scramble of the final ball when England failed to adequately back up – handing victory to New Zealand.