New Zealand completed a comfortable four-wicket victory over England to ensure qualification to the semi-finals. They also finished at the top of Group B owing to their better net run-rate.
The Kiwis dominated from the word go getting Andrew Strauss in the very first over with no score on the board. The wickets continued to fall as New Zealand overpowered England in the Quick Start period reducing them to 23 for three at the end of ten overs.
They kept up the good work through the remainder of the innings taking wickets at regular intervals which is reflected in their high Bowling Efficiency (BE) of 111 that helped them bowl out a struggling England side for just 146. Shane Bond was the pick of the bowlers with three for 21 (with a top BE of 214).
New Zealand continued their dominance with the bat as Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill went after the English bowling in the Quick Start overs and continued to score at a brisk rate through the Batting Power Play which took the game away from England. The English bowlers did well to keep pushing all the way and picked up five quick wickets towards the end. But the damage had already been done and New Zealand got over the finish line with relative ease.
Grant Elliott was adjudged Man of the Match for his 4/31 with the ball which included the crucial wickets of Collingwood and Wright.
Thursday will see the final two games of the Group stage of the Champions Trophy. Australia and India will play Pakistan and West Indies respectively in the hope that they win big and make the semis. As always, do look out for our Live Score Centre for all the latest ball-by-ball updates and analysis in real time.
