England got the better of New Zealand in another Super Over, prevailing in the end by a not all that bare a margin of nine runs after a truncated thriller in the fifth and final T20I at the Eden Park on Sunday.
Four months on from their nail-biting World Cup final, the teams found themselves under familiar situation as they were deadlocked after an 11-over shootout, shortened due to intermittent showers in Auckland.
Jordan’s last-ball four ensured England equaled New Zealand’s 146, and the all-rounder then held his nerve with the ball after Jonny Bairstow and Eoin Morgan had each smashed a six to lift England to 17 in their Super Over.
Despite bowling a wide with his second delivery, Jordan delivered expert lengths to restrict the hosts to eight for one in reply, helping England register a 3-2 series win.
Martin Guptill was the batsman run out in the World Cup final that led to England’s triumph on boundary countback alone – a rule since abolished – and he perhaps should have had more of a say in this Super Over.
Having earlier clubbed a 19-ball 50 in New Zealand’s 146/5; he deferred to Tim Seifert, who faced the first four balls in the Super Over and perished to a sensational catch from Morgan at wide mid-off.
Seifert’s dismissal left the Kiwis needing 11 for victory, and Guptill’s inability to get underneath a Jordan yorker from the penultimate delivery meant the equation came down to an impossible ten off one ball as England sealed their fourth successive T20I series win.
