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In a thrilling encounter at Trent Bridge, New Zealand clinched victory in the fourth and final T20I against England by 6 wickets. With the victory, the Black Caps also levelled the series 2-2.
Batting first, England posted a competitive total of 175/8 in their allotted 20 overs. Jonny Bairstow was the standout performer for the hosts, smashing 73 runs off just 41 balls, including 5 fours and 6 sixes. He provided the much-needed impetus to the innings with his explosive batting.
Mitchell Santner Sizzles with Splendid Bowling
Dawid Malan contributed 26 runs, while Liam Livingstone added 26 off 20 balls, featuring two towering sixes. England’s innings, however, saw wickets fall at regular intervals, with Mitchell Santner being the pick of New Zealand’s bowlers.
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Santner picked up three crucial wickets while conceding just 30 runs in his four overs. Santner didn’t allow the English side to capitalize on the platform laid by Bairstow’s fireworks. Ish Sodhi and Rachin Ravindra also chipped in with two wickets each for the visitors.
Batters Step Up to Complete Chase in Quick Time
In response, New Zealand chased down the target of 176 runs in just 17.2 overs, thanks to some splendid batting performances. Tim Seifert played a pivotal role, scoring 48 runs off 32 balls, which included six boundaries and two sixes.
Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman were the other architects of New Zealand’s successful run chase, scoring 42 and 40 runs, respectively. England’s bowling effort was led by Rehan Ahmed, who claimed two wickets for 27 runs in his four overs. Luke Wood and Adil Rashid picked up one wicket each, but the English bowlers struggled to contain the New Zealand batters as the tourists ultimately won the match with 179/4 on the board, securing victory by 6 wickets.
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Santner’s all-round brilliance earned him the Player of the Match award for his impressive bowling figures of 3 wickets for 30 runs. Further, Bairstow, who smashed 175 runs in the series at an impressive average of 58.33 was named Player of the Series.
Here is how Twitter reacted:
With 3-30 from his 4 overs and a key spell to restrict the England batting innings, today’s Player of the Match – Mitchell Santner 👏 #ENGvNZ #CricketNation pic.twitter.com/RnC8Anxk2Q
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) September 5, 2023
Player of the Series 🏅
Runs: 1️⃣7️⃣5️⃣
Average: 5️⃣8️⃣.3️⃣3️⃣Congratulations, @JBairstow21 👌#EnglandCricket | #ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/JGK5yk0Rz5
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 5, 2023
Mark Chapman's late flurry ties up the #ENGvNZ T20I series 2-2 as attention turns to ODIs and @CricketWorldCup preparation 👊
Scorecard 📝https://t.co/oUUFXzGJop pic.twitter.com/ypUjLzJuK9
— ICC (@ICC) September 5, 2023
NZ win the final T20I and level the series 2-2
What a comeback after being 2-0 down
Next up, 4 ODIs starting on Friday#ENGvNZ
— ThePoppingCrease (@PoppingCreaseSA) September 5, 2023
New Zealand won the fourth and final T20I by 6 wickets: https://t.co/4Gw5sCtZN9#ENGvNZ #4thT20I #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/t3dVyN2czG
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) September 6, 2023
What a series.
What a comeback from Blackcaps after 0-2 down before finished the series 2-2 drawn.
Impressive performance by Mitchell Santner (3/30), Tim Seifert (48), Glenn Phillips (42) and Mark Chapman (40*).#NZvsENG pic.twitter.com/LfNAyL8bh5
— 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝑨𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝑵𝒆𝒘 𝒁𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 🇳🇿 (@NZcricketfans) September 6, 2023
Mitchell Santner in T20Is
8th men's bowler to 100 wickets
3rd highest wicket taker for NZ
4th most wickets by spinners since his debut
5th highest wicket taker at T20 WCs for NZOne of the ATG spinners in T20I cricket pic.twitter.com/z3GjUOCeDO
— 𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐘²² 🇺🇸🇮🇳 (@Sivy_KW578) September 6, 2023
100 – Mitchell Santner has become the 8th Men's Bowler overall and 3rd from New Zealand to take 100 wickets in Twenty20 Internationals.
Others: Southee, Shakib, Rashid, Sodhi, Malinga, Shadab & Mustafizur.#ENGvSL
— Israr Ahmed Hashmi (@IamIsrarHashmi) September 5, 2023
Mitchell Santner won the POTM for his 3-30(4) against England 🥶 pic.twitter.com/tXqlXPAEQk
— Beast (@Beast_xx_) September 6, 2023
100 T20I Wickets for Mitchell Santner 🛐👑
— ⚡ (@Visharad_KW22) September 5, 2023