New Zealand 273 for 8 (Guptill 79, Taylor 73*, Jadeja 1-35) v India
That mushy old middle order let New Zealand down again, a collapse of 7 for 55 ripping away much of the tension from a game that was building up beautifully. Then, as if Auckland just wouldn't allow for a dead ODI to take place within its borders, Ross Taylor popped up to play an absolute blinder. The ninth-wicket partnership with debutant Kyle Jamieson - who scored a century while facing James Anderson and Stuart Broad in a tour game in 2018 - put on a riduclous 76 runs off only 51 balls to pretty much change the game.
New Zealand lurched from 142 for 1 to 197 for 8 thanks to the pressure India exerted through the middle overs. And to think that was the period where they won the game in Hamilton. Taylor and Tom Latham ransacked 117 runs without even looking like losing a wicket a few days ago. Here, they stopped and stumbled and crashed and burned to 32 for 4.
And yet, by the end of the 50 overs, they had 273 on the board and it was pretty much all Taylor's doing. He might have felt he owed it to his side considering he was involved in both the run-outs that stole all the momentum away from the innings, especially the one that cost Martin Guptill his wicket when he looked well set on 79.
Taylor was 29 off 47 when New Zealand lost their eighth wicket and were looking like they wouldn't last the remaining nine overs. A straightforward chase was on the cards and Eden Park was all set to be marred by that most awful of things - a boring cricket match.
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