Rarely will you see a more valiant, match-winning knock than the one played by Ross Taylor. Of the boxes ticked – a century made in a winning chase, seeing his side over the line, on one leg – the crucial point is a five-wicket victory that squares the series 2-2, with one match to play. If they still make DVDs, they should get to commissioning this series. Not many have contained as much drama and intrigue.

Taylor’s unbeaten 181 from 147 – his second hundred of the series, a 19th in ODIs, and a new top score – was brutal, but equally damaging was England’s spectacular collapse. Having been set-up for a big finish by Jonny Bairstow’s third ODI century, they conspired to lose eight wickets in the space of 75 balls. Only Joe Root’s 102 and an unbeaten cameo of 22 from Tom Curran took England to 335-9 – the second-highest total posted on this ground – when 400 was calling.

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Bairstow had done, walking off at 267-2 having been caught off a top edge, with 12.2 overs of the innings to go. The clatter of wickets, for 68 runs, ceded control to the Blackcaps. Ish Sodhi profited, removing Jos Buttler, caught and bowled, for a two-ball duck, Ben Stokes caught slog-sweeping to square leg and Moeen Ali slashing down to long off, for ODI-best figures of four for 58. Root’s 11th ODI hundred ensured England did not finish in the gutter.

Eoin Morgan, dismayed by the four quick wickets after Bairstow - Buttler, himself, Stokes and Ali - insisted this collapse was “a one-off”.

“It’s not happened before and is extremely disappointing,” said Morgan. “All four of us were gutted because there was a hell of a lot of hard work put in to get us in that position. We’ve had collapses of the top order. But certainly when we’ve earned the right to push for a 370 score, we’ve not had a collapse like that. Normally one of us has come off. It has been a one-off. If it continues to be a pattern we’ll look into it deeply.”

When asked if his side were over-ambitious, he shot back: “I’m a big fan of over-ambition. We’ve scored 400 twice, again earning the right. When two guys play out of their skin to do that, we’ve got to put the cream on the cake and the cherry on top.”

A bright start with the ball saw both New Zealand openers removed. Yet, from 2-2, a 94-run stand between Taylor and Kane Williamson, followed by a record fourth-wicket partnership against England of 187 between Taylor and Tom Latham, who combined for the 1st ODI win, took the initiative away from the tourists.

There were no signs of that dicky quadricep as Taylor sprinted the final run to move to 100 from 98 balls. Ten fours and two sixes eased the strain on a muscle injury that kept him out of the previous two ODIs. But soon he was struggling, requiring extra strapping to get by at the end of the 38th over. Unable to run twos, he tried to stick exclusively to boundaries, striking 10 of 23 (17 fours and six sixes) from that point on. By the end, he had to be driven to the post-match press conference in the drinks cart.

Latham went for 71 when he should have gone for four – Moeen Ali dropping a simple return catch. Colin de Grandhomme’s 23 from 12 removed imminent tension allowing Taylor put his foot down once more. He deserved the crowning glory, but it was left to Henry Nicholls to whip Curran around the corner for six to seal victory with three balls to spare.

Even in defeat, Root’s and Bairstow’s were hundreds of personal importance. For Root, a first century in 19 innings this winter, converting at the ninth attempt of passing fifty. Bairstow, given a lift when dropped at cover by Mitchell Santner, has nailed down his position as the team’s first choice opener with his 86-ball century, after starts of 36, 60, 39, 44 and 37 this year. All of three his hundreds - this being the fastest - have come up top.

The manner of this defeat will hurt. Quite how England did not seal the series in Dunedin will sting ahead of the series decider in Christchurch on Saturday. They can take solace in the fact that they were bested by an innings of a lifetime.



