Buttler serves up sixes as England polish off Kiwis to reach semi-final
● Keeper pushes total above 300 before catching New Zealand star man Williamson
England booked their place in the Champions Trophy semifinals with an 87-run win over New Zealand in Cardiff.
The jury was out on whether the hosts had enough runs after posting a patchy 310 all out thanks to half-centuries from Joe Root (64), Jos Buttler (61no) and Alex Hales (56).
But after Jake Ball immediately put the chase in trouble by seeing off Luke Ronchi for a golden duck, even the admirable Kane Williamson (87) – with his fifth successive halfcentury against England in one-day internationals – could not keep the Kiwis competitive as they were bowled out for 223 in 44.3 overs.
England appeared set for a bigger total after being put in on a breezy day, but secondwicket pair Root and Hales were unable to consolidate following their stand of 81.
Only when Jos Buttler provided a dash of late impetus did England pass the modern benchmark of 300 – which proved comfortable enough, ensuring after two Group A wins from two so far they are already through to the knockout stages of their own tournament before facing Australia at Edgbaston on Saturday.
Williamson and Ross Taylor put on 95 together for the third wicket to jockey New Zealand into a feasible position – which did not last long after Ball and Mark Wood returned to make a critical double breakthrough, and Liam Plunkett (four for 55) took late advantage.
Corey Anderson (three for 55) and Adam Milne (three for 79) had kept nipping out England wickets when Williamson needed them.
Out-of-form opener Jason Roy was first to go again, bowled round his legs in Milne’s first over.
Hales celebrated his second successive 50 by charging Milne to bludgeon him over long-off for six. But he was to go to the next ball, undone by an attempted leg-break which went straight on to hit middlestump.
Eoin Morgan got a thin edge on a wide one up the wicket to Anderson to go like Roy for 13.
Root passed his 50 at near a run-a-ball but had little of the strike in a half-century stand with Ben Stokes before departing in untypically ugly fashion to a chop-on when Anderson went slow and wide again.
Stokes and Buttler appeared to have an ideal platform, passing the 200 with almost 15 overs left.
But Stokes was caught two short of his 50, upper-cutting Trent Boult. After Moeen Ali fell to a sharp catch at backward square-leg off Anderson, they had to wait instead for Buttler to up the ante.
He reached his 41-ball 50 with his second six, smashing Milne off the back foot over long-off, and 89 came from the last 10 overs.
At the very start of New Zealand’s reply, Ronchi fell first ball when Ball nipped one back.
Martin Guptill helped Williamson add 62 for the second wicket. It was England’s fastest bowler, Wood, who then accounted for Williamson before the last seven wickets fell for 55 runs.