RECORD BREAKERS!
Malan and Morgan make history in win for the ages
The last major earthquake to hit Napier took place back in 1931, but the tremors caused by Dawid Malan at McLean Park might well reverberate all the way to england’s Twenty20 World Cup campaign next year in Australia.
With the tourists needing victory to stay in the series, Malan responded with an unbeaten 103 from 51 balls — arguably england’s most brutal T20 innings — and a partnership for the ages with eoin Morgan.
By the time Morgan fell in the final over for an equally destructive 91 from 41 deliveries, he and his former Middlesex team-mate had butchered the bowling to the tune of 182 in 12.2 overs. It was england’s highest T20 partnership and paved the way for their highest total: an eye-watering 241 for three.
The bowlers then completed the job, dismissing New Zealand for just 165, with Lancashire’s young leg- spinner Matt Parkinson rewarded for his courage in tossing the ball up with four wickets. The teams head for tonight’s series finale in Auckland all square at 2-2.
earlier, on an evening when records were scattered in the breeze, Morgan notched up england’s fastest T20 half- century, his 21-ball blitz surpassing Jos Buttler’s 22 against Australia at edgbaston in 2018.
But it was Malan, dropping down a place to No 3 in order to accommodate the return of Jonny Bairstow, who shook up the established order. This was his sixth score of 50 or more in nine T20 innings for england, and may leave Joe Root — one of several stars rested for this series — wondering about his own future in the format.
As Malan put it afterwards: ‘I don’t know what else I can do. If the runs I’ve scored aren’t enough to push for the T20s coming up and looking ahead to the World Cup, I don’t know.
‘You get judged on the amount of runs you score and nothing else. To have done it in the way I did was unbelievable, and I’m still a bit speechless.’
Only one england batsman had previously reached three figures in a 20- over international. But when Alex hales — still out of favour after failing two drugs tests earlier this year — did so against Sri Lanka at Chittagong during the 2014 World T20, it took him 60 balls.
Malan needed only 48, bringing up his century with a pull for six off Trent Boult. It was one of six he hit on a balmy evening in hawke’s Bay, to go with seven from Morgan.
A rugby ground with a drop-in pitch, Napier offers temptingly short square boundaries, but Malan and Morgan weren’t afraid to go straight either. Malan took 28 off an over from leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, minutes before seamer Daryl Mitchell, asked to bowl the 19th, disappeared for 25. By the end, even the home fans were up on their feet. New Zealand didn’t do much to help themselves. After a steady start in which they conceded 18 from the first four overs and took Bairstow’s wicket, their line and length evaporated.
When they twice had Morgan caught in the deep, on 51 and 59, they were no-balled for height. The 50 stand came up in just 17 minutes, the 100 in 37, and the 150 in 50. It was carnage.
The mayhem overshadowed a handy 31 in 20 balls from Tom Banton, who played some lovely strokes before missing a reverse sweep. That followed his fatal scoop shot in Nelson: the early signs are that Banton isn’t shy.
New Zealand needed all their big hitters to come off, and raced to 50 in 25 balls. But then Martin Guptill hit a low full-toss from
Tom Curran to short midwicket, before Jordan duped Tim Seifert with a slower delivery. When Parkinson bowled the dangerous Colin de Grandhomme and Colin Munro in consecutive deliveries and then added Mitchell, it was 78 for five — and all but over.
Malan must now hope england change their pre-series plans and pick him at eden Park. ‘hopefully I’ve given Morgs a headache,’ he said. ‘ That’s probably why I chanced my arm. I thought if this was going to be the last one, I may as well make it count.’
he did more than that. In a week which has seen him upset Middlesex with his comments about why he decided to join Yorkshire, Malan has given the england selectors one very good reason to be cheerful.