England v New Zealand: Harry Brook and Gus Atkinson shine as hosts take 2-0 series lead
Second T20, Emirates Old Trafford |
|---|
England 198-4 (20 overs): Bairstow 86* (60), Brook 67 (36); Sodhi 2-44 |
New Zealand 103 (13.5 overs): Seifert 39 (31); Atkinson 4-20 |
England won by 95 runs |
A sublime batting display led England to a crushing 95-run win over New Zealand in the second T20 at Old Trafford.
Opener Jonny Bairstow hit an unbeaten 86 from 60 balls and Harry Brook struck a magnificent 67 from 36 as England posted 198-4.
Fast bowler Gus Atkinson then took 4-20 on his international debut as New Zealand crumbled to 103 all out.
The win gives England a 2-0 lead in the four-match series.
Brook and Bairstow added 131 for the third wicket after England lost Will Jacks for 19 and Dawid Malan for a duck.
New Zealand's batters immediately felt the pressure of the run-rate as Atkinson dismissed opener Devon Conway in his first over.
Leg-spinner Adil Rashid finished with 2-18 as he became England's leading T20 wicket taker.
Tim Seifert top-scored with 39 but Glenn Phillips' 22 was the only other contribution of more than 20 as England backed up their comprehensive victory at Chester-le-Street with another dominant performance.
The series continues at Edgbaston on Sunday.
Majestic Brook provides T20 masterclass
It has been a whirlwind month for 24-year-old Brook, who was not selected in England's provisional 50-over World Cup squad but responded with a remarkable century in The Hundred.
He impressed with 43 in England's comfortable victory in the first T20 but, in front of a lively Manchester crowd, he went even further in a scintillating innings that left New Zealand's bowlers in disbelief.
Two of his five sixes came in his first 10 balls with glorious drives over extra cover off spinner Ish Sodhi, and he continued to combine finesse with power in a blistering partnership with Bairstow that took the game beyond the Black Caps.
Bairstow was somewhat scratchy before Brook's arrival, making his way to 26 from 27 balls as Jacks and Malan departed.
But Brook's free-flowing approach seemed to release his fellow Yorkshireman as he reached his half-century from 40 balls before launching his way to 77 in the space of his next seven balls.
Brook's omission from the 50-over squad continues to raise eyebrows, and with a performance of such breath-taking skill, the questions about that decision are not going to end any time soon.
