England’s huge winter started disappointingly with mixed batting weather, while rain in Christchurch led to an abandonment in the first T20 against New Zealand.
While external attention is already focused on the Ashes, which start next month, England must first negotiate a white-ball series across the Tasman Sea and the three T20s are building blocks for the World Cup early next year.
The tourists entered the series opener with a deep batting line-up, but while five of their top seven reached double figures, only Sam Curran passed 30 and his unbeaten 49 not out from 35 balls saved them from 81 for five.
They were denied the chance to defend 153 for six, which looked competitive given the tricky Hagley Oval pitch, when the heavens opened at halftime and the game was officially called off at 10.12pm local time.
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Cruel
Curran’s second-highest T20 score came after being dropped twice – he also reversed the lbw delivery to Kyle Jamieson, whose delivery pitched fractionally outside leg stump – but he cashed in his fortune with 18 off his last five balls.
The no result in New Zealand’s early spring was tough for the Black Caps, who hunted like a pack, with all six of their bowlers collecting a wicket.
Matt Henry was superb in the powerplay, while spinners Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell conceded just one boundary between them in six overs against an England side missing Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith and Will Jacks, all rested for this series with an eye on the Ashes.
However, England have a formidable opening pairing in Phil Salt and Jos Buttler, the only duo to have combined for more than 1,000 T20 runs and an average of more than 50.
(Andrew Cornaga/AP).
False dawn
Buttler hit his second ball for six after England had come on but it proved a false dawn as Salt cut into the deep third and Jacob Bethell was scratchy, regularly whipping into thin air as he started with six successive dots.
Bethell, vying for the number three spot in the Ashes, got away with a couple of straight boundaries, including a lusty straight six from the expensive Jacob Duffy, but he departed for 15 after a cross hack from Henry took the top edge and ran back to the seam.
Brook cleared the fence twice in his 50th T20 international but was outwitted by James Neesham’s off-cutter on 20, albeit in somewhat unfortunate fashion after an inside edge on his pads crashed into the stumps.
Tom Banton, Buttler and then Jordan Cox, in the unfamiliar role of batting at number seven, all perished in the deep after aiming straight, leaving Curran to carry the can for the remainder of the innings.
(Andrew Cornaga/AP).
Downpour
He needed a bit of luck as he first fell on 14 when Duffy fired in a huge return chance, not helped by a sudden downpour that led to a 15-minute delay.
On the restart, Curran was given a new lease of life on 26 when Tim Robinson spilled a much easier medium offering into the deep.
Curran also overturned an lbw verdict against him on 30, but he claimed the New Zealand spinners’ only boundary by launching Santner over the rope before taking 19 from Duffy’s final over, including a whip from a full toss into the crowd.
Although New Zealand would have liked their chances, they received no response after a 45-minute shower.
As the rain stopped and the ground crew worked frantically, the umpires decided there was no hope of a restart.
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