ENG v NZ, Fourth ODI, Bristol: New Zealand win last ball thriller against England (1:2)
June 25, 2008
New Zealand won a dramatic last-ball victory to beat England by one wicket in the fourth one-day international at The Oval here Wednesday to take an unbeatable 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
With two needed off the final ball, last man Mark Gillespie hit Luke Wright to extra-cover.
But Graeme Swann's fierce throw to the bowler's end wasn't backed up by several England fielders - had he lobbed it in, Gillespie might have been run out by a distance - and this allowed New Zealand the winning second on the over-throw as they reached their target of 246.
Kyle Mills was 25 not out off just 27 balls.
The match threatened to be overshadowed by controversy when New Zealand, closing in on victory, saw Grant Elliott run out after what appeared an accidental shoulder charge by England quick bowler Ryan Sidebottom, who'd veered off a straight course in an attempt to regather the ball.
With Elliott flat out, Ian Bell threw to Kevin Pietersen at the bowler's end and Elliott was dismissed with New Zealand 220 for eight in the 44th over.
Although England captain Paul Collingwood could have withdrawn the appeal and there is also provision within the laws for the umpires to call dead ball in the event of a serious injury, Elliott was ruled run out.
That England made as many as 245 owed much to Owais Shah's 63. Together with Ravi Bopara (58) he put on 75 for the fifth wicket.
ENG v NZ, Fourth ODI, Kennington Oval: New Zealand 246 for 9 (50.0 overs) beat England 245 all out (49.4 overs) by 1 wicket
The 2009 ICC World Twenty20 is a Twenty20 cricket tournament scheduled to take place in England in June of 2009. It will be the second World Twenty20 and will consist of 12 teams, contested by all Test-playing nations plus qualifiers (Ireland, Netherlands and Scotland)
The Champions Twenty20 League, formed with the official sanction of ICC will kick off in October 2008. Eight domestic teams from four nations will participate. Cricket Australia will partner the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket South Africa (CSA). The champion team in the Champions Twenty20 league will get US $5 million, which is the highest ever prize money for a cricket event.
