Show only key events Please enable JavaScript to use this feature 14th over: England 110-2 (Buttler 50, Livingston 1) It’s Livingston who comes in next… and he pushes for three balls to hit Sodhi. Buttler drives a single to bring up his fifty, but only two runs from taking the wicket. The New Zealand spinners took 48 off 48 balls and took two wickets along the way.
WIRELESS! Moeen Ali c Boult b Sodhi 5 (6 balls), England 108-2
Well, Moeen was there to hit the leg-spinner, so he hits the leg-spinner. A long way to go, to be fair. High into the night. But the deep middle-order pocket at the Gabba gives Trent Boult plenty of room to move around the rope and keep his system just inside the boundary, in front of a pocket of New Zealand fans. 13th over: England 108-1 (Buttler 49, Moen 5) Big moment: Ferguson comes back, quick and short and clipped by Buttler, flat to deep mid-wicket, where Daryl Mitchell bowls! He was tripping, but he was right on top of him, flapping his arms so hard he bounces. The crowd groans and cheers in equal measure. And Buttler cashes in: a flat smack on middle for four, then a tennis forehand against a slower player, reading it and waiting for it to be turned to mid-on. Add that to the limit he started with from the top, another from the bottom to the middle, and he gets 14 from the lucky one. 12th over: England 94-1 (Buttler 36, Moen 4) To Buttler, a copy of the previous over: both pitched, four reverse. This time the limit is more above average. Once Moeen goes on strike, he doesn’t try anything huge, just sinks a couple into the big gap there. He cannot defeat the point by attempting to cut it. 11th over: England 85-1 (Buttler 29, Moeen 2) Moeen sent to the crease instead of Livingstone, probably given there are spinners working. This is despite Livingston spending the drinks break running down the boundary like Rocky, swinging his bat furiously to warm up. Four singles from the over after the early boundary. And the wicket ball was not called a wide in the end, which seems… wrong, to say the least. Also great to spend the drinks break watching some characters on the video screen showing us how to use the bottle recycling machines brought to us by Aramco – from memory, the oil company responsible for 4.4% of all human carbon emissions since 1965.
WIRELESS! Hales st Conway b Santner 52 (40 balls), England 81-1
A ball after bringing up his fifty with a single to the boundary, Hales can’t survive the next mistake. Quick and very wide from Sandner, outside off the tramlines, and the charging Hales can’t quite get the leg of the bat. Conway beats him at home, and the ball is called out, but you can still get out on one of those… 10th over: England 77-0 (Buttler 27, Hales 48) More initiative from Buttler against Sodhi this time, walking on him to hit two runs down the leg, then flipping back four points. Now, when they push the singles, they do so on the basis of the over score. Ten of that. Drinks break, because of course they do. And Liam Livingstone is full. 9th over: England 67-0 (Buttler 19, Hales 46) Sudner has a change of ends with Stanley Street at his back, twinning with Sodhi, and bowls very well at the start. A quick one to beat Hales in progress, then one that turns over the edge as Hales falls behind. A couple of singles, then Hales drives two into deep cover. Another great one to support Sodhi’s. 8th over: England 61-0 (Buttler 18, Hales 41) More spin, with Ish Sodhi’s leg breaks from the Vulture Street End. Caution from Hales to start, putting a sharp single where a direct hit might have had Buttler struggling. Three runs from the over, two from the bat. 7th over: England 58-0 (Buttler 18, Hales 39) This is good England today. Lockie Ferguson comes in, bowls right-arm and Buttler knows how to deal with it. Gets into position, plays the ramp shot and sends it for a six! A few singles complete the over. 6th over: England 48-0 (Buttler 8, Hales 37) Almost a blinker from Williamson! Buttler steps back and cuts Sandner to the off side. Williamson runs back the toss and dives full length. He takes it in both hands, spills into the air and hits the ground as it lands before bouncing back into his hands while sliding forward. He gets up and signals to the referee that it might be a catch but he’s not sure. They check the replay and confirm the bobble from the grass. The most surprising thing is that England did not even make a run. Butler was just starting to leave. The over ends up costing eight runs, with a Hales pull for four. End of the Powerplay, Hales has done it brilliantly for England. 5th over: England 40-0 (Buttler 8, Hales 31) Whomp! Hales decides to hit the switch. Skips a bit to create space and Southee bats flat down the ground for a six. He misses the next ball and then cracks two in a row over cover for four! The second one is flatter and faster than the first one, jumping right over his hands. Hales drops back to make room, that’s some serious hand-eye skill as he swings through the line of these balls. Southee manages to defuse the situation from the last two balls and avoid a really huge over. 4th over: England 25-0 (Buttler 8, Hales 16) Time to tempt and test England with spin… and Mitchell Sudner is doing a great job! The left-armer drives the ball through the spear, going over it before Hales can blink. After a Buttler single, it takes four balls for Hales to get away with a leg bye. Buttler follows up with a two down the leg side. Jos Butler (right) and Alex Hales are added to the England squad. Photo: Dave Hunt/AAP Updated at 08:27 GMT 3rd over: England 21-0 (Buttler 5, Hales 16) This is what England need! A bit of audacity from Hales. The ball isn’t exactly over Boult, it’s just slightly on the fuller side, but Hales stays still, gets under it and lifts it up mid-on for four. He overturns an otherwise excellent over that has conceded just one off the first five balls. 2nd over: England 16-0 (Buttler 4, Hales 12) These are two hurdles negotiated: the opening over from each of New Zealand’s quicks. Southee is not at his best, giving Hales a shorter ball to pull away with a realistic pull shot for four. Then hit two more on the other side of the field. 1st over: England 9-0 (Buttler 3, Hales 6) Trent Boult to start, the left-hander swings the ball to the right-handed Buttler., who misses the first ball but cuts the next for three along the ground to midwicket, saved by a sliding Mitchell. “The best start to an England opener at the Gabba in the last 12 months,” comes the dry from beside me. Hales has a bit of luck with an inside edge to fine leg for four. Followed by using the full face, two runs through the cover. New Zealand’s Trent Boult unleashes a tradition. Photo: Albert Perez/Getty Images Updated at 08:24 GMT Anthems roll around the Gabba, still daylight above the ground as the teams line up in front of their flags. Feel free to drop me a line anytime tonight: email is [email protected] or @GeoffLemonSport on Twitter. A fan takes a photo of the England team as they hug for their national anthem ahead of their Men’s T20 World Cup match against New Zealand. Photo: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images Updated at 08:10 GMT
Team’s
Unchanged for England since defeat in Ireland. EnglandJos Buttler * +Alex HalesDawid MalanBen StokesHarry BrookMoeen AliLiam LivingstoneSam CurranChris WoakesAdil RashidMark Wood New ZealandFinn AllenDevon Conway +Kane Williamson *Glenn PhillipsDaryl MitchellJames NeeshamMitchell SantnerTim SoutheeIsh SodhiTrent BoultLockie Ferguson Updated at 07:48 GMT
England win the toss and bat
This is an interesting call from Jos Buttler. England often hunt so well, knowing what’s in front of them and mowing it down. But he says that by used surface they want to define a set. It may also be about avoiding Boult and Southee under lights, when the swing might be at its sharpest. That will be Butler and Hales in the middle in half an hour. England’s Jos Buttler and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson take part in the coin toss. Photo: Chris Hyde/ICC/Getty Images Updated at 08.07 GMT
Preamble
Geoff Lemon Hello everyone from a very enjoyable night at the Gabba as England’s T20 World Cup hopes hang in the balance. Heavy rain this morning had some people worried, but in Brisbane the rain tends to pass quickly and skies were clear and sunny by the afternoon. Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have just played their match without any problems and both teams for the evening game are warming up in late daylight. New Zealand can lock up top spot with a win tonight, and with the way they’ve been going, who would they be up against? If it’s not Finn Allen and Devon Conway making runs at the top of the order, it’s Tim Southee and Trent Boult destroying teams with the new ball. England, meanwhile, beat Afghanistan and lost to Ireland while avoiding Australia thanks to a “washout”. They’re a great team on paper, but they’ve looked less convincing on grass the past couple of weeks. Tonight is when they have to turn it all around. To paraphrase, fearless cricket has been the mantra of England’s modern white-ball team. It will take a few.
