England have begun their T20 series with New Zealand with a dominant seven-wicket victory in Durham.
Ahead of the limited overs matches against the Black Caps, England would have been hopeful of showcasing their ability in the upcoming fixtures.
However, they may not have expected to have won so comfortably on Wednesday, initially restricting New Zealand to 139-9 before pummelling 143 off 14 overs for the loss of just three wickets.
New Zealand had started solid enough, putting on 25 for the opening wicket, but there were wickets at regular intervals as each of Brydon Carse and Luke Wood impressed.
Glenn Phillips made a spirited 41 off 38 balls to keep the tourists competitive, but Carse and Wood would end with excellent figures of 3-23 and 3-37 respectively.
Dawid Malan reaches 50 in style 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ILixH3z5gs
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 30, 2023
When Jonny Bairstow (4) was removed second ball, New Zealand would have felt in the ascendency, yet Will Jacks and Dawid Malan quickly took the game away from them.
Jacks hit 22 from just 12 deliveries, while Malan produced an impactful knock of 54 runs from 42 balls, hitting five fours and two maximums.
The win would be completed by Harry Brook - a player with a point to prove after being left out of the 50-over World Cup plans - as he hit 43 from just 27 deliveries, while Liam Livingstone also added 10 from four balls.
