Key events
TICKET OFFICE! England 24-1 (Buttler v Santner b Duffy 4)
This Hagley Oval pitch looks better for batting than on Saturday. Salt climbs into a wide ball from Jacob Duffy, blasting it to the offside side for four, then goes over the keeper’s head for another boundary.
After taking off with a scorching drive at cover for four, Buttler charges at Duffy and sends the ball high to Santner at mid-off. He must wait for the third referee to check if there is any ball. It’s very tight and the angles aren’t great, but eventually the third umpire decides it’s a fair delivery and Buttler is on his way.
1st over: England 11-0 (Salt 11, Buttler 0) Phil Salt sets the agenda by hitting Henry’s second ball over midwicket for six. I mean, why not? A slip behind square brings four more on the next ball. Good start for England.
And… actions
The weather is nice at the moment, as Simon said, and the brilliant Matt Henry is about to open the bowling.
Simon Burnton
Evening/morning/whatever. Tonight could be a near-replay of Saturday – same teams, same draw result, same decision made, equally pleasant start to the evening and equally gloomy predictions for later. It looks like the rain might stop until around 11 p.m., which will allow us to play a full game, but you never know. Definitely a smaller crowd, given it’s a weeknight and all, but Hagley Oval is resplendent in the early evening sunshine and with my optimistic hat still on, it’s hard not to be a little jolly about what we have in store.
Team News
Both sides are unchanged. Following!
New Zealand Seifert (wk), Robinson, Ravindra, Chapman, Mitchell, Bracewell, Neesham, Santner (c), Jamieson, Henry, Duffy.
England Salt, Buttler (wk), Bethell, Brook (c), Banton, S Curran, Cox, Carse, Dawson, Rashid, L Wood.
New Zealand wins toss and bowl
This worked out pretty well on Saturday, so whoever won the toss was always going to go first.
Um, about the Christchurch weather forecast
It turns out opinions vary and we could be facing another rain-ruined match. It’s full spring in New Zealand, what did you expect man!
Sam Curran’s Undefeated Clever 49 This was the main positive for England in the first match. “He’s going to be there for a while, I think,” captain Harry Brook said after the match.
Preamble
Hello, hello and welcome to live, in-depth coverage of the second T20 international between New Zealand and England in Christchurch. The first match on Saturday was abandoned because It’s full spring in New Zealand, what did you expect man It’s raining, but the forecast is better tonight and we should have a full game.
The match starts at 7:15 p.m. local time, 7:15 a.m. BSTand we will have the draw and team news about half an hour before. But first, coffee.
