It looked, just for a moment, as though Ben Stokes had turned this thrilling game — his first back after exactly five months away — in England’s direction, just as it was slipping away. He lived up to his game-changing reputation, but it all proved too little, too late. New Zealand have a hard-earned 1-0 lead, and victory in Mount Maunganui on Wednesday will equal their record winning streak in one-day internationals: ten. England had hoped that Stokes would ease himself back in with a single spell of bowling, but plenty of batting. He underwhelmed with the bat, scratching out 12 from 22 balls, but bowled well, hitting 88mph in his first over and conceding just 15 in his initial four-over burst.

Source: The Times February 26, 2018 00:04 UTC