Close England 193 for 6 in 40 overs (Thorpe 59*, Vaughan 59) beat New Zealand 189 in 38 overs (Cairns 58, Flintoff 4-17) by 33 runs (D/L method)
scorecard

What a difference a week makes. Seven days after being burnt alive in Wellington's Cake Tin, England turned the tables to dish out a hammering to New Zealand amid the Auckland showers. After two games, this series was dying a premature death; after four, it's alive and kicking, and Tuesday's match at Dunedin has quickly assumed the mantle of series decider. England's heroes were Michael Vaughan, who hit a stunning half-century, Graham Thorpe, who hit a busy one, and Andy Flintoff, who took four wickets and continues to make giant strides as a bowler. Suddenly New Zealand are the team with all the problems.

The England innings revolved around a partnership of 89 in 86 balls between Thorpe and Vaughan. Coming to the crease at 78 for 3 after Nick Knight had been run out for 38, Vaughan proceeded to play his best innings in blue yet. He swept Daniel Vettori powerfully in front of square, pulled Daryl Tuffey for six, and nudged Nathan Astle to fine leg. By the time the 50 partnership came up in just 53 balls, Vaughan had made 35 of them.

It isn't often an in-form Thorpe is outscored, but Vaughan just kept going. He lifted Chris Harris over extra-cover, cracked Chris Cairns straight with impeccable timing, then took three boundaries in Cairns' next over: an authoritative pull that recalled a shot off Curtly Ambrose at Lord's in 2000 and took Vaughan to his half-century from just 47 balls; a delicate glide to third man; and a kitchen-sink cut over backward point.

Then, a Bangalore-style brainstorm. Vaughan came down the track to Vettori, drove it back down the pitch, and lingered out of his crease as Vettori took aim. The throw hit the stumps but as Vaughan tried to regain his ground, he dropped his bat to bring the third umpire Billy Bowden into action. But instead of waiting for the decision, Vaughan gave himself out after one look at the replay on the giant screen. The red light flashed, but replays were inconclusive, and Vaughan's pre-emptive walk off the field might have persuaded Bowden to give him out. An innings of 59 from 53 balls was over and England were 167 for 4.

Flintoff almost immediately skied Cairns to Astle at midwicket and was out for 2 (170 for 5), but Thorpe was still there, at his persistent best despite being deprived of much of the strike, and he moved to fifty in 55 balls with a wild cut for four off Astle. Rain then limited play to just six balls in the next two hours, and on the resumption England were left with 13 balls to face: they scored 12 for the loss of Paul Collingwood, stumped off Harris for 4 (185 for 6).

Earlier, Trescothick had fallen for his second duck of the series, scooping the third ball of the innings from Tuffey to Cairns at mid-on (0 for 1). Nasser Hussain played frantically for little reward, slashing and missing his way to 17 off 34 balls before he was put out of his misery by an awful leg-before decision by Tony Hill. It was too high and missing off by about four inches, but it was enough to give Cairns his 150th wicket on his 150th one-day appearance (40 for 2).

When Knight, who had already top-edged Cairns over backward point for six, paid the price for a breakdown in communication with Thorpe and was run out by the length of the pitch, England were 78 for 3 and in a tight corner. Then Vaughan turned on the style.

Duckworth/Lewis decreed that New Zealand would have to chase 223 in 40 overs – 30 more runs than England had made – but they got off to a terrible start. Chris Nevin, on 8, nibbled at Matthew Hoggard and was well held by Marcus Trescothick's shiny red gloves (9 for 1); Brendon McCullum fell for 5 when he slogged Hoggard to Vaughan in the covers (16 for 2). And it was 42 for 3 when Stephen Fleming cut the deserving Darren Gough straight to Vaughan, who was the squarer of two gullies, to fall for 8.

Craig McMillan could have been out five times before he finally departed for 10, edging Flintoff to Knight at second slip (58 for 4). Astle cut Flintoff to third man, where Gough leapt as if from a trampoline to cling on two-handed above his head. Astle had made 23 (60 for 5) and Flintoff fell to his knees in mock-prayer. And the innings was in complete tatters at 86 for 6 after Lou Vincent top-edged Flintoff to Hoggard at long-leg and departed for a 25-ball 7 that included a six off Flintoff over extra-cover.

But while Cairns, dropped by Knight at slip off Flintoff for 1, was still there, and on a pitch with temptingly short square boundaries, New Zealand weren't quite out of it. He drove Collingwood straight for four, cut his next ball for four more, and soon after lifted him effortlessly for a straight six. England were sweating slightly when Cairns drove Ashley Giles for six over extra-cover, and they fidgeted uneasily when Chris Harris deposited him into the crowd at midwicket.

Cairns moved to a run-a-ball half-century, but Harris soon fell for 23, flicking White to Flintoff at midwicket (153 for 7). And England virtually sealed things when Collingwood bowled Cairns for 58. Daniel Vettori, on 4, skewed Gough to Hoggard at fine-leg (181 for 9) and it was all over when Flintoff bowled Tuffey middle stump for 5 to complete career-best figures of 7-1-17-4. Tuesday couldn't come quickly enough.

Teams
New Zealand 1 Chris Nevin (wk), 2 Nathan Astle, 3 Brendon McCullum, 4 Stephen Fleming (capt), 5 Craig McMillan, 6 Lou Vincent, 7 Chris Cairns, 8 Chris Harris, 9 Andre Adams, 10 Daniel Vettori, 11 Daryl Tuffey.

England 1 Marcus Trescothick (wk), 2 Nick Knight, 3 Nasser Hussain (capt), 4 Graham Thorpe, 5 Michael Vaughan, 6 Paul Collingwood, 7 Andrew Flintoff, 8 Craig White, 9 Ashley Giles, 10 Darren Gough, 11 Matthew Hoggard.

Lawrence Booth is assistant editor of Wisden.com. You can read his reports on England in New Zealand throughout the tour.

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