England blown away

Ian Bell plays on to Chris Martin, who finished with fine figures of 2-22 from eight overs

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England’s bid for a fifth successive victory on their tour of New Zealand was blown emphatically off course in the windy city.

Having won both warm-up matches against Canterbury and the two Twenty20 internationals, England went into the opening game of the one-day series in Wellington with momentum indisputably in their favour.

But they were bowled out for a meagre 130 en route to a six-wicket defeat, a crushing reverse which served as a timely reminder of the threat a hitherto poor New Zealand side pose in the limited-overs arena.

Such a lowly target was never likely to inconvenience the hosts, however poorly they had played earlier in the week, and Brendon McCullum hit a run-a-ball 42 to propel them to a morale-boosting victory with 20 overs to spare.

The destructive batting which marked England’s Twenty20 victories was replaced by a tentative and ill-conceived approach in the face of a tremendously disciplined bowling display from the Black Caps.

A sluggish pitch - in marked contrast to the surfaces in Auckland and Christchurch - suited the New Zealand attack perfectly, and medium-pacer Scott Styris, in particular, exploited it to the full.

His figures of 2-22 off 10 overs were his most economical in 143 one-day internationals, and Chris Martin and Jeetan Patel claimed two wickets apiece at minimal cost, but England’s precipitous slide from 34 without loss also included three eminently avoidable run-outs.

Alastair Cook falls cheaply to spark England's worrying slide in Wellington © Getty Images

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Phil Mustard’s laboured 31 at the top of the order remained the highest contribution by an England batsman, and there was no better indication of the immaculate lines maintained by the New Zealand bowlers that they conceded only seven fours in the innings.

Mustard and Alastair Cook’s opening stand, which was notable for the number of mistimed strokes, proved scoring would be difficult, yet there was little to suggest the tumble of wickets that was to follow.

Cook was the first of the top four batsmen to be bowled, cleaned up playing back to a Martin delivery angled in from round the wicket.

A thick inside edge off a flat-footed drive at Martin did for Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen fell in similar fashion as he attempted to work Jacob Oram through midwicket, and Mustard overbalanced to be bowled through the gate by Styris.

A combination of Paul Collingwood’s nonchalance and Owais Shah’s lack of awareness saw the former run out for 12, beaten by Ross Taylor’s diving stop and throw from mid-on after Shah sent his partner back.

Ravi Bopara was distraught to pull a Styris long hop straight to Peter Fulton at deep midwicket, and a lunging Graeme Swann failed to regain his ground after Shah had turned down another single. Jamie How took the plaudits this time for a smart piece of fielding at backward point.

Brendon McCullum goes aerial as New Zealand race towards a target of 131 © Getty Images

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It came as little surprise, therefore, when Shah was run out for 20 as Stuart Broad called him through for a quick single, and Ryan Sidebottom’s tame dismissal - gifting Patel the simplest of return catches - summed up the feeble nature of England’s efforts.

That James Anderson was bowled by Patel with two balls of the innings remaining mattered little.

McCullum and Jesse Ryder’s opening stand of 61 in New Zealand’s reply contained as many fours as the entire England team managed in almost 50 overs.

They also struck a six each, Ryder flicking Anderson imperiously over deep square-leg and McCullum driving Sidebottom over wide mid-on in more muscular fashion.

Ryder was dropped by Swann at short midwicket off Sidebottom when he had made 22, but he managed only nine more before pulling the persevering Broad, who finished with 3-26, to substitute fielder Luke Wright on the midwicket fence.

Though Broad had McCullum taken down the leg side by Mustard to reduce New Zealand to 83 for two, the muted celebrations of the England fielders said everything about their prospects of victory.

The departure of How - caught behind driving at Sidebottom - and Styris, who top-edged Broad to fine-leg, in the space of 10 balls as New Zealand approached the finish line merely delayed their crossing of it.