Fears grow for England ahead of Champions Trophy tilt

Despite centurion Jonathan Trott’s best efforts to make up for dropping Martin Guptill on 13, England’s batsmen had no significant answer to the Kiwi opener’s 189 not out and could muster only 273 all out in reply to 359-3.

Guptill’s highest ODI score by a New Zealander, which also equalled Viv Richards’s best against England for any opposition, left the hosts with a mission improbable from the outset – albeit on a very good pitch and quick outfield.

He gave just one chance, and was curiously dropped playing the same shot on the same score off the same bowler as he was on his way to a hundred at Lord’s two days ago.

By the end of an innings in which Jade Dernbach – 10-0-87-0 – suffered most among England’s bowlers, Guptill had hit 19 fours and two sixes from 155 balls.

By comparison Trott’s 109 not out, from 104, paled – although it did feature just the third six of his prolific career at this level, a beautifully-struck straight blow back over James Franklin’s head towards the pavilion.

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum hailed the batting prowess of Guptill after watching him score back-to-back centuries at Lord’s and in Southampton.

“It’s an incredibly proud moment for us. Credit to how Martin has played in these two games,” said McCullum.

“When he’s going there are few guys around who strike the ball as cleanly as he does. Any time you score 189 in a one-day game you deserve to come out on the right side of the result.

“The way we responded after the Test series is really pleasing. When we play to our potential we are a really tough team to beat.

“When the Champions Trophy comes around we just have to make sure we play as well.”

New Zealand, who chose to bat on a sunny morning, were always on course for a big total once Guptill and Kane Williamson (55) joined forces after the early loss of opener Luke Ronchi to James Anderson.

Ronchi’s departure, bowled middle-stump stuck back in the crease to go cheaply to the hosts’ lynchpin seamer for the second time in the series, took Anderson to within one wicket of the all-time England record ODI tally of 234 held by Yorkshire’s Darren Gough.

As at Lord’s, Guptill then had his one glaring piece of good fortune off Chris Woakes – again dropped in the first-change’s first over, his pull this time put down by Trott at mid-wicket rather than Tim Bresnan at deep backward-square on Friday.

Either way, it proved an even more costly drop as Guptill and Williamson began milking the bowling in highly-advantageous conditions.

They did not need to resort to big shots early as pace and reliability in the pitch made dot balls an increasing rarity.

Williamson followed Guptill to his 50 from just 59 balls, in the first of three consecutive century stands.

Williamson’s contribution ended with an under-edge on to his stumps, trying to pull Graeme Swann, and Anderson drew level with Gough when Ross Taylor (60) tried to hit a second successive six over his favoured leg-side where Woakes held the boundary skier.

But Guptill passed his previous-best 122 not out with a straight six off Swann, parried over the line by a despairing Joe Root, and New Zealand’s graph predictably just kept going up. Captain McCullum joined in, after promoting himself one place, as he and Guptill piled on an impressive 115 runs in the last eight overs.

England needed to exceed by more than 50 their highest successful chase, and substantially surpass too the 338-8 which snatched a World Cup tie off India in Bangalore in 2011.

After a fluent opening stand of 50 between Alastair Cook and Ian Bell, they were able to match New Zealand’s run rate up to and beyond the 40-over mark.

But once Cook fell to Kyle Mills – much as Ronchi had to Anderson earlier – and then Bell miscued a simple catch to mid-off as he tried to hit Doug Bracewell over the top, the wickets column was always an uncomfortable one for the hosts.

Trott had a let-off on 14, during his half-century stand with Root, when Ronchi missed an obvious stumping chance off Nathan McCullum.

Otherwise, he proceeded at an acceptable if not necessarily match-winning tempo – but others could not successfully balance risk with reward, and provided little support.

Root did not clear long-on off McCullum; then the Kiwi captain made two golden bowling changes in as many overs, Grant Elliott striking with his second delivery when Eoin Morgan edged an attempted sweep behind and Jos Buttler poking a catch to cover off the first ball of Mitchell McClenaghan’s second spell. The remaining batsmen were up against it – and as the unequal task resulted in a rush of three wickets for six runs at one stage, defeat was confirmed with nearly six overs left.

The tourists have beaten England in seven of their last eight ODIs in this country – and with an unassailable 2-0 series lead in the bag, they have a chance to complete an unexpected whitewash at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.

n Scorecard: Page 10.