2nd T20I to be played at the same venue on Monday (Images via AP) Relentless rain spoiled the opening T20 International between New Zealand and England as the match was abandoned without a result at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday. England posted 153/6 in their 20 overs after being sent in to bat, but deteriorating conditions meant New Zealand never got the chance to start their chase.With two games remaining in the series, both sides will now look to regroup ahead of Monday’s second leg at the same venue. England’s top order found it difficult to score on a pitch that offered grip and some bounce. The visitors slipped to 81/5 in the 12th over when skipper Jos Buttler, who had been holding the innings together, was caught in the deep for 29. Earlier, Jacob Bethell and Harry Brook started briefly but were unable to convert them into substantial scores. All-rounder Sam Curran then leveled England’s innings with an unbeaten 49 off 35 balls. Mixing aggression with control, he led the side through the middle overs and finished strongly, often finding the boundary in the last few overs. The last over, bowled by Jacob Duffy, went for 19 runs in a late burst that took England past 150 and gave them a competitive total to defend. Rain interrupted play briefly when England were 110/5 in the 17th over, causing a half-hour delay. As the match resumed, Curran and Jordan Cox added valuable runs to take the visitors to 153 before the innings ended.
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For New Zealand, captain Mitchell Santner led with the ball from the front, producing a tight spell of one for 20 from four overs. The rest of the bowling unit maintained discipline, sharing the wickets and limiting England’s scoring options for most of the innings. However, just as the hosts prepared to begin their chase, the rain returned and never let up, forcing the umpires to call off the contest.
