England canter to ODI thrashing

A lukewarm batting display has cost New Zealand dearly in Wednesday's second ODI against England, going down by six wickets.

Setting the English a paltry target of 224 for victory, the Black Caps did their best with the ball but simply couldn't stem the flow of runs.

While Jason Roy and Joe Root were removed early - both by paceman Trent Boult - the remaining English batsmen did the job with ease.

Opener Jonny Bairstow struck a respectable 37 before captain Eoin Morgan and allrounder Ben Stokes - hitting 62 and 63 respectively - guided their side home. They reached their target with more than 12 overs remaining.

In the end, the Tauranga match was defined by poor Kiwi batting. Down and out at 6-108 before the 30-over mark, the Kiwis looked set to implode at the Bay Oval and hand the English a cruisy run chase.

But a solid 38 from allrounder Colin de Grandhomme and stunning 63 not out from Mitch Santner - including six boundaries and a six - kept the match alive, with New Zealand bowled out in the final over for 223.

Until Santner and de Grandhomme's efforts, the Kiwi run rate rarely ticked over four an over, with Colin Munro, Ross Taylor and Mark Chapman going cheaply.

Bizarrely, four Black Caps fell to run-outs from clinical English fielding - Taylor, de Grandhomme, stand-in skipper Tim Southee and Boult.

Martin Guptill hit 50 from 87 balls before being snared by Moeen Ali.

Kane Williamson did not play due to a hamstring niggle.

The two teams will go to Wellington for this weekend's third ODI with one win apiece, before the fourth and fifth ODIs in Dunedin and Christchurch.

The Black Caps won last weekend's first ODI by three wickets.

"We scrapped through to something we could bowl at, but it's never easy when you hand the opposition four run-outs," Southee said.

"The effort from the bowlers was top drawer to keep coming, keep trying.

"But the way they played, they were too good today."

The loss ends the Caps' nine-match ODI winning streak.

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Mark Chapman, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wk), Henry Nicholls, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitch Santner, Tim Southee (c), Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.

England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (c), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Tom Curran