A superb, unbeaten 83 runs by Jonny Bairstow helped England beat New Zealand in the final ODI by three wickets via the Duckworth/Lewis-method, and secure the series 3-2 on Saturday.

Bairstow was a late replacement for the injured Jos Buttler, but he proved his worth and grabbed the opportunity with both hands as England chased 192 in just 26 overs.

The victory wasn’t clear-cut as the home side struggled in their chase early on, the top order failing miserably as Eoin Morgan and his batsmen succumbed to 45-5 after just eight overs.

Bairstow, together with Sam Billings (41), shared a sixth-wicket partnership of 80 runs as they consolidated the innings before Adil Rashid joined him on 138-7.

Together they took England home as the home side completed their impressive ODI resurgence after a string of poor results that started at the World Cup.

Bairstow’s 83 runs came off just 60 balls as he staked a claim for his future inclusion in the ODI team.

Earlier New Zealand had posted 283-9 in 50 overs, but a rain interruption reduced England’s innings to just 26 overs and a reduced target of 192.

Martin Guptill top-scored with 67, while there were also notable contributions by Kane Williamson (50), Ross Taylor (47), Grant Elliot (35) and Ben Wheeler (39 not out).

Ben Stokes was the pick of the England bowlers with figures of 3-52, while Steven Finn, David Willey and Rashid claimed two wickets each.

England will now shift their attention to the impending Ashes series against Australia which starts on 8 July.

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