England debutant Gus Atkinson took four wickets as the hosts hammered New Zealand by 95 runs in the second T20I at Old Trafford on Friday.
The fast bowler finished with excellent figures of 4-20 – the best by an England debutant at this level – and wrapped up the game by taking three wickets in an over as New Zealand, set a stiff chase of 199, collapsed to 103 all out.
Victory left T20 world champions England 2-0 ahead in the four-match series, this win following their equally emphatic seven-wicket success at Chester-le-Street on Wednesday.
Jonny Bairstow and Harry Brook laid the foundations for Friday’s overwhelming result.
Bairstow batted through the innings for 86* and Brook made a dashing 67 in England’s 198-4.
An elated Atkinson told the BBC: “I didn’t know those were the best figures by an England bowler on T20 debut – that’s lovely to hear.”
He added: “I’ve sorted out my run-up, I’m running in a bit harder and that’s giving me the confidence to put in a bit more effort.”
England captain Jos Buttler hailed the paceman’s display by saying: “He did exactly what we wanted from him on debut – he bowled with great pace, great line.”
Bairstow and Brook put on 131 for the third wicket in just 65 balls after Buttler won the toss.
Bairstow struck eight fours and four sixes in 60 balls faced.
Brook, controversially omitted from reigning champions England’s squad for the upcoming 50-over World Cup in India, struck fives sixes in his 36-ball innings.
Buttler, who labelled Bairstow’s innings as “fantastic”, said: “Harry Brook is playing brilliantly well, the way he played tonight and the other night, all credit must go to him. There’s a lot of noise around the World Cup and him not being in that squad at the moment, but for him to just go and play the way he does – he’s no different in the dressing room.”
New Zealand captain Tim Southee conceded 23 runs in one over, with the paceman returning figures of 1-48.
“England played brilliantly, the way Brooky came out really took it to us,” said Southee. “We were probably a bit off with the ball, which makes it hard for our batters to chase down on that wicket.”
New Zealand were never in the hunt, Tim Seifert top-scoring with 39 in an innings where just two other batsmen – Glenn Phillips (22) and Mark Chapman (15) – reached double figures
They slumped to 8-2, with Devon Conway chipping Atkinson to Liam Livingstone at deep square leg to give the 25-year-old quick his first international wicket.
Phillips launched something of a recovery before leg-spinner Adil Rashid (2-18) had him caught on the boundary by Brook.
Seifert fell when he sliced Atkinson high into the Manchester sky before wicketkeeper Buttler held a steepling catch.
Southee and Lockie Ferguson were also dismissed in the same Atkinson over – the 14th – as England sealed another dominant display.
The series continues at Edgbaston on Sunday.
© Agence France-Presse
