New Zealand v England: Stuart Broad delight at T20 series triumph

England Twenty20 captain Stuart Broad was buoyant after his charges soared to a sensational 10-wicket victory over New Zealand, to clinch a 2-1 series triumph.

Broad, who took 3-15 as the tourists restricted the home side to 139-8 in their 20 overs, claimed that he “can’t remember a much more powerful performance from an England side”, who struck nine sixes in their dominant run chase.

“It was key for us to reclaim some confidence here,” said Broad. “We bowled well and held our lengths early and the way we chased down those runs was pretty spectacular.

“There was no panic button pressed [after the second match]. We had a bad day but that can happen in sport. We worked on the areas we thought needed improving and today we came and put it right.’

Alex Hales (80 from 42 balls), whose stand of 143 with Michael Lumb (53 from 34 balls) was England’s best-ever opening partnership in the format, praised the bowlers for facilitating victory.

“I thought our bowlers were outstanding from the start,” he said. “They never let them get away from us and made the batsmen’s job very easy.

“I’m happy I managed to contribute. In Twenty20, once you get away you can get into a stride and if you back yourself you can really take a bowler down.”

England now have just two days to prepare for a three-match ODI series, but Broad, who will recede to the ranks as Alastair Cook returns as captain, believes the side will benefit from two impressive T20 victories on this tour.

“It’s a quick turnaround but I’m sure we’ll be fully switched on for that. We want to win all three series and we’ve ticked one of them off.”

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