Malan, Moeen main article England’s victory to seal the series

Moeen Ali (4-50) led a solid bowling effort from the hosts as they achieved a comfortable 100-run victory against New Zealand in the fourth and final ODI match after Dawid Malan 114-ball 127 had set England up towards a competitive score. By virtue of this outcome, England successfully won the series 3-1 after falling down the first match 0-1 overall.

On a slowing Lord’s surface, the target of 312 was always going to be challenging, and for New Zealand to be in contention, the first PowerPlay needed to get off to a solid start. Unfortunately, Will Young failed to convert yet another start in the series, while Devon Conway suffered another defeat after losing to an errant run out. The English bowlers were methodical and adhered to the fundamentals by bowling nagging lines and lengths. The only batter in the top order, Henry Nicholls, was able to maintain some momentum throughout his innings, but his teammates’ inability to advance the score added to the strain on him.

As the ball grew older, Moeen and Liam Livingstone tightened the scoring rate. The latter finally received the significant victories over Nicholls and New Zealand captain Tom Latham. Glenn Phillips lost control quickly, and the pursuit descended from there. In the chase, New Zealand never gave the impression that they were in charge, and as wickets kept falling, the outcome was already decided before the game even concluded. Rachin Ravindra, who had previously scored four runs with the ball, tossed his bat around for his first fifty, although it did nothing more than narrow the margin of defeat.

Malan’s century earlier in the day stood out in the middle of an uneven batting display from England. The southpaw opener from the home team’s lineup appeared to be the most at ease on a two-paced surface, and his hit kept the inning together even if his partners were unable to build on their starts. Malan received vital partnership assistance from Joe Root and Jos Buttler, but neither player was performing at their peak. Particularly Root, who appeared exceptionally tense in the middle, was dismissed just as he was finding his rhythm. Additionally, Jos Buttler lost his footing just as England was about to shift into high gear.

A wave of injuries in the first hour of the game cost New Zealand dearly, with Tim Southee being the most significant casualty. After the initial four-over burst, the seasoned pacer didn’t come back to bowl, and Ben Lister and Daryl Mitchell later suffered injuries. As the visitors struggled to use their assistance bowlers to complete the innings, the left-arm seamer was unable to complete his entire allotment as well. A slowing surface let Latham to bowl Mitchell more often, and Mitchell also took a few wickets. Latham made good use of his resources.

Since they continued losing wickets and even the established hitters like Liam Livingstone couldn’t force the pace, England was never able to put that final flurry into their innings. Despite having few resources, New Zealand’s bowlers did a commendable job of remaining steadfast, and Ravindra’s four-fer was by far the most significant period of all.

The young player had amazing fortitude in his spell and made good use of the circumstances despite having lost the previous game. After Malan was out, England lost control and, if not for David Willey and Brydon Carse’s cameos, would have concluded with fewer than 300 runs. In the end, the result turned out to be more than adequate.

Briefly, England defeated New Zealand by 100 runs, scoring 311/9 in 50 overs (Dawid Malan 127; Rachin Ravindra 4-60); Henry Nicholls 41; Moeen Ali 4-50;