World Cup Cricket: Southee, McCullum floor England

Wellington, Feb 20:

A stunning display of swing bowling from New Zealand’s Tim Southee ripped through England while Brendon McCullum produced a scintillating batting performance to send England crashing to a humiliating 8-wicket loss in just 12.2 overs at the

Southee’s 7/33 – New Zealand’s best bowling in One-Day Internationals (ODIs), four of his wickets clean bowled – set the co-hosts on track for a comprehensive victory at the Westpac Stadium.

Southee’s figures are the best by a New Zealander in World Cup history and the third best by any bowler in the tournament’s 11 editions.

England batsmen virtually staged a procession as they came and went back to the pavilion in quick succession. Only Joe Root (46) put on some sort of a resistance.

The procession was started by Ian Bell (8) in the fifth over when he was castled by Southee and ended in the 34th over when Root was caught in the deep.

McCullum then drove the nail into the England coffin scoring a World Ccup record 18-ball 50 to clinch victory in just 12.2 overs.

The fifty was brought up with the first of the four sixes in a row off Finn, which also struck a sponsor’s car, and McCullum kept launching him with fearsome power over the off side.

McCullum eventually fell to Woakes for a 39-ball 77 before Ken Willaimson and Ross Taylor knocked off the required runs to seal the win.

(IANS)