England v NZ LIVE

6.25pm And that is that. England all out for 215 as Anderson steers Gillespire to point. The Pietersen Era begins with a 51-run defeat. And it looked so promising after 30 overs of their innings and 20 of ours. New Zealand, as they have all series, were England's betters with bat and ball.

Geoff Boycott, like a rat leaving a sinking ship, was keen to get out before the rush. As the 48th over began he came dashing past in coat and hat with bag in hand, no doubt eager to reach the Tube station before everyone else. Sadly for Boycs, the final wicket fell as he stepped into the lift and it looks as if he will be mobbed by the hordes pouring out of the Compton and Edrich stands.

On another positive note: Andy Murray has just won at Wimbledon. Thanks to those who popped by this afternoon to read this blog and to both of you who left comments. If anyone else has a view on the game or series, do let me know.

6.15pm WICKET, Eng 209-9. With four overs to go and England needing 58, Shah has to attack but is caught at long off by James Marshall off Southee. Yeah, sure, his wicket-taking has been useful, but New Zealand would have been defending barely 220 if it wasn't for Styris - and his runs won the previous ODI, too. End can't be far away now.

6.05pm Breaking news: the man of the series, as voted for by the massed gentlemen of the press, is Tim Southee, who has taken 12 wickets. Personally, I went for Styris, who has made 60 runs more than the next best Kiwi batsman this series, but was outvoted. Asking rate now almost 13 an over.

6.02pm WICKET, Eng 186-8. Answer to the question below: no. Broad pulls at Mills and is caught by Flynn just inside the square-leg boundary. Meanwhile, Andy Murray has won the third set at Wimbledon.

6pm Shah gets to 50 off 63 balls with a driven single off Southee but the asking rate is approaching two runs per ball. KP said yesterday that if England were to beat New Zealand they needed someone to make a big score. Pietersen's hundred in the first match aside, few batsmen have really threatened this series. Shah is heading that way but will he be given the support?

5.50pm Vettori finishes his bowling and what a spell it was: 10-1-32-3. One captain has grabbed this game by the scruff of the neck and shaped it to his will and it isn't KP. England now need more than 11 an over.

5.45pm WICKET, Eng 164-7. Eleven overs to go and the asking rate is creeping towards ten an over. England's slender hopes will not have been helped by the dismissal of Swann for 12, swiping Kyle Mills to leg, the ball took a deflection off his glove and was brilliantly held two-handed by McCullum, diving to his left. A superb catch, that. In comes Stuart Broad, who we know can bat a bit. Owais Shah is not out on 40. He will need to make fifty more very quickly if England are to come close.

5.25pm WICKET, Eng 138-6. With 15 overs still to be played, things could hardly be worse for England. And it looked so good only an hour and a half ago. Tim Ambrose is the sixth man to go, cutting Vettori to the sub, James Marshall, at gully. Ambrose has had a horrid series, his two runs today giving him ten in four completed innings. Coupled with that dropped catch at the start of the day, it may be worth going back to Matt Prior for the South African part of the summer.

5.10pm WICKET, Eng 130-5. Looking grimmer. Wright is bowled by Vettori for six, trying and failing to cut. We're running out of chances here. Oh and Murray lost the second set, too. bah.

5.05pm Take my eyes off the tennis for 20 minutes and somehow Andy Murray has turned a winning position in the second set into a worrying one. How refreshingly British. From being a break up he has been taken to a tie-break.

Back to Lord's and England need to steo on the gas soon. The asking rate is 7.5 an over and Shah and Wright are struggling to hit Vettori and Styris off the square. 123 for four after 31, about par with what New Zealand were but do we have someone who can hit out for ten overs as Styris did?

4.50pm Thanks to Zane Mac for his comment on yesterday's thread, suggesting that England should make KP their full-time captain. "Don't make the same mistake as Australia did in not appointing Warne," he says. Not that Ponting or Steve Waugh were all that much of a failure as Australia captain...

4.45pm WICKET, Eng 101-4. Bopara uppercuts Southee for four to take England to 98. Then, the next over, he pushes Vettori for the single that takes England to 100 in 146 balls. They have got to the mark about two overs quicker than New Zealand did. However, after Shah quickly takes a single, Bopara is then clean bowled by the New Zealand captain. A nothing sort of shot there from Bopara who has been looking so good. Things bleaker for England now.

Over at Wimbledon, Andy Murray is a break up in the second set.

4.27pm WICKET, Eng 86-3. Pietersen is gone for six, cutting Southee hard but safely into the hands of Oram at gully. Pietersen stands his ground, not in dissent but in sheer disappointment. His first match as captain, many of his family have come from South Africa for the occasion, and he has flopped. England's revival is set back a stage. Time for Owais Shah and Bopara to build a big partnership.

4.25pm Bopara is motoring. It takes some going to come in after KP and accelerate past him but Rav the Chav is up to 20 already (Pietersen on six) with some superb strokes. A hard-cut four off Oram, and later a straight drive and a sumptuous pull, both of which found the boundary. England move on to 86-2 and Andy Murray has won his first set.

4.10pm Things looking up a little. Andy Murray has gone a break up on Tommy Haas at Wimbledon and the afternoon cake has arrived in the press box (chocolate and lemon - it would be wrong not to have one of each). Meanwhile Bopara has smacked a lovely four to mid-wicket off Southee, taking England to 69-2 off 16. Still need just under six an over hereon.

4pm WICKET, Eng 60-2. On comes Tim Southee and gets an almost immediate breakthrough. With his second ball, he clips the toe of Cook's bat and it is taken low by McCullum. Cook out for 24 and suddenly this game is not looking so straightforward for England.

3.55pm Pietersen has been on a miserable run of form since his hundred in the first ODI of this series. Just 17 runs in the next three innings. Needs something impressive today. He gets off the mark with a couple to mid-wicket off Oram, managing to avoid ramming his bat into the bowler's ribcase as he stands a bit too close to Pietersen's running channel.

There must be a crowd of Lee McQueen fans below the press box as a loud chorus of "now that's what I'm talking abahhht" breaks out. Those who didn't see this summer's series of The Apprentice won't get that.

3.46pm WICKET, Eng 53-1. Spoke, as usual, far too soon. The admirable Gillespie dismisses Bell for 27. Bell strode forwards, missed an inswinger and there can be disputing the decision to give him out leg-before. But that brings to the wicket Cap'n KP to a decent burst of applause. Let's see what mark he can put on the game.

3.45pm Eight off Mills's fifth over, with Bell tucking him off his hips for four and then biffing another four through cover. Bell is up to 24 now, which given his usual go-so-far-and-no-further approach to cricket means he is about halfway through his innings. Oram comes on to bowl the eleventh over; Cook takes four backward of square off his fourth ball to bring up the England 50 off 66 balls. All looking comfortable at the moment. England have had eight fours so far and are starting much more brightly than New Zealand were.

3.30pm Eight overs in and England are doing well, 35-0 and few causes for alarm although Bell just played and missed at a ball from Gillespie, who has looked the pick of the New Zealand openers today, giving up only four scoring strokes in four overs.

3.15pm OK, England's turn. Welcome back any of you who have made it back, England are four overs into their reply and Cook and Bell have taken the score to 18 without loss, chasing 267. It has taken them a bit less time to find the boundary rope than it did New Zealand and as I type Cook has just creamed Kyle Mills for four through mid-wicket, the fourth boundary of the innings so far.

2.15pm Final over and New Zealand stretch their total to 266-5. Elliott hits Broad through mid-wicket for four first ball and then nurdles a single to third man, Styris misses the third, cuts a single off the fourth, Elliott does the same to the fifth and Styris ends the innings with a four.

So that is the end of KP's first fielding innings as captain and the verdict? It was bright and lively at first but gradually, as is the tendency in 50-over games, subsided into sluggishness from which it was hard to escape when New Zealand hit out in the final ten overs. The jury is still out on whether bottom-tapping is the best way to motivate the English, but certainly this team look as if they respond to it. A bit more of it in the closing overs wouldn't have gone amiss. Most importantly, they bowled their overs in the correct amount of time. Just.

England head off for lunch, I'm going in search of a pint and I'll be back in 45. Drop any comments you have in the usual fashion.

2.10pm Suddenly 250 looks easily gettable after New Zealand take 12 off Anderson's final over, Styris cutting the last ball in front of square for six. Anderson's last two overs went for 22, which was a bit wasteful. I must say that Pietersen has not been as obviously running the game in the past hour as he was at the start. Not sure what you can do when your bowlers are sending down full tosses but the odd bottom-tap wouldn't be out of place. Ah, he's clapping his hands now. That might work.

Seven comes off the first five balls of Sidebottom's final over and then Styris launches the final ball into the second tier of the grandstand to take New Zealand to 255. The fifth 50 came in 36 balls. New Zealand are timing this final assault very well.

2.05pm As predicted in the previous post, Broad has come off after one over and is replaced by Sidebottom. Elliott gets some small revenge on his shaggy-haired assailant at the Oval last week by smiting him straight down the wicket for six first ball. Sidebottom kindly decides not to shoulder-barge him as he comes past. 228-5

1.55pm I think KP has messed up on his maths. Having brought Broad back for the 45th over, that leaves Broad with one to bowl and Anderson and Sidebottom with two each. The only way of ensuring that they all bowl their full ten would be to take Broad off now, give the 47th and 49th to Sidebottom (with Anderson having come on to bowl the 46th), and bring Broad back for the 50th. Not the neatest way of concluding an innings. Perhaps Shah (three overs for 30) had one over too many.

Meanwhile, Styris has played an aggressive shot at last, pulling Anderson for six over fine leg to bring up his 50 off 75 balls. Only three boundaries in that innings. NZ are 214 for five with four overs left.

1.50pm WICKET NZ 201-5. Field spread more wide now, with five men on the fence, but Styris can only score one run off his first five balls from Swann in the 44th over. The sensible thing for Oram to do off the last ball would have been to nip a single and prepare to attack in the 45th. Instead he hits out at and is caught by Broad on the long off rope. Silly shot, but Styris was clearly frustrating his team-mate. In comes Elliott, who you might say has some scores to settle with England. Maybe KP should bring on Sidebottom immediately?

1.45pm Seven overs to go and New Zealand are on 200, helped by Oram on-driving two sixes off Shah, the second of which was enormous and brought up his 50 off 37 balls. Oram is more than capable of reaching 100 in the remaining time and with Vettori, Elliott and Mills still to come in, plus solid old Styris doing his Kirk Douglas impersonation at the other end, New Zealand are looking good.

1.35pm New Zealand got out of jail just now as Styris, after an interminable wait for the third umpire, survived an appeal for stumping off Swann. Watching all the replays it really did seem as though his toe was on but not behind the line, which should have earned him the raised finger, but the TV umpire showed leniency. So that is 40 overs down and New Zealand are 170-4. 250 is a distant but not impossible target, which seems slightly on the low side.

1.30pm The first reverse sweep of the day as Oram tries and fails to hit Swann. The ground is packed, by the way, with only a few empty seats visible. Meanwhile, here's an interesting move: KP has brought Owais Shah on to bowl the 39th over. It will speed up the over-rate even if it does nothing else.

KP is desperate not to be fined for slow play, which raises an interesting idea. How about, instead of fining sides for slow over-rates, rewarding them for being quick? Knowing KP's love of money, he'd probably ensure that we rattle through 50 overs in three hours dead if it meant a bit of extra dough.

1.25pm The past 20 minutes passed without much to say. New Zealand just pootled along as they have all innings. Styris has brought up the 150, cutting Wright for four - only the ninth boundary of the innings. The third fifty came in 60 balls, but it has seemed slower than that.

Suddenly, though, Jacob Oram decides to chance his arm and has a swing at Wright's fifth ball. The ball sails over Sidebottom at long on for New Zealand's second six. 161-4 off 37 overs. Sidebottom, Anderson and Broad each have two overs to bowl, which means that seven will have to come from Wright, Swann and Bopara.

1.05pm Thanks to Oscar the Grouch, who has sent a couple of comments from his dustbin. The bottom-patting has died down a bit now, you'll be glad to know, perhaps because once the field restrictions were removed everyone was desperate to get away from KP's wandering hands. You are right to wonder what would happen if he tried that on Andrew Symonds - it was, of course, Harbhajan's pat on Brett Lee's pert cheeks that caused such a row during the winter. Meanwhile, KP has taken Ravi off after only one over and brought Sidebottom back. 128-4.

1pm WICKET, NZ 124-4. With the second ball of the 32nd over, Swann has his first wicket. Daniel Flynn not sure whether to drive or cut at the ball and it passed by his outside edge on the way to hitting middle and off. Flynn out for 35 off 54 balls, the top scorer so far. New Zealand still have some danger men, of course, and none more capable of upping the tempo than the tall chap who has just strode out, Jacob Oram.

12.55pm 117-3 and time for another bowling change. Ravi Bopara gets his first bowl of the day and after three dots, Flynn manages to whip him away to leg for four, which brings up the fifty partnership for the fourth wicket. It's taken 73 balls and that was only the third four they have made between them, but just staying in was the order of the day. With 19 overs to go they will be aiming at a total of at least 230.

12.45pm KP has set an intriguing symmetrical field for Swann's bowling with men on the boundary at a fairly wide long on and long off, plus someone at deep point and deep square leg, a short fine leg and a short third man. All very balanced and giving the batsmen something to think about. Boundaries continue to fail to make an appearance.

12.40pm Hundred up for New Zealand but it has been some time in coming. 27 overs down and only six boundaries struck so far. Pietersen's field placing has been quite shrewd, covering most of the gaps and letting pressure build through good bowling rather than crowding men around the bat. Styris has just been dropped, too, a high, hard chance attempted one-handed by Bopara. At the moment you would have to say it is advantage England.

12.30pm Well here is what you have been waiting for: the lunchtime report. And the verdict is quite good. Cold chicken, salmon, salads and vegetarian quiches. If I had one quibble it is that the plates are a bit small, but I suppose repeat visits to the table are possible. Tufnell has settled down with a copy of The Sun and is working his way through the sports section. He doesn't look happy to be up at this ungodly hour. Probably glad that he is here to do radio rather than TV.

New Zealand have advanced to 88-3 in 24 overs.

12.23pm A double change with Graeme Swann coming on at the Pavilion End to replace Broad. KP takes up his fourth fielding position of the day, this time moving into short extra cover. In fact, make that his fifth position as Styris jogs a single and so Pietersen is now at short mid-wicket to the left-handed Flynn. I expect by the end of the day to see the captain putting on pads and gloves to keep wicket to his own bowling.

12.20pm Powerplays out of the way and on comes Luke Wright for his first bowl today. I think Wright has really come on this season. Last year he was largely a batsman who could bowl a bit but now there is some real zing to bowling. He passes Flynn's edge twice in his first over by barely a whisker.

Anderson has had a very good second spell with nine runs conceded off four overs, plus a wicket. Time for a second coffee, I think. They have these rather snazzy deep mugs here with a sketch of the media centre on. The Pavilion would be prettier, but perhaps less relevant. NZ 75-3 off 21 overs.

12.10pm Another fielding change for Pietersen, who moves himself into gully for Flynn's first ball from Anderson. And it pays off - well, almost - as Flynn immediately cuts just to the right of KP for a single. Right idea, just a smidgin out. Over-rate down to about 14 an hour now, but we have had three wickets and a broken bat.

12.05pm WICKET NZ 71-3. There goes the danger man, McCullum edging Anderson to slip (Swann) for 23, scored at a remarkably restrained rate off 57 balls. Some good away movement from Jimmy there and although McCullum had only recently received a new bat, he barely needed to use it. In comes Daniel Flynn.

Meanwhile, I noticed that in the previous over KP decided to field at mid-on instead of his usual mid-off. No idea if there is anything interesting behind that, but thought I'd mention it.

Noon The lunch trolley has appeared in the media dining room behind the press box - I'll fill you in later on what is to be served when they take the lids off the Le Creusets - and we have the first casualty of the match in the shape of Brendon McCullum's bat. The Kiwi went to play a regulation semi-drive at a ball from Stuart Broad and the blade of the bat snapped clear in two.

"That's the sign of a bat that has been kept for too long in a dry place," is the wise opinion of Mike Atherton as he reached for a ginger snap. Meanwhile, a familiar figure has emerged from the lift. Dishevelled (in fact I'd wager he has never been hevelled), stubbly, squinting a bit in the light. He looks for all the world as if he has just emerged from bed. Yes, it's Phil Tufnell.

11.45am WICKET NZ 54-2. Broad strikes again, a regulation snick behind by Ross Taylor on four and Tim Ambrose makes no mistake this time. Again Pietersen breaks up the huddle before the next batsman, Scott Styris, reaches the gate.

11.40am Anderson has switched ends. Having started at the Pavilion End, he has now replaced Ryan Sidebottom from the Nursery. Steady progress from McCullum and Taylor for NZ takes them to the 50 in the thirteenth over. KP has his field well spread, with just one slip and everyone else on the edge of the circle or, in the case of the two permitted boundary fielders, at third man and square leg.

11.30am WICKET NZ 39-1. Too much drama. In the space of five balls from Stuart Broad we have had the first four of the innings, the first six and the first wicket. Jamie How really should have been out when he got the six, pulling away backwards of square. Jimmy Anderson ran round from fine leg but was clearly worried about his footing near the boundary rope and made a mess of the attempted catch. He would have been better off knocking it down and saving four runs than trying to catch it.

But the very next ball, How cut hard to point and Ravi Bopara held a low catch to cue much bottom-patting all round from Cap'n KP and the first of no doubt many group huddles. Interestingly, and true to his word yesterday, KP broke up the huddle as soon as the new batsman arrived so that everyone was in position early. Perhaps that is why the over-rate at the moment is above 15 an hour.

11.20am Thanks to Martyd from CricketActionArt for sending in the first of what may end up being literally handfuls of comments today. Keep them coming. I don't know what Boycs settled for in the end but there was a fine selection of biscuits - I've gone for something billed as a "Fruit Shrewsbury" - and I have high hopes of a decent luncheon. There are plenty of burger vans around if Boycs really gets peckish.

KP has just made his first mistake of the day, diving over the top of a ball driven by Jamie How rather than stopping it. As he got mournfully to his feet, the England captain looked around for someone to pat his bottom in comfort but no one offered, not even Ian Bell. It must be tough being a bottom-patting Saffer in a team of stiff upper lipped Poms.

11.15am Seven overs in, New Zealand 23-0, and our first bit of drama. Jamie How swung round to hook Jimmy Anderson and instead sent the ball heading skywards, so high that it was forming icicles as it began the descent. Tim Ambrose ran back, put himself in the right position to take the catch... and fluffed it.

It was a howler and set the first early test of Captain Kev's leadership. How would he respond to this? By patting bottoms, it appears. First he ran in from mid-off to pat Anderson's rump. Then, as it was the last ball of the over and the players were changing ends, KP ran across to Ambrose. It seemed that Ambrose didn't want his bottom groped and moved away but KP pursued him, eventually landing firm hand on the misbehaving posterior. It wasn't a chiding, but rather a "chin up, how can you feel down when I'm patting your ass" motion. KP then gave Ian Bell a friendly tap on the rear too so that he didn't feel left out. Maybe it's a South African thing.

Apart from that, KP's new-look England look livelier than they have. They are almost scampering to get into their positions after each over, like drama students playing one of those improvisation games where everyone dashes about until a bell sounds at which point they all freeze. If KP achieves one thing today it will be getting the 50 overs bowled on time.

He has been standing at mid-off from both ends, looking eager, rubbing his hands, clapping when needed, even doing a little skip when Brendon McCullum almost chipped the ball up to square leg. I was impressed with KP's alertness, too. When the slips went up for an lbw appeal against McCullum off James Anderson, from which New Zealand ran a single, Pietersen was instead dashing round to back up the fielder's attempted run-out. Verdict so far: quite impressive.

10.45am Morning everybody. It's a sunny day at Lord's for the final ODI of this first part of the summer and I'm on my international debut in the press box looking bemused and trying to work out where to sit.

It's a fair bit bigger crowd up here than on my last appearance in the Lord's press box for the Varsity match, when there were just three of us, two of them students. On my way to the desk, I had to shuffle and excuse my way past David Lloyd and Mark Nicholas and when I went to get a coffee just now I saw Geoff Boycott moaning about the lack of bacon sandwiches. I'm on your wavelength, Geoff.

Anyway, I'll be here all day bashing out whatever occurs to me. If anyone is passing and wants to let me know what they think about Captain KP, New Zealand's faltering batting or the state of world cricket, click comments below.

Comments

[Oscar the Grouch]

Oh deary me. Woke up this morning and read the rest of your report. With your previous threats to infringe poor Henry's personal space still smarting, I got to the bit about 'Lees' pert cheeks' and thought - this is a cry for help.. Then I read to the top to find England lost.

Patrick, we feel your pain. Being Australians, we don't care of course, but we still feel it. I wanted you to know that.

[Rusty]

So, Patrick, was it a stunning captaining debut by the (self-appointed) world's greatest cricketer?

Here, we were busy with Australia v. France so missed the match completely.

[Oscar the Grouch]

I take it you're looking for something gladiatorial from KP today, Patrick. A new Gluteus Maximus, perhaps? Oh, all right, it's early morning here in Oz, I've wound the clock and put the koala out for the night, good luck.

[Oscar the Grouch]

Blast you, Kidd, for a scurvy knave. I've been trying to overlook the explosion of Figjam bottom-patting manouevers but the image of what would happen should he try that on Symonds keeps recurring and that image was best described by Hobbes...

[Oscar the Grouch]

Salmon? SALMON? Kidd, you jammy bastard.

[Martyd]

All of us here at Cricketactionart, that is me, are dead envious that you are there and we are sitting watching in the freezing cold of a Kiwi winter. Please keep us up to date on what Boycs settles for as a bacon sammy substitute.