What do you want to watch as a cricket fan? Big sixes, breathtaking catches and flying stumps, we imagine. The clash between New Zealand and England in Wellington at the 2015 World Cup provided just that with paceman Tim Southee and batsman Brendon McCullum giving the viewers full value for money.
England was hoping to better its dismal World Cup record against the Kiwis, having last won against them in 1983. After England's Ireland-born skipper Eoin Morgan won the toss and opted to bat first, Southee was in business from his third over, cleaning up Ian Bell for eight. Moeen Ali was the Kiwi quick's next victim as he rattled the stumps with an inswinging yorker.
England got a couple of partnerships going and recovered to 103/3 before Southee returned for his second spell and choked the English batsmen with an exceptional bowling display. England collapsed to 123 runs in 33.2 overs with Southee finishing with 7/33, the best for a Kiwi bowler.
Chasing a modest target, McCullum decided to rub more salt into the Englishmen's wounds. He started the demolition act by cutting Stuart Broad's first delivery for a six. He went on to hammer 18 runs in the over including three fours. McCullum wanted to finish the match before the break and went berserk smashing Steve Finn for six maximums, four of them coming off consecutive deliveries in the English bowler's
second over.
The carnage also saw 'Baz' get to the fastest World Cup half-century in 18 deliveries, two more than the fastest ever by AB de Villiers. In the process, Finn ended up giving away 49 runs off two overs with half the deliveries he bowled flying over the ropes.
McCullum's destructive innings was studded with eight shots to the fence and seven towering sixes, one of which hit the sponsor's car that Southee received at the end of the match for his seven-wicket haul.
It was a full toss by Chris Woakes that finally ended the mayhem as McCullum could only under-edge it onto the stumps after blasting 77 off just 25 deliveries. He was out on the first ball of the seventh over and the Kiwis took another 31 deliveries to hit the remaining 18 runs. New Zealand finished the game with eight wickets in hand and a massive 226 balls to spare. It was as one-sided as it could get.