BLACKCAPS 145-3 in 28.5 overs (Martin Guptill 66*, Tom Latham 42, Brendon McCullum 28) - match abandoned.
A frustrating day for everyone at Eden Park, with drizzly rain only allowing 28 overs - Martin Guptill made the most of his time in the middle with an unbeaten 66, but for all that, the teams are still locked at 1-1 in the series.
McCullum picked up where he left off in Hamilton – he went inside out to strike a six in the second over, and was on the charge from then on. He took another six over fine leg, and two fours, before swinging hard at Angelo Matthews, getting a top edge and going to a fine catch at backward square by Nuwan Kulasekara for 28 from 22 balls.
His opening partner Martin Guptill took a little longer to find his rhythm, but when he found it, he started to find the boundary and look in great form.
Tom Latham and Guptill ran several smart singles, accumulating at around five an over. Their partnership of 99 built a great platform for the innings and gave both men valuable time at the crease.
Martin Crowe was a guest of the BLACKCAPS at Eden Park today.
After 18 days of sunshine in Auckland, the rain arrived in the eighteenth over, forcing the players from the field for around 40 minutes. When they returned the match was adjusted to a 47 over per side match.
Guptill brought up his 50 with a sweetly struck six over mid off, and brought up 3000 ODI runs in this innings, the fastest New Zealander to reach that milestone, in 90 matches, before the rain arrived again.
When the players emerged to contest what would now be a 43 over match, Latham went on the attack with a four down the ground, then lost his wicket two balls later, playing on for a fine 42.
Ross Taylor and Guptill played on in the drizzle, with Taylor losing his wicket lbw for 2, a decision that was appealed but upheld, as the players left the field for a rain delay.
Except for groundsmen moving the covers about, that was the last act of the match, with Auckland’s indecisive drizzle drawing a close to proceedings at around 8pm.
A frustrating day, but the BLACKCAPS will take heart from some solid performances with the bat from Guptill in particular. The teams head to Nelson for the fourth ANZ ODI on Tuesday with the series locked 1-1.
