England’s huge winter started in underwhelming fashion with a fitful batting display as rain in Christchurch led to an abandonment in the first T20 against New Zealand.
While external attention is already trained on the Ashes, which starts next month, England must first negotiate a white-ball series across the Tasman Sea and the three T20s are building blocks for the World Cup early next year.
The tourists came into the series opener with a deep batting line-up but, while five of their top seven reached double figures, only Sam Curran passed 30 and his unbeaten 49 not out off 35 balls bailed them out from 81 for five.
They were denied the chance to defend 153 for six, which seemed competitive given the tricky Hagley Oval pitch, when the heavens opened during the interval and play was officially called off at 10.12pm local time.
Curran’s second highest T20 score came after he was dropped twice – he also reversed being given out lbw to Kyle Jamieson, whose delivery pitched fractionally outside leg stump – but he cashed in on his fortuity with 18 off his last five balls.
The no-result in New Zealand’s early spring was harsh on the Black Caps, who hunted as a pack, with all six of their bowlers collecting a wicket.
Matt Henry was superb in the powerplay, while spinners Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell conceded just one boundary between them in six overs against an England side missing Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith and Will Jacks, all rested for this series with an eye on the Ashes.
England, though, boast a formidable opening pairing in Phil Salt and Jos Buttler, who are the only duo to make more than 1,000 T20 runs together and average in excess of 50.
Buttler belted his second ball for six after England were inserted, but it proved a false dawn as Salt sliced to deep third and Jacob Bethell was scratchy, regularly swishing at thin air as he started with six successive dots.
Bethell, vying for the number-three spot in the Ashes, did get a couple of straight boundaries away, including a lusty straight six off the expensive Jacob Duffy, but he departed for 15 after a cross-batted hack off Henry took the top edge and looped back to the seamer.
Brook, in his 50th T20 international, cleared the fence twice but was outfoxed on 20 by James Neesham’s off-cutter, albeit in slightly unfortunate fashion after an inside edge on to his pads thudded into the stumps.
Tom Banton, Buttler and then Jordan Cox, in the unfamiliar role of batting at number seven, all perished in the deep after aiming straight, leaving Curran to carry the can for the remainder of the innings.
He needed a bit of luck, first dropped on 14 when Duffy shelled a steepling return chance, not helped by a sudden downpour that led to a 15-minute delay.
Upon the resumption, Curran was given a second life on 26 when Tim Robinson spilled a much simpler waist-high offering in the deep.
Curran also overturned an lbw verdict against him on 30, but he claimed the only boundary off New Zealand’s spinners by launching Santner over the rope before taking 19 off Duffy’s final over, including a whip off a full toss into the crowd.
While New Zealand would have fancied their chances, they did not get to reply following a 45-minute shower.
While the rain did stop and the ground staff worked furiously, the umpires decided there was no hope of a restart.
