Jonny Bairstow. What a catch. What a knock.
The Yorkshire star scored his second successive ODI century today off just 58 balls as England raced to a series deciding win over New Zealand in Christchurch.
This was England at their powerful best, and the same can be said for the 28-year-old from York on the way to his fourth career century in this format.
Earlier, he took a stunning one-handed catch, diving to his right on the mid-wicket boundary to help Chris Woakes get rid of tail-ender Tim Southee.
England’s bowlers laid the platform for this seven-wicket win, clinched with a little more than 17 overs remaining, bowling the BlackCaps out for just 223.
It was actually a decent effort by the hosts given they were 93-6.
Woakes and Bairstow’s fellow Yorkshireman Adil Rashid impressively led the way with three wickets apiece from their respectively miserly 10-over spells.
Rashid has enjoyed an excellent winter of one-day cricket, having also starred in the success against Australia back in January.
He had Tom Latham, Martin Guptill and Colin de Grandhomme caught to return figures of 3-42.
Warwickshire’s Woakes is another who is riding the crest of a wave at the minute, and he put New Zealand under immediate pressure with the new ball.
Having removed Colin Munro for a two-ball duck to start what can only be described as a demolition, he later returned to snare the wickets of Mitch Santner – who top-scored with 67 – and Tim Southee. His 3-32 was the pick of England’s figures.
Then, it was all about Bairstow, who made the chase a walk in the park.
He hit nine fours and six sixes in his 104 off 60 balls, following hot on the heels from Wednesday’s 138 off 106.
By the time he fell, hit wicket off Trent Boult’s bowling, England were 155-1 after 20.2 overs and it was game and series over.
This series, finishing 3-2 to England, has been a thrill to watch. It has had high-scoring contests and low-scoring nippers, and it pretty much went the way Yorkshire batsman Tom Kohler-Cadmore had expected.
Previewing the series for this website, Kohler-Cadmore had said: “They will definitely be exciting games.”
Attention now turns to a two-match Test series between the two nations, starting with a day/night clash in Auckland on March 22.
Fingers crossed for more thrills and spills.
