England Claim Series Win Following Third New Zealand Twenty20 Washout, Brook Feeling Disappointed

England's T20 series against New Zealand ended exactly how it began, due to rain. On a previously dry day, the elements played tricks. Precipitation first appeared at evening, moments following play commenced. Following a short restart, it returned, paused, gave the ground staff a bit of time to dry the field, allowed the umpires to schedule a late restart, and then resumed pouring at 9.59pm. Only 25 deliveries occurred.

"You don’t want to come such a distance to this part of the world and have just one match," Harry Brook stated. "Extremely annoying."

For the record, England won the toss and chose to bowl. Two of the first three deliveries went for four, struck by Seifert—a tantalising glimpse of the run-scoring a combination of a flat pitch, a wild wind, and Eden Park’s diminutive boundaries could have enabled.

The final balls went for six, the batters sending it into the crowd. The Kiwis were 38/1, from 3.4 overs, as the match was called off.

For all his frustration, Harry still has three one-day internationals to come, but a trio of the touring party will no longer be involved when play shifts to Mount Maunganui on Sunday. Crawley remains in NZ to continue his Ashes preparations while Salt and Jordan Cox (18) return home.

This Friday is the first anniversary of Cox's exclusion from the Test matches in New Zealand with a thumb fracture from practice. He likely hopes his fortune in New Zealand would be as unpredictable as local conditions.

This was the first time an international had been attempted in Auckland in October and clearly showed the reason. "I guess October showers are likely," said Mitchell Santner, the New Zealand captain. "It’s always nice to face England any season. The problem was that they spent most of the time they were supposed to be playing England without actually playing."

The tourists at least squeezed in one victory, thereby winning the series, and Harry's summary of it was as optimistic as whoever scheduled it: "We experienced a hell of a lot of fun," he said. "We’ve gained a lot. Spending time as a group and build camaraderie can only help you on the field. We’ve had a lot of fun and smiles. It’s been very worthwhile."