New-look England hold Black Caps to 153 in first T20

England restricted New Zealand to 153 for five with a disciplined bowling performance in the opening Twenty20 international in Christchurch on Friday. Captain Eoin Morgan backed his bowlers after winning the toss and was rewarded as the Black Caps struggled for runs, with veteran Ross Taylor top-scoring on 44.

Debutants Sam Curran and Pat Brown both snared a wicket for the tourists, while Chris Jordan had the best bowling figures after claiming two scalps for 28 runs. The selectors named three new faces in the side after resting several senior players from the tour, with all-rounder Lewis Gregory hoping to make an impression when England bat.

"It's a chance for them to stake their claim," Morgan said. New Zealand's regular captain Kane Williamson is out of the series with a hip injury and the Black Caps sorely missed his batting prowess.

The poor form that dogged Martin Guptill at the World Cup continued when Curran coaxed an inside edge that crashed into middle stump. Fellow opener Colin Munro tried to break the shackles as New Zealand smashed three sixes off Curran's next over but he overdid the aggression against Chris Jordan and was caught on the boundary for 21.

The Black Caps continued to struggle for momentum and had made just 72 at the half-way mark when Colin de Grandhomme departed on 19. Tim Siefert looked the batsman most likely to rescue New Zealand's innings but was frustrated when caught for 32 off a full toss from Jordan that he believed was a no-ball.

It is the first time the sides have met since the one-day World Cup final in July, which ended with scores tied but England claiming victory because they had scored more boundaries. However, both teams insist their focus for the five-match series is on preparing for the T20 World Cup being held in Australia next year.

England are ranked second in the world in T20s behind Pakistan, while New Zealand are sixth.

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