England's 210 was unlikely to be enough. In fact, the Rediff.com expert believed that New Zealand were good to get 240, given their team's form, their opponent's bowling attack and the playing conditions.
So the pressure index (PI) was just 67 as the NZ openers walked in. Just one over later, as James Anderson got the wicket of Lou Vincent, the PI rose to 86.
When Ross Taylor too fell to leave NZ tottering at 3 for 2 in the second over, the PI jumped to 112.
The Kiwis looked least likely to win when captain Stephen Fleming fell in the fifth over to make it 19 for 3. The PI at that point was 132.
But Scott Styris and Craig McMillan batted sensibly and at 72 for 3 after 15 overs, NZ had a manageable PI of 86. But when Monty Panesar dismissed McMillan, NZ looked in a bit of trouble with a PI of 118.
Styris and Jacob Oram however knew exactly what it took to win as they steered NZ home.
Data retrieved from the Cranes-Rediff scorer room. Chart prepared by Sunil T of Cranes Software.
