England in New Zealand: Phil Salt & Harry Brook power tourists to victory in first T20

Brook was keen to stress before this series there would be no talk about next month’s Ashes series within his white-ball group, insisting his focus is on preparing for the T20 World Cup in February.

Whether that is true or not is irrelevant, any Brook runs are of benefit to both outfits.

Brook’s T20 international record is modest for a man of his talents – an average of 29 and five fifties in 50 innings – but this was one of his best knocks in either white-ball format as captain.

All his sixes were clean strikes over mid-wicket – three off the spin of Mitchell Santner and one each off seamers Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson – on the same surface his side struggled in the washed out first T20 on Saturday, but which had flattened out.

Salt’s knock follows scores of 89 against Ireland and 141 not out against South Africa in his six T20 innings since the start of September. He hit one six but 11 fours, targeting the covers and behind square on the leg side.

Salt and Brook both holed out in the 18th over after which Tom Banton’s cameo saw him finish unbeaten on 29 from 12 balls as England romped past the ground’s previous high score of 208-5.

Although Jos Buttler hit to mid-off for four and Jacob Bethell found mid-on having stuck four boundaries in a 12-ball 24, England’s T20 batting line-up is starting to take shape.

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