New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has expressed his happiness at his side's win in the just concluded one-day series against England, saying that his team has shown 'how good they can be'.
Martin Guptill's New Zealand record 189 not out - the opener's second successive unbeaten hundred - was the cornerstone of the Black Caps' total of 359 for three that was behind an 86-run win at Southampton on Sunday, which gave them an unbeatable 2-0 lead in a three-match series, Sport24 reports.
According to the report, the latest victory was just the tonic New Zealand needed after being whitewashed 2-0 by England in the preceding Test series and left them full of confidence heading into the one-day Champions Trophy tournament in the UK that starts on Thursday.
Stating that the victory is very special for his team, McCullum, whose side lost the corresponding one-day series in New Zealand earlier this year 2-1 after going 1-0 up against Alastair Cook's men, said that the players are delighted to come to England and play against them, in their own conditions, and wrap up series after two games.
Praising Guptill's form and batsmanship as outstanding, McCullum said that coupled with Guptill's striking ability, the innings were the best that he had seen in one-day cricket from New Zealand.
Guptill's latest innings saw him surpass Lou Vincent's previous New Zealand record of 172 against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 2005, and was the equal fifth highest score in ODI history.
It also equalled West Indies great Vivian Richards' 189 not out, at Old Trafford in 1984, as the highest individual ODI score against England, the report added.
