McCullum, injured Guptill, steer N Zealand to win

Hamilton, Feb 17 (AFP) Captain Brendon McCullum led New Zealand to a dramatic three-wicket win over England with heroic support from an injured Martin Guptill in the one-day international in Hamilton today. The game seemed beyond New Zealand's grasp when they were reduced to 218 for seven as they chased England's 258 all out. With two players injured, they needed 41 runs off the last 25 balls with effectively one wicket in hand. But Guptill, who had earlier retired with a hamstring strain when he had three runs to his name, hobbled out of the tunnel to provide a vital boost. With limited mobility, he stood his ground and clouted four fours and a six while McCullum continued to blaze away at the other end to get New Zealand home with seven balls to spare. Guptill finished on 27 with 24 of his runs coming from the 10 deliveries he faced on his return to the crease. McCullum, who pulled New Zealand into contention after they slipped well behind the required run rate in the early stages of their innings, was unbeaten on 69 from 61 deliveries. The win was New Zealand's fifth consecutive ODI victory over England and put them 1-0 up in the three-match series. England, sent into bat first, produced a carefully crafted start to their innings and were poised for a final onslaught when they reached 220 for four in the 44th over. But when the big hitting was required, England lost their last six wickets for 38 runs in the space of 37 deliveries. Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott and Joe Root, who all missed the recently concluded Twenty20 series won by England 2-1, were the chief architects of the solid start to the innings. MORE (AFP) PDS PDS 02171620 NNNN