The difference in the first ten overs

Stats highlights from the fourth ODI in Hamilton, which New Zealand won to seal the series

28-Jan-2014

Kane Williamson needs 79 more runs in the last match to become the highest run-scorer for New Zealand in a bilateral ODI series  •  Getty Images

New Zealand's seven-wicket win means they have an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the series, thus giving them their first series victory in a bilateral home series, against an opposition other than Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, since 2008-09. In that season they would beaten West Indies 2-1, with two games being washed out. (They also beat England 3-1 in February 2008.) Since then they lost at home to India, Australia, Pakistan, South Africa and England, and drew 2-2 against West Indies earlier this season. (Click here for the full list.) It's also New Zealand's first win in a series of five or more matches since that 2008-09 victory against West Indies.

New Zealand's total of 280 for 3 is their biggest score in a successful run-chase against India; their previous-best was 278 in Harare in 2005. They also scored 334 in Christchurch in 2009, but they lost that one, as they were chasing a target of 393.

The difference between the two teams over the series has largely been the manner in which they have tackled the first ten overs. Over these four matches, New Zealand averaged 5.35 runs per over, and thrice exceeded 50 after ten; India, on the other hand, went past 45 only once at the end of ten overs, and averaged 4.37 per over. In the first ten, New Zealand struck 30 fours, compared to just 17 by India. In the middle overs there was little to differentiate the two teams: India had the marginally higher run rate despite playing more dots. And in the last ten both teams were absolutely even in terms of runs scored, run rate, and dot balls. The difference in stats in the first ten, though, tilted the balance in New Zealand's favour. That was the biggest difference in Hamilton too: India's ten-over score was 28 for 2; New Zealand's was 65 for 2.

How New Zealand and India scored their runs in the series
Overs	Team	Runs/ balls	Dots	4s/ 6s	Average	Run rate
1-10	New Zealand	214/ 240	158	30/ 2	35.67	5.35
	India	175/ 240	169	17/ 7	29.16	4.37
11-40	New Zealand	685/ 720	327	56/ 14	57.08	5.70
	India	704/ 720	348	61/ 17	44.00	5.86
41-50	New Zealand	258/ 181	66	17/ 15	28.67	8.55
	India	258/ 181	66	22/ 10	23.45	8.55

New Zealand's chase was fashioned around a superb 130-run partnership between Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson, both of whom have had a wonderful series. Taylor's unbeaten 112, the ninth hundred of his ODI career, pushed his series aggregate up to 241, the first time he has scored more than 200 runs in a bilateral series. Williamson's 60 is his fourth 50-plus score in as many innings in this series, thus putting him in a select band of three New Zealand batsmen who've topped 50 four or more times in a bilateral series. The other two are Nathan Astle, who achieved the feat twice, and Andrew Jones.

The record for most runs by a New Zealand batsman in a bilateral series is 351, by Astle against Zimbabwe in 1998. Williamson, currently on 273, needs to score at least 79 in the last match to go past that mark.

India lost for the sixth time in eight ODIs in Hamilton, which is clearly one of their least favourite overseas venues: among overseas grounds where they've played at least five ODIs, only at two grounds do they have a worse record: in Port Elizabeth and Christchurch.

India's total got up to a respectable 278 thanks to the 127-run unbeaten stand between MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja, the second-highest by any team for the sixth wicket in Hamilton, and the third-best for that wicket for India when playing away from home.

When the match started, Dhoni was 80 away from 8000 ODI runs; he finished not out on 79, which means he is still a run short of that landmark. If he gets there in his next innings, he would have played 214, which will make him the fourth-fastest in ODI history to get to 8000 runs - only Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara have got there in fewer innings.

Kane Williamson MS Dhoni Ross Taylor New Zealand India New Zealand vs India India tour of New Zealand

S Rajesh is stats editor of ESPNcricinfo. Follow him on Twitter