England seek back-to-back wins
Preview of the third ODI between New Zealand and England at Eden Park
Match facts
February 23, 2013Start time 2pm (0100 GMT)
Big Picture
Whatever lessons the five limited-overs matches between New Zealand and England have taught us so far, the most glaring seems to concern that most nebulous of concepts, momentum. So far, whichever team the Big Mo has lined up behind, their almost instantaneous response has been to stumble to defeat. Four of the matches have resulted in hefty thrashings - though it seems fair to note that England have handed out three of them - and New Zealand will have to maintain the trend for bouncebackability if they are to avoid defeat in two formats in the run-up to what will likely be an exacting Test series.Form guide
New Zealand LWLWW (Completed matches, most recent first)England WLWLL
In the spotlight
BJ Watling was one of the few New Zealand batsmen to come out of the Test series in South Africa with any credit but he has since scored 86 runs in five ODI innings and is struggling for form after being promoted to opener in place of the discarded Rob Nicol. Facing a bowler as good as James Anderson (or Dale Steyn) is among the harder tasks for any opener but Watling is now also the senior man, after the injury to Martin Guptill. The stilted start he and Hamish Rutherford made in Napier undermined New Zealand's chances, and cosying up to the eight-ball in the hope that McCullum will bail the side out is not a strategy for the long term.Team news
Hamish Rutherford will double his tally of ODI caps after Guptill was sent for surgery on a thumb problem and New Zealand could turn to Colin Munro to strengthen the batting further down the order. Trent Boult would be the most likely to make way, with Munro and Kane Williamson capable of filling in with the ball.Pitch and conditions
Eden Park is notable for its short straight boundaries and England got their geometry right during the T20 there earlier in the month, hitting 15 sixes in a record total. The drop-in pitch and a warm, cloudless day could lead to another high-scoring game.Stats and trivia
- Brendon McCullum has overtaken Martin Crowe and Craig McMillan during this series to sit fourth on New Zealand's ODI run-scorers' list with 4796. He needs 86 to go past Chris Cairns, but in 19 one-day innings at Eden Park, he averages 21.18 with one fifty.
- Six years ago in Auckland, New Zealand scored 340 to win batting second against Australia - at the time the second-highest chase in one-dayers. They knocked it down to third two days later in Hamilton.
- England have won four of their last five ODIs at the ground, stretching back to 1992.
- Joe Root has scored at least 30 in each of his first six ODI knocks - the first man ever to do so.
Quotes
"There's a lot of emotions going through your mind and body. With what's gone on it was nice to know I can still bat."Ross Taylor reflects on his first significant knock since returning to the side
Jonathan Trott on England's rotation policy
Alan Gardner is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo