mammoth 398. A delightful 93 from run robot Kane Williamson and a rapid century from in form Ross Taylor carriedthem through. In days gone by, an England side would have turned frighteningly pale at the sight of such a target, and waved a white flag within the first ten overs of their chase, but not this England side.

England threw caution to the wind as they set out in hot pursuit of their target, flailing the bowling to all corners. It was only after falling foul of the obscenely complicated Duckworth and Lewis system that they failed by a nerve shattering 13 runs. 763 runs had been plundered in a single day, as songs of revolution echoed through some of cricket’s most hallowed halls.

The third ODI was rather adreary affair in comparison to the second. England batted first and looked set for another titanic total, but faltered at the back end and fell to a meagre 303. Normally a more than defendable score, but not in these times, not in the throws of revolution. New Zealand were comfortable in their chase, as they made light work of the English effort.

Game four of the series was not one to be outshone by everything that had gone before it. New Zealand clobbered their way to a 7 run per over 350 to set themselves up for a possible series clinching win. Again undaunted by the mammoth task before them, England’s new crew of motley men set out at a never ceasing, lightning pace. Brendan McCullum’s worried expression never