Saturday 13 June 2015 16:49, UK
England coach Paul Farbrace will continue to tell his side to match New Zealand shot-for-shot after exhilarating displays in the first two encounters of the five-match ODI series.
New Zealand levelled the series at 1-1 on Friday evening with a 13-run Duckworth-Lewis victory after England's record-breaking run-chase was interrupted by rain at The Oval.
Chasing 398-5, Eoin Morgan's side finished 365-9 from 46 overs - a record score for England when batting second - having scored 408-9 in the first game at Edgbaston and Farbrace wants them to continue on the front foot when the series resumes in Southampton on Sunday.
"It's almost the perfect series for us, playing against a team that play the way they do - because we're learning all the time," said Farbrace, who will make way for new coach Trevor Bayliss at the end of the series.
"The opposition plays in such a way that we have no choice but to try to ... it is almost the perfect opposition.
"It makes it a little bit easier for us to try and match them, go past them, because they're setting standards we want to achieve.
"We haven't sat down and talked about plans, or how we're going to play, how many runs we want to be at certain overs - all we talk about is good strong shots and play with good intent.
"If we play well enough, we'll win the game; if we haven't, we'll lose."
Even in defeat, Farbrace dwelt not on what had gone awry, but what he believes England are doing right, citing Joe Root's hundred in Birmingham as the blueprint for 50-over batting.
"That's the great thing about Rooty's innings that set us up on Tuesday - it was proper cricket shots," he added.
"A hundred off 71 balls without slogging - playing strong shots. That's something our players have started to do; they've started to take that on.
"Until you let yourself go and have a real go at it, you never know what you can achieve."
Farbrace also had words of praise for all-rounder Adil Rashid, who is back in international cricket nearly six years after breaking into the side.
"He really is someone who's getting better. The last few years at Yorkshire have done him good - and he's ready to play international cricket again.
"I've always thought that by the age of 28, 29, 30, he could be an excellent all-rounder in world cricket - and what I've seen in the last two games, he's shown that.
"We're not getting carried away, but he has the ability to go further. He is such a talented cricketer."
Watch England v New Zealand in the third ODI live on Sky Sports 2 from 10am on Sunday.
