Brendon McCullum credits England for ODI series win
Saturday 20 June 2015 20:30, UK
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum was typically gracious in defeat after England clinched a thrilling ODI series with a three-wicket victory at Durham.
The series produced the highest aggregate score of any five-match ODI series in international cricket history and was afforded a suitably exciting finale - Jonny Bairstow's 83no helping England recover from 45-5 to chase down a Duckworth-Lewis-generated total of 192 from 26 overs after two rain delays.
McCullum told Sky Sports afterwards: "It's been a tremendous series. The Tests were keenly fought and some of the cricket we've seen over the last five ODI games has been nothing short of sensational and both teams have played their part in that.
"Credit to England for holding their nerve today with the series on the line. They've got a lot of talent in their group and they're going to be an exciting team over the next few years.
"The wicket wasn't as quick as some of the wickets we've seen throughout the series so I was pretty happy with the score but we also knew that any score was going to be tough to defend. When we had them at 40-5 we thought we could seize an opportunity but credit to England.
Credit to England for holding their nerve today with the series on the line. They've got a lot of talent in their group.
"They were able to stay true to their aggressive instincts which they've displayed throughout the series. It's disappointing and we're certainly hurting from that but at the same time, we've been able to introduce some new faces into international cricket and we're excited about that.
"We've got some tremendous talent within the group and also some guys back home. Cricket in our country's in a good space and we've got to keep striving forward and getting better. It's tough when you run second but sometimes you get beaten by a better team.
"If England had lost they'd have felt unlucky as well but someone's got to win and someone's got to lose."
New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson was named the man of the series after his 396 runs at an average of more than 80.
He said: "It was an unbelievable series and to come down to a match more like a normal one-dayer with so many fine points in the game was probably the icing on top.
"The way England played was outstanding with everything they achieved and the style in which they played so full credit to them.
"For our boys, we probably felt we played alright and it's one of those things. There are bits and pieces to improve on but overall it was a great series to be part of."
