It was so full of truth, batsmen could predict the bounce, pace and carry to hit through the line and deliver a 763-run aggregate in 96 overs.
New Zealand proved marginally better than England to win by 13 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method and level the series 1-1 - but they needed meteorological assistance.
Rain struck when England had the momentum at 345 for seven, needing 54 runs from 37 balls in front of a packed crowd, generating scenes reminiscent of ODI cricket in its 1980s pomp.
New Zealand were nine runs in front when they left the field; England needed 34 runs from 13 balls when they returned.
They managed 20 and New Zealand took two catches, removing pivotal batsmen Liam Plunkett for 44 and Adil Rashid for 34. The latter catch came from a Tim Southee alley-oop to Trent Boult on the long on boundary to entertain the fans right until the end.
If England had succeeded, it would have been a record chase. Their best is 306 against Pakistan at Karachi in 2000.
Initially it appeared like it was the visitors' turn to play Batmen. They were merciless reaching 398 for five.
Whack! Boom! Kapow!
The hits rang out as each of the top order contributed to half-century partnerships (61, 53, 121 and 72) for the first four wickets. The fifth and unbeaten sixth wicket contributed 45 and 46. In summary: no one failed.
The ravenous appetite for runs showed timing which Dame Alison Holst would be proud of in bringing such an innings out of the oven after conceding 408 for nine at Birmingham.
The pitch was certainly baked. There would be more chance of getting seam movement with a tennis ball on a tar-sealed driveway. The swing gods also created an air pressure vacuum meaning the ball's only movement was getting dispatched in straight lines and parabolas for 40 fours and 13 sixes.
England were up for the chase. Unlike Edgbaston, which fizzled into a 210-run margin, this match has escalated into a thriller after captain Eoin Morgan (88 from 47 balls), Alex Hales (54 from 49) and Jos Buttler (41 from 38) uncoiled their batting mastery. The result may arguably come down to the steadiness of Grant Elliott's hands. He was the cover sweeper who caught Morgan off Mitchell McClenaghan. Morgan struck the ball effortlessly and looked capable of going the distance.
England's batting inflicted paralysis on New Zealand. The visitors' fielding was sound, apart from Ross Taylor dropping two more catches (Buttler on 26 and Rashid on seven). However, the batsmen kept threading through the field and heaving through the line to leave a chase of 158 off 20 overs with six wickets in hand, that was reduced to 90 off 10 with three wickets remaining.
Boult was the best of New Zealand's bowlers, taking two for 53 from his allotment. No other New Zealand bowler gave away less than 6.77. Nathan McCullum got a couple of late wickets to finish with three for 86 from nine.
Captain Brendon McCullum won the toss and batted, despite the forecast rain. Who could blame him after inserting England in the first match and seeing the consequences explode around Edgbaston?
New Zealand's total was:
- their second highest ODI score behind 402 for two against Ireland at Aberdeen in 2008.
- their best against a test-playing country.
- the most England have conceded in an ODI, overtaking 387 for five against India at Rajkot in 2008.
Guptill and McCullum provided a high octane start to reach 61 in the eighth over but Kane Williamson (93 from 88 balls) and Taylor (119 not out from 96) put lead in the team's batting petrol. The only thing to run out of gas were the superlatives. Guptill, with 50 off 54 balls, was the only player not to score at better than a run a ball.
No England bowler conceded less than 6.66 runs per over. Chris Jordan equaled Steve Harmison as their most expensive in an ODI, going for 97 runs at a rate of 10.77 from nine overs. Harmison bowled out against Sri Lanka at Headingley in 2006.
Williamson's innings possessed characteristic finesse, highlighted by a series of checked lofted drives through the offside. His first half-century in 10 ODI innings set a platform for the onslaught. However, his dismissal brought conjecture. The umpire signaled a full toss no-ball from Ben Stokes, but it was later established he was checking with his television colleague. If Williamson had treated his trousers in more of a Steve Urkel fashion he might have survived to bring up his century.
Taylor again showed an attacking resurgence to his game. His three hacks into the stand over deep mid-wicket brought to mind legendary axeman Sonny Bolstad faced with fresh timber. The No.4's 13th ODI century took him another step closer to Nathan Astle's New Zealand ODI record of 16. He survived a couple of dropped chances, smashing Liam Plunkett and Ben Stokes through the offside on nine and 40 respectively but Jason Roy at point and Joe Root at cover would have needed rump steak-reinforced baseball mitts to execute the takes successfully.
