5th ODI: England vs New Zealand at Chester-le-Street

With the series tied at 2, everything is still to play for in the 5th and final game of what has been an incredible ODI series. England have won the toss and elected to have a bowl. Very overcast conditions. A handy toss to win.

Ketchim will be most happy to know that Jonny Bairstow comes in for the injured Jos Buttler. It also appears that Andrew Mathieson will make his debut for New Zealand.

And just as I finish typing this the covers go on and the start of the match will be delayed. Go away rain.

After a 20-minute delay we are under way. McCullum cranks Finn for a six and then plays on the very next ball. 7/1 after 1.

Kane Williamson becomes the first player to score 1,000 ODI runs in 2015 and we are only in June.

It seems like England will win this final match and win the series. I have been very surprised with how England has played this series considering their recent poor form but I guess the English are always strong at home.

Actually, if you had been paying attention you would know that they have overhauled their entire team. This is a completely different team (and mindset) from the XI that played at the World Cup. Hales, Roy, Stokes, Billings, Rashid, Wiley and Wood have all come into the team after the World Cup debacle. That's 7 fresh new faces. They play with freedom and aggression. The only holdovers are Root, Morgan, Buttler and Finn.

Also, your assumption that the England ODI team is always strong at home is so far off the mark. Prior to this series, over the last 2 years, England had won 4 games and lost 9. This information is easy to look up.