The 2nd T20I will be played on Monday at the same venue (Images via AP)

Relentless rain spoiled the opening T20 International between New Zealand and England, as the match was abandoned without a result at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday. England had posted 153/6 in their 20 overs after being sent in to bat, but worsening conditions meant New Zealand never got the chance to begin their chase.With two games left in the series, both sides will now look to regroup ahead of the second match at the same venue on Monday. On a pitch that offered grip and some bounce, England’s top order found run-scoring difficult. The visitors slipped to 81/5 by the 12th over when skipper Jos Buttler, who had been holding the innings together, was caught in the deep for 29. Earlier, openers Jacob Bethell and Harry Brook had made brief starts but were unable to convert them into substantial scores. All-rounder Sam Curran then steadied England’s innings with a composed unbeaten 49 off 35 balls. Mixing aggression with control, he guided the side through the middle overs and finished strongly, finding the boundary frequently in the final few overs. The last over, bowled by Jacob Duffy, went for 19 runs in a late burst that pushed England past 150 and gave them a competitive total to defend. Rain briefly interrupted play when England were 110/5 in the 17th over, causing a half-hour delay. Once the match resumed, Curran and Jordan Cox added valuable runs to take the visitors to 153 before the innings ended.

For New Zealand, captain Mitchell Santner led from the front with the ball, delivering a tight spell of one for 20 from four overs. The rest of the bowling unit maintained discipline, sharing wickets and restricting England’s scoring options for much of the innings. However, just as the hosts prepared to start their chase, the rain returned and never relented, forcing the umpires to call off the contest.