New Zealand make a record 259 for 7 against India as Phillips hits 107 at Eden Park

New Zealand's 259 for 7 at Eden Park is the highest total any side has made against India in a Twenty20 international

Glenn Phillips made 107 from 49 balls and Michael Bracewell 65 from 25 as New Zealand reached 259 for 7 in the fourth T20I at Eden Park on Friday, the largest score New Zealand have posted in the format and the largest any team has posted against India.

India, who had already taken the five-match series with victories in the first three games, won the toss and chose to bowl. Their reply began badly, and at the end of the powerplay's sixth over they were 61 for 4, needing 199 from 84 balls.

The previous highest total against India was England's 257 for 3 at Southampton in July. New Zealand's own record, 254 for 5 against Scotland at Edinburgh, had stood since 2022.

Phillips reaches his hundred off 46 balls

Finn Allen set the tone at the top with 31 from 17 before Axar Patel had him caught by Abhishek Sharma, and Phillips arrived with the innings already moving quickly.

He took it somewhere else entirely. His 107 contained 10 sixes and six fours, and he brought up the hundred off 46 balls with a six off Arshdeep Singh in the 19th over.

It was his third century in T20 internationals, and the first of them against India.

Phillips fell in the final over, caught by Abhishek Sharma off Nitish Kumar Reddy, with the total already past 250.

Bracewell turns the closing overs

Bracewell's 65 from 25 balls was the innings that turned a large score into a record one.

He and Phillips put on more than a hundred together, a stand that ran at better than 16 an over and took the game away from India in the space of about seven overs.

Bracewell was eventually trapped lbw by Prince Yadav, but by then New Zealand were scoring at will and the closing overs produced the runs that carried them past both records.

Two records fall at once

New Zealand finished at a run rate of 12.95, having never dropped below 12 an over for any sustained period.

The total passed England's 257 for 3 from Southampton in July, set only three months ago, and it also beat the 254 for 5 New Zealand made against Scotland in 2022.

New Zealand had already made 225 for 4 against India at Christchurch on 22 October, a total that itself ranks among the biggest India have conceded.

Mitchell Santner had read the surface at the toss. "It does bounce a bit more here. Looks like another good pitch," the New Zealand captain said.

Mayank Yadav the exception for India

Mayank Yadav, playing his first match back for India, was the one bowler to trouble New Zealand and finished with three wickets, removing Tim Seifert, Daryl Mitchell and Bevon Jacobs.

Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Prince Yadav took one apiece.

India had won each of the first three matches of the tour, but none of those nights asked this much of their bowling.

Duffy strikes twice in the chase

Facing 260, India lost Sanju Samson for 4 and Ishan Kishan for a duck, both to Jacob Duffy inside the first two overs.

Abhishek Sharma struck 27 from 15 before Matthew Fisher had him caught by Santner, and the captain Shreyas Iyer was left to rebuild against a required rate above 13.

India have already secured the series, so the match decides only whether New Zealand avoid a 4-0 scoreline at home.

Scorecard: New Zealand 259 for 7 in 20 overs (Glenn Phillips 107, Michael Bracewell 65, Finn Allen 31; Mayank Yadav 3 wickets). India 61 for 4 from 6 overs, needing 199 from 84 balls.

Catch the match live updates, highlights, and full match coverage on CricRadio. Get fast, accurate, and ad-free updates throughout the game. Download the CricRadio app from the Play Store to stay connected. You can also get the live scores of cricket series directly on the CricRadio website for real-time coverage.