New Zealand Vs England Highlights, 3rd T20I: Match Abandoned After Persistant Rain Interruption

A very good morning to all the cricket fans tuning in to the start of our live blog for the NZ vs ENG match in Auckland. England can seal the series with a win tonight, while New Zealand will look to level it. Stay tuned!

The third T20I between New Zealand and England will be live-streamed in India on the SonyLIV and FanCode apps and websites. Television broadcasts will take place on the Sony Sports Network TV channels.

New Zealand vs England T20I Head-To-Head:

• Matches Played: 29

• New Zealand Wins: 10

• England Wins: 17

• No Result: 2

NZ vs ENG T20I Records at Eden Park:

• Matches Played: 3

• New Zealand Wins: 0

• England Wins: 3

• No Result: 0

New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Tim Seifert (wk)

England: Harry Brook (c), Zak Crawley, Jacob Bethell, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Sam Curran, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Banton, Jordan Cox, Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Sonny Baker, Luke Wood, Adil Rashid, Brydon Carse

England captain Harry Brooks has won the toss and has opted to field first. Brooks credits the "small ground" at Auckland and the "bit of wind" as the reasons behind bowling first.

New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Tim Robinson, Rachin Ravindra, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (c), Zakary Foulkes, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy

England: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (c), Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Jordan Cox, Brydon Carse, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood

Tim Seifert and Tim Robinson are the opening pair for New Zealand, with Luke Wood having the new ball for England. And what a start it has been for the Kiwis, with Seifert hitting back-to-back boundaries.

But is that rain?! Just three deliveries in, and play has been stopped due to rain. This is not good at all.

The drizzle has thickened a bit, with both sets of players hurrying back into the dugouts. The pitch has been covered, with the groundstuff not taking any chances. However, it doesn't look like the drizzle with last for long.

It has been more than an hour since play was halted, and the downpour is consistent at Auckland. It is not looking good as far as the prospect for this match goes, although questions need to be asked about hosting a series at New Zealand during this time of the year.

After almost 90 minutes of break in play, the rain has subsided and cricket is back. It remains to be seen if DLS will come into play. For now, the Kiwi batters take charge, with Seifert hitting Carse for a big six. The bowler has the last laugh, as Robinson tries to go big as well but finds Bethell at deep square leg. NZ lose their first wicket.

After the jolt of an early wicket, NZ batter Tim Seifert has meted out some hefty blows as Black Caps look to gain some momentum in the game. The match is reduced to 14 overs per side.

Despite the early setback, NZ have continued with their onslaught on Carse, with both Ravindra and Seifert picking up a couple of loose balls and dispatching them over the park.

However, the rain has started again. The covers are back. The match has already been shortened, and this does not look good.

The rain had pretty much stopped in Auckland, and the covers were in the process of coming off. However, the showers start again, and on come the covers. Even when the drizzle subsides, the outfield will be very wet for play to resume immediately.

So, we have an official update: The match has been reduced to eight-an-over, and play will resume at 2:30 PM IST (10 PM local time). Really disappointing for all cricket fans, but at least we will see some action.

The match looked close to resuming, with the English staff even coming down to inspect the pitch. However, just like that, the showers have made an appearance again, and the covers are on. The match looks pretty much beyond salvation at this point.

The inevitable has been made official. The match has been abandoned due to consistent rainfall.