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The fifth and final one-day international between New Zealand and England has been rained out in Christchurch tonight handing the Black Caps a four wicket win under the Duckworth/Lewis system and a 3-1 series victory.
Chasing 243 to win, the Black Caps were 213 for six, with Ross Taylor on 41 and Daniel Vettori on six, well clear of the D/L requirement of 179.
Just before the rain came down, with New Zealand seemingly cruising towards victory after a brilliant start by openers Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder, three wickets in two overs got England back into the match.
James Anderson removed Scott Styris for 25 in the 33rd over and Ryan Sidebottom then sent debutant Daniel Flynn (0) and Jacob Oram (0) packing in successive deliveries to shift the momentum to England.
Black Caps skipper Daniel Vettori scored a single off the hat-trick delivery but was then lucky not to be given out in the next over after umpire Billy Bowden missed an edge and declined James Anderson's appeal.
McCullum and Ryder belted 103 for the first wicket, their second 100 partnership of the series, in just 11 overs before Ryder was runout for 24.
McCullum smashed the English bowling attack to all parts of AMI Stadium before going for one big shot too many and missing a straight one from Collingwood.
His 77 came off just 43 deliveries and included five boundaries and six sixes, with three of his sixes coming off consecutive balls off Anderson in the 10th over.
Jamie How is the other New Zealand wicket to fall, caught behind off Sidebottom for 24.
In the first innings, New Zealand looked to be on the verge of facing a more modest ask until Ryder, a surprising choice to bowl the final over, received a dose of his own medicine as Dimitri Mascarenhas and Stuart Broad clubbed 22 off the final six balls.
Mascarenhas, who heads for home after the one-day component, slammed 29 off a dozen balls to complement the much-needed impetus delivered by fellow-allrounder Luke Wright - top scorer with a rapid 47 off 40 balls.
The duo were instrumental in England adding 88 off the last 10 overs, some consolation after they were tied down for long periods having being asked to bat by Vettori.
There was no repeat of the rollicking innings in Napier where both sides could not be separated after scoring 340 runs apiece.
England struggled from the outset on a slow drop-in wicket and when Phil Mustard, who made his maiden one-day international half century at McLean Park, holed out in the third over it was indicative of the difficulty the tourists had scoring freely and effectively.
By the 10th over England were crawling at 33 for one, with only five of the 60 available deliveries making it to the ropes.
Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen both succumbed in the deep trying in vain to up the ante, with the latter particularly angry with himself after he slogged across the line to the first ball he faced from Jeetan Patel.
New Zealand's back-up spinner cleverly held the ball up, trapping Pietersen into a swipe to the safe hands of Ryder at mid wicket.
Pietersen made 39 from 55 balls, a continuation of a tour where he has consistently made starts without going on to post an influential score.
He exited in the 31st over when the score was 119 and crucially his captain Collingwood followed three overs later when he was beaten in flight by Vettori and stumped by McCullum for a boundary-less 14 off 27 balls.
Earlier, Bell had looked the most comfortable of the English top order, stroking four boundaries in his 24 before he picked out debutant Daniel Flynn, a replacement for an out of form Peter Fulton, at long off.
Bell and Alastair Cook added 52 for the second wicket, at a pace representative of the English run rate, and 14 overs after Bell departed the opener was trapped leg before wicket to Vettori for a patient 42 off 70 balls.
Vettori, who recorded the third-worst bowling figures of his 214-match ODI career in Napier, atoned from that expensive two for 66 off nine by bowling unchanged for a impressive analysis of two for 28 from 10 from overs - the last of which was a maiden.
Vettori's rebound from the hammering in Napier was replicated by other bowlers.
Kyle Mills' first eight overs conceded just 16 and on return he made a double breakthrough, removing Wright and Owais Shah in three balls after the pair produced a 69-run stand for the sixth wicket off 74 balls, the highlight of the innings.
Mills suffered some tap at the end but still ended with the leading figures of four for 35 off 10.
Patel, who came into the lineup for Iain O'Brien, applied the brakes in tandem with Vettori, his eight overs costing 33.
Vettori may dwell on his decision to give rookie Ryder the 50th over should New Zealand not win.
The batting allrounder had already been expensive before the final-over blowout left him with none for 50 off five.
New Zealand won the first two matches in Wellington and Hamilton by six and 10 wickerts respectively.
England fought back with a six-wicket triumph in Auckland before the penultimate encounter in Napier was tied on Wednesday.
A three-test series starting on March 5 in Hamilton follows the one-day series.
SCOREBOARD
England
A Cook lbw Vettori 42
P Mustard c How b Mills 2
I Bell c Flynn b Mills 24
K Pietersen c Ryder b Patel 39
P Col lingwood st McCullum b Vettori 14
O Shah c McCullum b Vettori 29
L Wright c Taylor b Mills 47
D Mascarenhas not out 29
S Broad not out 11
Extras (3lb, 2nb) 5
Total (for 7 wkts, 50 overs) 242
Fall: 5 (Mustard), 57 (Bell), 105 (Cook), 119 (Pietersen), 128 (Collingwood), 197 (Wright), 201 (Shah)
Bowling: K Mills 10-2-36-4, C Martin 4-0-23-0 (1nb), J Oram 6-1-32-0, S Styris 7-0-37-0, D Vettori 10-1-28-2, D Patel 8-0-33-1, J Ryder 5-0-50-0 (1nb)
- NZPA, NZ HERALD STAFF
