Alastair Cook feels his England side are finding their form at just the right time following victory over New Zealand
Cook’s men went into the clash at Trent Bridge looking to avoid a series whitewash against the Black Caps, having lost at both Lord’s and the Ageas Bowl but turned things around with a comfortable 34-run win in Nottingham.
Star of the show was Jos Buttler who hit a quickfire 47 off just 16 balls to close out the innings in fine style. Ian Bell also looked strong, hitting 82, while Eoin Morgan proved his importance to the side with a well-crafted 49.
After dominating the Kiwis in the Test series, England’s shortcomings in the opening two 50-over games against the same opponents had once again prompted widespread criticism of their approach to the ODI format as they head into the ICC Champions Trophy.
However, Cook believes Wednesday’s victory has given his side a new-found confidence going into their tournament opener against Australia on Saturday and feels they are finding their feet at the ideal time.
“At the beginning of the day, a win was very important and I thought we played very well,” the skipper told Sky Sports.
“We haven’t quite got it right in this series, we’ve been fairly close to getting ourselves into positions and letting it slip with the bat or ball, but we’re almost there.”
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