New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum blamed poor catching for defeat to England
Last Updated: February 9, 2013 1:23pm
Brendon McCullum batting during New Zealand's defeat to England
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum blamed dropped catches for the 40-run Twenty20 defeat to England in Auckland.
The Black Caps put down five chances in all before England posted a record 214-7 - and the hosts' run-chase fell well short as they were restricted to 174-9 from their 20 overs.
McCullum said afterwards: "They put us under pressure right from the get-go, and we were never able to claw it back.
"No one means to drop catches. But five drops in a Twenty20 game is never going to help your cause.
"It's an area we normally pride ourselves on. Tonight we were off the pace, with our bowling and batting as well."
On the shorter boundaries, which the tourists exploited by battering 15 sixes, McCullum added: "It does bring a quirk to it.
"But that is no excuse from our point of view - we knew the boundary sizes when we came into this game, and they seemed to be able to access them pretty well."
