Batsmen fail again as England crash

England crashed to an embarrassing defeat to New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval which sent them to the bottom of the Commonwealth Bank Series standings.

Andrew Flintoff's men went down by 90 runs despite only chasing 211 for victory in their fourth match of the triangular tournament.

The margin of victory for the Black Caps meant their first win of the competition was accompanied by a bonus point, thus overhauling England in the table.

Once again the English bowling unit performed admirably but the batting was woeful on a sluggish surface.

The top order were blitzed by left-armer James Franklin, who claimed three wickets in as many overs.

Spinner Daniel Vettori then claimed four more while returning pair Jacob Oram and Shane Bond both took their 100th wickets in one-day internationals as the tail were blown away.

Out-of-form opener Andrew Strauss failed once again, twice finding the boundary off Franklin in the ninth over before succumbing leg before.

A rearguard action from Paul Collingwood and Ed Joyce (47)- the latter pulling a handful of fours in the process - stabilised proceedings but Vettori's spell rocked England.

Earlier, after Fleming won the toss, opposite number Flintoff claimed a four-wicket haul to restrict New Zealand to 210.

It took a career-best 86 from Jacob Oram, returning after a hamstring injury, to rescue New Zealand from a perilous position in mid-innings.