Christchurch: A maiden half century from James Vince powered England to a convincing seven-wicket victory over New Zealand in the opening Twenty20 international in Christchurch on Friday. Vince top-scored for the tourists with 59 as England chased down New Zealand's 154-run target in 18.3 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

While Vince's man-of-the-match performance caught the eye, captain Eoin Morgan was also full of praise for his bowlers, who laid the platform for victory by restricting the Black Caps to 153 for five. "The game was won and lost in the first innings... James Vince played outstanding well but all credit to the bowlers today," he said.