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England's T20 series against New Zealand ended just as it started, with a washout. Despite earlier sunny weather, the conditions teased and taunted. Rain first intervened at evening, moments following play commenced. After a brief resumption, it returned, halted, gave the ground staff a bit of time to dry the field, allowed the umpires to schedule a late restart, and then fell once again at just before 10. Only 25 deliveries occurred.

"It's disappointing to travel all the way over to this part of the world and have just one match," Brook stated. "Very frustrating."

Officially, England won the toss and opted to field. Two of the first three deliveries went for four, both hit by Tim Seifert—a brief preview of the scoring potential a mix of a placid wicket, strong winds, and the small boundaries could have enabled.

Two of the last three deliveries cleared the ropes, the batters pulling into the stands. New Zealand stood at 38 for one, off 3.4 overs, as the match was called off.

For all his frustration, Harry still has three one-day internationals to come, but a trio of the touring party won't continue once the action moves to Mount Maunganui on the weekend. Crawley will stay in New Zealand to continue his Ashes preparations while Phil Salt (60 balls faced) and Jordan Cox (18) return home.

Friday marks the first anniversary of Cox's exclusion from the Test matches in New Zealand with a thumb fracture from practice. He must be wishing his luck in this country would be as unpredictable as local conditions.

This was the first time to host an international in the city in this month and clearly showed the reason. "I suppose October showers are likely," said Mitchell Santner, the New Zealand captain. "It’s always nice to play England no matter what time of year. The issue being that they spent most of the time they were supposed to be playing England without actually playing."

The tourists managed to secure a single win, thereby winning the series, and Harry's summary of it was as optimistic as the planners: "We experienced a hell of a lot of fun," he remarked. "We’ve gained a lot. To be able to spend time together and build camaraderie surely aids you during games. We enjoyed ourselves and laughter. It was truly valuable."