I'd like to start with the words of the Prince, Kane Williamson 

"There has been success and failure and there'll be plenty more of both," he says. "You can't hold on to success for too long or hold on to failure. You've got to let both go. It's easy to fall into the trap of getting a hundred and it felt good so you want and expect more, or you fail and you don't know why and you fall into a trap. You want success too badly. Sometimes you have to accept you're going to have both and neither will last forever. Let them come and go."

So settle down will ya?

Trent Boult - "A pretty drastic change. It was totally different to what we witnessed in Wellington. Quite different."

Oh how kiwi cricket fans like to get their knickers in a twist. We know this England side is different to the one that failed at the World Cup, we know that the Black Caps are slightly different as they embark on a bit of a new era and we know that ODI cricket can serve up varying performances on a daily basis.

England played the perfect ODI, which meant they scored 400 runs and bowled the Black Caps out, so be it. I guarantee you that England won't win another ODI in this series in such fashion, and I can't guarantee, but I can hope that the Black Caps will put in a dominating performance at some stage in the remaining four ODI's.

So it's all good, we got out played by a team who have their tails up. 

Besides Trent Boult, all our bowlers struggled to contain the English batsmen as the understandably whacked their way to 408. I had highlighted Mtichell McClenaghan before the series as someone who could possibly step up and in to the bowling attack after enjoying some success in the IPL, he takes wickets. Unfortunately for McClenaghan he also leaked a whole bunch of runs, 93 off his 10 overs.

McClenaghan must be the sort of bowler that Brendon McCullum loves as he fits the bill of a wicket-first bowler but he now has a strike to his name. A few bowlers have strikes against their names including Nathan McCullum and Mitchell Santner, but more on them in a jiffy.

Boult was pretty good while Matt Henry wasn't too shabby but McClenaghan couldn't keep the pressure on England's batsmen and got a pasting. As I said, he has a strike against his name but he deserves the chance to fix things especially as England were in the zone. I wouldn't mind seeing these three get another opportunity and yup that means Tim Southee sitting on the sidelines again but we need to see what our bowlers can do under pressure. 

Whether game two gives us that chance or whether we have to wait to later in the series, I maintain that we need to give guys outside our best 11 consistent opportunities.

This goes for the spinners as well, who again deserve the chance to right their respective ships. McCullum was especially disappointing and although he's an experienced player who has the trust of his captain/brother, at some stage an eye to the future must be used. 

Maybe that eye to the future means Santner playing as the only spinner? We can't cast our gaze too far into the future as we've got make do with what we have for this series, but in game two I'd like to see Santner as the sole spinner and bring in another pace bowler. Maybe we can fit Southee in here and go with four quicks, Santner who can bat as well as Grant Elliot and Kane Williamson who can bowl as well.

Before game one I said something along the lines of 'it'll be interesting to see how Elliot goes post-World Cup and I don't think he'll go too well'. With that, we have Grant Elliot Watch (which may double as my case for public enemy #1). 

Grant Elliot - 5 overs, 57 runs, 2 wickets @11.40 rpo | run out for 24 off 27.

Probably a 5/10 effort, took a few wickets and a run out doesn't reflect as badly on your performance, but he did only get 24 and got smacked around.

With regards to the bowling line up, I'd like to see the same attack used and let them figure this shit out. 

Otherwise, give Santner all the responsibility and bring in Southee. 

I don't think we really stood much of a chance chasing down 408, mainly because you can't allow yourself to build into an innings. When chasing those big scores it's either going to be your day, or not. You either go for it and things work out in your favour or you, well you suffer a slow and painful loss.

McCullum suggested that he made the wrong decision to send England in and fair play, you live and you learn.

This loss does spice up this series a bit though and I'm glad that it went down the way it did. England have shown that they aren't all talk and that they are willing to have a go now, which worked out perfectly for them in game one. It's now up to our Black Caps to respond to the challenge laid down by England and I'm excited to see how this series pans out as both teams look fairly evenly matched. 

Here's a nice interview done by the BBC with Ross Taylor as well for you lovely folk.