First New Zealand-England T20 washed out in Christchurch

The first T20 international between New Zealand and England was abandoned Saturday after rain prevented the tourists from defending their score of 153-6.

Rain arrived at Hagley Oval just after an unbeaten 49 from Sam Curran had lifted England to a competitive score off 20 overs on an unpredictable pitch.

New Zealand#39;s batsmen never got a chance to chase, leaving just two matches to decide the series -- in Christchurch again on Monday and Auckland on Thursday.

England#39;s batsmen struggled for fluency after being sent in, reduced to 81-5 in the 12th over when veteran opener Jos Buttler was caught in the deep for 29.

Curran injected some momentum through a flurry of boundaries over the closing stages, with 19 runs coming from the final over bowled by seamer Jacob Duffy.

England#39;s innings was interrupted by rain, with players forced off for 30 minutes after 16.2 overs with the score at 110-5.

Captain Mitchell Santner took 1-20 off four overs of left-arm spin to be the most economical of New Zealand#39;s six bowlers, who all took one wicket each.