Trans-Tasman Trophy, 4th T20I: New Zealand vs England - Things which went wrong for the visitors

England's hopes of qualifying for the tri-series final were dealt a massive blow following a 12-run loss to New Zealand at Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Tuesday.

The chase of hosts' 196/5 proved too steep for the visitors as they eventually ended at 184/9, falling short by 12 runs.

England's 3rd successive defeat in the series means a trans-Tasman final will be assured if New Zealand beat Australia in Auckland on Friday.

The 5th T20I will be played between New Zealand and finalists Australia at Eden Park on Friday, February 16.

Now, let us have a look at what went wrong for England as they are yet to win a match in the ongoing T20I series.

#5 Bowlers being expensive

England's stand-in skipper Jos Buttler won the toss and opted to bowl first. Although Mark Wood removed dangerous Colin Munro (11) early, Martin Guptill (65) and skipper Kane Willamson's (72) 82-run 2nd-wicket stand powered New Zealand to 131 inside 14 overs.

The duo took all the England bowlers to the cleaners and laid a solid foundation for a huge score.

Although Adil Rashid and Mark Wood claimed 2 wickets each, they were looted for 36 and 51 runs respectively.

Chris Jordan removed Williamson but he conceded more than 8 runs an over.

Liam Plunkett and David Willey bowled 4 overs each, remained wicketless and conceded 33 and 36 runs respectively as the Kiwis posted 196/5 in their quota of 20 overs.

#4 Losing wickets at regular intervals

When you are chasing a huge target, it is very important for the team to not lose wickets quickly and build some solid partnerships to keep the scoreboard ticking.

Chasing 297 in 20 overs, England lost Jason Roy (8) cheaply but an explosive 47 off 24 balls from opener Alex Hales and 59 off 40 Dawid Malan gave England some hope but they didn't get sufficient support from the middle and lower order as the required run rate steadily climbed.

The wickets of Hales, James Vince and Jos Buttler in quick succession through the middle overs proved crucial.

Mitchell Santner, who is rated the world's premier T20I bowler, took 2 for 29 off his 4 as England completely lost the plot and fell short by 12 overs in the end.

#3 Batting collapse

England's batting has failed them throughout the series as they succumbed to their 3rd straight loss in the series.

Chasing 297 in 20 overs, England lost Jason Roy (8) cheaply but an explosive 47 off 24 balls from opener Alex Hales and 59 off 40 Dawid Malan gave England some hope but they didn't get sufficient support as the required run rate steadily climbed.

The wickets of Hales, James Vince and Jos Buttler in quick succession through the middle overs proved crucial.

David Willey (21) played a cameo towards the end but overall, England completely lost the plot and kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

Eventually, they could manage just 184 runs in 20 overs and lost the match by 12 runs.

#2 Poor running between the wickets

James Vince and David Willey became victims of poor running between the wickets as New Zealand's fielders were on target every time they aimed to hit the wickets.

Vince was guilty of lazy running and was caught out by Kane Williamson's sharp throw.

The ball just touched the tip of the bat and ran to mid-off and Williamson was on to it quickly and fired in the throw.

Vince seemed to think he would make it and stretched for the line at the last moment but fell short.

Willey tried to steal a single off a brilliant yorker from Tim Southee but debutant wicket-keeper Tim Seifert's direct hit did the trick.

#1 Martin Guptill-Kane Williamson partnership

New Zealand were put in to bat by Jos Buttler and the hosts lost Colin Munro early, but Martin Guptill and captain Williamson blazed half-centuries to the Kiwis to a position of strength.

Opener Guptill raced to 65 off 40 balls while Williamson, whose spot was under pressure after several ineffectual knocks in T20Is, accelerated late in his 72 off 46.

After the experienced duo's 82-run 2nd-wicket stand that powered New Zealand to 131 inside 14 overs, newcomers Mark Chapman (20) and Tim Seifert (14 not out) provided the late fireworks on their international debuts as New Zealand posted a handsome total of 196/5 in 20 overs.