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McCullum buoyed by series win

Southampton - New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum said his side had showed how "good a team we can be" after wrapping up a one-day series win over England.

Martin Guptill's New Zealand record 189 not out - the opener's second successive unbeaten hundred - was the cornerstone of the Black Caps' total of 359 for three that was behind an 86-run win at Southampton on Sunday.

That gave them an unbeatable 2-0 lead in a three-match series ahead of Wednesday's clash at Trent Bridge and followed a five-wicket win at Lord's on Friday where Guptill scored an unbeaten 103.

This latest victory was just the tonic New Zealand needed after being whitewashed 2-0 by England in the preceding Test series and left them full of confidence heading into the one-day Champions Trophy tournament in the UK that starts on Thursday.

"It's very, very special for the guys involved in the team - and something we will savour," said McCullum, who rediscovered his batting form with an unbeaten 40 in an undefeated fourth wicket stand off 118 in just 50 balls with Guptill.

"The boys are delighted to come over here and play against a team as good as England, in their own conditions, and have wrapped the series up after two games," added McCullum, whose side lost the corresponding one-day series in New Zealand earlier this year 2-1 after going 1-0 up against Alastair Cook's men.

"We've done it in a fashion that shows how good a team we can be."

The 26-year-old Guptill's latest innings saw him surpass Lou Vincent's previous New Zealand record of 172 against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 2005, and was the equal fifth highest score in ODI history.

It also equalled West Indies great Vivian Richards' 189 not out, at Old Trafford in 1984, as the highest individual ODI score against England.

"The batsmanship was outstanding to see," McCullum said of Guptill's 155-ball knock, which featured two sixes and 19 fours.

"We all know his striking ability, and when you couple those two aspects together I'd probably say it's as good an innings as we've seen in one-day cricket from New Zealand."

Jonathan Trott, who dropped Guptill on 13, made an unbeaten hundred of his own but lacked support as England replied with 273 all out.

However, England all but effectively surrendered their near four-year unbeaten record in home one-day series in Sunday's first innings.

England, as was the case at Lord's, were without injured first-choice seamers Stuart Broad (knee) and Steven Finn (shin).

Given the series is now lost, it seems unlikely either paceman will be risked at Trent Bridge and there must be doubts about whether they will feature in the Champions Trophy, especially as England begin the defence of the Ashes against Australia -- still the pinnacle of the sport as far as English cricket is concerned -- in July.

In their absence, England's bowlers at Southampton suffered and none more than Surrey seamer Jade Dernbach, whose 10 wicketless overs cost 87 runs.

"It was obviously a tough day (for us)," England captain Cook said.

"Huge credit to the way Guptill played - 190 in a one-day game is a very special innings.

"He made us pay, and what was impressive was he always managed to find the right option at the right time," the left-handed opener added.

England's batsmen were always up against it, although had Trott found a reliable partner they might have got closer to their imposing victory target of 360.

"Trotty's was an outstanding hundred, and we needed those 30s or 40s at a lot less than a run-a-ball to turn into 50s and 60s to give ourselves a chance," said Cook.

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