Sussex star Luke Wright has admitted he thought England captain Paul Collingwood was joking when he asked him to bowl the final over in a crucial one-day international.

New Zealand needed just seven runs to clinch a thrilling victory in Napier and win the series when Collingwood gambled on Wright, who had not bowled in the match and had previously only sent down seven overs in his 11 international appearances.

The Sussex all-rounder came up trumps for his skipper to enable England to snatch an incredible tie and keep their hopes of drawing the series alive.

Wright said: "I thought Colly was taking the mickey when he told me to warm-up because my maths isn't quite as good as everyone else's but it was great to get a moment like that. I think it's probably as nervous as I've been but luckily it went okay.

"I actually thought that it was bowled (on the final ball) and I was going off to celebrate, then I realised that we hadn't won, but I suppose we have to take a draw and be happy with that."

Wright helped England set a mammoth total of 340-6, their third highest in one-day internationals,by smashing 24 off just 13 balls, including two fours and a six.

Collingwood denied suggestions he had only turned to Wright after miscalculating how many overs his front-line bowlers had sent down and praised the 22-year-old for holding his nerve.

The England skipper said: "I could have bowled Wrighty five overs earlier but you want it to go to the last over, that's where the pressure is. I backed him and that was it.

"I wanted to get it down to the last over and back Wrighty because I knew how good he was with yorkers - and what a great over it was."