Brendon McCullum's buccaneering spirit was at its ruthless best on Friday as he not only plundered the fastest World Cup half century but drove another stake into the heart of the demoralised England cricket team.
The 33-year-old McCullum, who lost the toss to Eoin Morgan, overshadowed a superb bowling performance from Tim Southee who produced the best return by a New Zealand bowler in an one-day international.
Southee took 7-33 as New Zealand bowled England out for 123 in beautiful conditions at Wellington Regional Stadium in their Pool A clash, before McCullum smashed 77 from 25 balls to ensure his side remained unbeaten after three games.
England have suffered two heavy losses, to Australia and New Zealand, and even though they are not out of quarter-final contention yet, captain Eoin Morgan said his dressing room was 'pretty quiet'.
"Guys are very disappointed," Morgan said. "Over the next day or so they will look at themselves individually and see what they can do to improve against Scotland.
"Collectively we are going to have to get tighter as a group and produce collective performances that we have been searching for."
McCullum's innings was one of the individual performances cricket fans will remember as he was at his swaggering best as he flayed England's pace attack all around the ground.
He belted the first ball he faced from Stuart Broad for six and took 18 runs off the over, the second of the innings, and then 20 off Steven Finn, who had immediately replaced Broad.
He smashed four successive sixes off Finn's next over, which went for 29 runs as McCullum seemed to be intent on pushing an already dispirited England side further into despair.
The blitz was reminiscent of when he scored 80 runs from 28 balls in New Zealand's 95-0 in six overs chasing a target of 94 against Bangladesh at Queenstown in 2007.
Commentators at that time had joked that McCullum had booked a late afternoon tee-time at a local golf course during the innings break and was keen to make sure he got there.
The jest was repeated on Friday, though a dinner reservation at one of Wellington's more well known restaurants was the appointment he wanted to keep this time.
He was eventually bowled by Chris Woakes by a full toss to leave New Zealand 105 for one on the first ball of the seventh over, but the game was well and truly won by then.
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