New Zealand tour of England, 2008------New Zealand win last ball thriller against England

Elliott's exit was followed by the run out of Tim Southee and New Zealand needed 12 runs off the last 12 balls.

Mills hoisted Collingwood for six to make the target six off nine and that became three off the last over.

Mills took a single off the first ball. Gillespie couldn't do anything with the next four before making decisive contact with the last.

It had looked as if veteran all-rounder Scott Styris, dropped three times on his way to a man-of-the-match winning 69, was going to see New Zealand home before he was run out needlessly.

That England made as many as 245 owed much to Owais Shah's 63. Together with Ravi Bopara (58) he put on 75 for the fifth wicket.

Teenage pace bowler Southee was the pick of New Zealand's attack with three for 47 in 10 overs.

Both innings followed a similar pattern with England declining to 101 for four and New Zealand slumping to 106 for four.

But the experienced duo of Styris and fellow all-rounder Jacob Oram (38), playing his first match of the series following a hamstring injury, swung the match back New Zealand's way with a stand of 67.

New Zealand should have been 24 for three when Styris, on nought, was dropped by second slip Shah, at second slip off fast bowler James Anderson.

The all-rounder was missed again, in quick succession, on 27 and 28.

Collingwood dropped a difficult diving catch at backward point before paceman Stuart Broad floored a caught and bowled chance.

But his luck ran out after he failed to beat Swann's throw to Collingwood.

Shah, who made a rapid 49 in England's 114-run win in the series opener, again showed his class with a 63 ball fifty.

But England, as they had done during Saturday's defeat at Bristol, lost after Pietersen went cheaply.

This time he fell for nought, toe-ending a pull off Gillespie to Southee at mid-on.

Afterwards, Collingwood apologised for not withdrawing his appeal. "You have to make a split decision at the time and maybe it was not the correct one," he told Sky Sports.

"The umpire asked me if I was upholding the decision and I said 'yes'.

"Obviously the apologies go out to the New Zealand team over the decision - I made a split-second decision on the issue and that was the wrong one."

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, who shouted some angry words at the England dressing room when the appeal was upheld and again at the conclusion of the match, added: "I think we were a little bit contrite ourselves with the raw emotion so I apologise to Paul and his team.

"We hope we can move on - we can appreciate Paul words and we want to move on," said Vettori ahead of Saturday's finale at Lord's.

It was the second flashpoint of this series following last week's washout at Edgbaston, which saw the match finish one over short of a result being declared with New Zealand in sight of victory.

That match saw England take 83 minutes to bowl 19 overs but escape any action at all over a slow over-rate.

However, after this fixture a spokesman for match referee Javagal Srinath said he'd held a hearing attended by Collingwood dealing with the issue of England's over-rate. The spokesman added the ICC would announce Srinath's decision on Thursday. No mention was made of the Elliott incident.

New Zealand won a dramatic last-ball victory to beat England by one wicket in the fourth one-day international at The Oval here Wednesday to take an unbeatable 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

With two needed off the final ball, last man Mark Gillespie hit Luke Wright to extra-cover.

But Graeme Swann's fierce throw to the bowler's end wasn't backed up by several England fielders - had he lobbed it in, Gillespie might have been run out by a distance - and this allowed New Zealand the winning second on the over-throw as they reached their target of 246.

Kyle Mills was 25 not out off just 27 balls.

The match threatened to be overshadowed by controversy when New Zealand, closing in on victory, saw Grant Elliott run out after what appeared an accidental shoulder charge by England quick bowler Ryan Sidebottom, who'd veered off a straight course in an attempt to regather the ball.

With Elliott flat out, Ian Bell threw to Kevin Pietersen at the bowler's end and Elliott was dismissed with New Zealand 220 for eight in the 44th over.

Although England captain Paul Collingwood could have withdrawn the appeal and there is also provision within the laws for the umpires to call dead ball in the event of a serious injury, Elliott was ruled run out.