Bond took 2-19 to help restrict England in St Lucia

"Obviously we told ourselves to stay calm before the match, but there is no doubt both teams were desperate for the points from this one," he said.

"A couple of older heads put their hands up for us - Shane Bond, Scott Styris and Jacob Oram were immense.

"It was crucial for us to get on the board and we have the momentum now."

Styris's unbeaten 87 proved a match-winning knock for the Kiwis and Fleming paid tribute to the all-rounder, who also took two England wickets.

606: DEBATE New Zealand had the better batting, better captaincy, better bowling and better fielding JR

"He played beautifully and it was exactly what we needed at exactly the right time. It makes such a difference when you have a number six who's in form," said Fleming.

"The fact that England were 133-3 at one stage showed that the toss wasn't all too important and we were under pressure then.

"But Scotty and Shane took two wickets apiece to put us right back in the mix and I think that was probably the key moment in us winning the game."

Styris said he had gone into the game with the view that he was playing for his place in the side after scores of 16, 17 and nought in his three previous one-day innings.

Styris plays a sweep shot during his match-winning innings

"I haven't played that well since I came back from the back injury so it was great to contribute. I knew the heat was on me to put in a performance worthy of my position in the side," he commented.

"It's a sign of a good side when you can't take your position for granted. Peter Fulton missed out here and he's had a good last few games."

Styris said he knew he did not have to take any risks when he came into bat despite his side being in serious trouble on 2-2, chasing England's below-par total of 209-7.

"We thought we could only lose the game if we got bowled out. Therefore we really just had to take it as deep as we could. The runs still came and we didn't really have to take a risk," he said.

His bowling return was equally pleasing as he had not taken more than a single wicket in a one-day innings since December 2005.

"I set myself to have a good World Cup, I wanted to do well here and it's a good start. The wickets over here seem to suit my style of bowling. It was good to get seven overs of work and I hope to do a lot of bowling in this World Cup."