Lightning strikes as England lose World T20 opener.

Moeen Ali made 36 as England posted 172-6, a score which may well have won them the game.

England lost their first match of T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in harsh circumstances, after New Zealand were awarded a nine-run win on the Duckworth Lewis method, with heavy rain, hail and thunder preventing further play in Chittagong.

England had posted an impressive total of 172-6, the highest total by any team at this ground in a Twenty20 International, after they were inserted by Brendon McCullum and were on top at the halfway stage despite no stand out performances with the bat.

But the Kiwi's reached 52-1 after 5.2 overs and consecutive boundaries ensured that New Zealand were ahead on D/L, much to the anguish of Stuart Broad who felt that his side had done enough to win.

The match commenced in a fashion which England fans had become accustomed. Alex Hales played the ball to mid-off as he was out for a second-ball duck thanks to a stunning catch from Corey Anderson with the score at 1-1.

Defiance against this early set back came from two of England's more inform batsmen, Michael Lumb and Moeen Ali, the latter leading the England assault, as they added 72 for the second wicket.

Ali struck a total of seven boundaries as England reached 55-1 at the end of the power play and Lumb followed suit with successive boundaries in the seventh over.

England seemed to be going strong and were playing in a style reminiscent of their 2010 World Cup success, scoring boundaries to all four corners of the ground, but New Zealand's bowling also left something to be desired.

They were, however, given some respite when Ali was caught on the leg-side boundary for 36 which proved to be the highest score in England's innings.

Lumb followed soon followed for 33, Mitchell McClenaghan taking the wicket as he finished with 1-22 from four overs, after he had taken the catch to remove Ali, causing England to lose two wickets for the addition of three runs.

Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler steadied the innings after this blip, but England struggled to score at the same rate at which they had started this tie. Buttler managed to find the boundary, but Morgan's poor form continued as he fell for 12 with England 102-3.

But with plenty of time remaining in this tie England set their sights on a daunting total, one which was achieved but not vindicated courtesy of biblical weather.

Buttler made 32 from 23 balls but was dismissed at a crucial time and with just over four overs to bowl England were still short of a competitive score. But the England batsmen were able to add 42 runs in the last four overs, Bopara finishing not out on 24 and Chris Jordan adding a quick-fire eight.

Tim Bresnan struck consecutive boundaries as he finished unbeaten on 17 from eight deliveries and England breathed a sigh of relief after they posted an encouraging score of 172-6.

Early wickets were key if England wanted to put New Zealand on the back-foot and, when Martin Guptill fell for 11 in the fourth over, England were beginning to seize the tie, with runs on the board often putting unnecessary pressure on the opposition.

But one man who knows how to deal with this sort of pressure is the New Zealand skipper, McCullum, and his vast experience in this format proved to be vital in seeing the Kiwi's over the line.

The man with the most runs in this form of the game at International level hit Stuart Broad for 16 runs off an over, but would not face another ball due to the rain which came down in instalments Chittagong.

Kane Williamson also proved to be a tricky customer and his unbeaten 24 off 17 balls aided the Kiwi's cause, putting New Zealand ahead of D/L as the players left the field.

Despite suffering their eighth T20 loss in nine matches, England will take solace from the resilience of their batsmen to post such a competitive score, but it will be hard to swallow a defeat of this nature after they started so well.