So much for England’s sojourn to New Zealand serving as preparation for the Ashes. Another day, another defeat — and another top-order batting collapse.
If they will be content with how Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse fared with the ball, the returns from four of the five batsmen who will head over to Australia with them have been nothing short of abject.
The margin of this final ODI loss by two wickets, on the fastest pitch of the series in Wellington, may have been closer than the previous two, but it flattered England. New Zealand freakishly lost two wickets to run-outs at the non-striker’s end via deflections off Carse’s hand, and there was a late flurry of dismissals when the job was all but done.
After Daryl Mitchell was dismissed for the first time in the series — his scores were 78 not out, 56 not out and 44 — it fell to Blair Tickner and Zak Foulkes, two of the bowlers who had made England’s life so difficult, to coolly knock off the 27 needed.
The defeat brought down the curtain on an ignominious year in ODI cricket in which England were beaten 11 times in 15 outings. More damning still, they were bowled out inside their allotted overs in 11 of those games, while in the other four they scored 351 for eight, 400 for eight, 325 for nine and 414 for five. This is a team that knows fifth gear, and nothing else.
Their win-loss ratio for 2025 of 0.363 is their fourth worst on record, behind 2006 and two years from the era before central contracts, 1998 and 1990. No wonder they are sweating on direct qualification for the next World Cup.
Duckett, England’s Test opener, failed to reach double figures for the third successive game as England slumped to 44 for five
AARON GILLIONS/SHUTTERSTOCK
The decision of Rob Key, the managing director of England cricket, to extend Brendon McCullum’s brief to take in the white-ball sides as well as the Test team has not had the desired effect, and raises the question as to whether the head coach is spreading himself — and his gung-ho philosophy — too thinly.
England were all out in only 40.2 of their allotted 50 overs, and it could have been fewer still. Once again the tail wagged, the recovery overseen by a maiden fifty in this format from Jamie Overton, who struck a brutal 68 from 62 balls, so that a score of 44 for five, and 102 for seven, was eventually raised to 222.
Overton thus completed a fine series with the bat, having scored 46 in Mount Maunganui and 42 in Hamilton, and finishing his side’s top-scorer twice and second top-scorer once. He later bowled excellently to take two for 32 from his ten overs with heavy pace.
Smith is bowled by Overton, who recorded England’s best figures with both bat and ball
KERRY MARSHALL/PHOTOSPORT VIA AP
In mitigation, New Zealand are a formidable team in their own conditions and Harry Brook lost all three tosses, which meant England always started when conditions were best for bowling. The pitches were tricky and the ball swung, but that’s the game, and as so often England were found wanting.
Any inquests will focus on the top four, whose combined tally of 84 runs is the lowest by a team batting three times in any ODI series or tournament, surpassing Bangladesh’s 89 at the Asia Cup in 1988.
Brook batted five when he scored 34 and a spectacular 135 in the first two games, but his promotion above Jacob Bethell here achieved nothing. Both were among the five wickets to fall inside the first 14 overs while Foulkes and Jacob Duffy were in harness.
Jamie Smith was caught behind off a faint top edge as he looked to force through the off side. Joe Root was trapped plumb lbw by a ball that swung sharply, while Ben Duckett was guilty of a casual swing high to leg to a ball angled across him.
Brook tried to steer a ball through gully only to loop a low catch to second slip, and Bethell fell in familiar fashion, cutting uppishly at a ball close to his body and being caught high at slip. Bethell had been given the opportunity to score enough runs to seize the No3 spot for the Ashes, but he has passed it up, and it is hard to see how England now pick him ahead of Ollie Pope for the Perth Test on November 21.
Archer was the pick of England’s bowlers in the second ODI and was impressive again despite taking no wickets
KERRY MARSHALL/PHOTOSPORT VIA AP
Since making his maiden century in professional cricket against South Africa two months ago, he has failed to reach 30 in nine attempts. In this series he mustered only 31 runs, although he did better than Root (29), Smith (18) or Duckett (11).
Jos Buttler and Curran posted a stand of 53 but Curran chopped on and Buttler was bowled by a fine nip-backer from Tickner. Overton then shared partnerships of 58 with Carse, 26 with Archer and 36 with Adil Rashid.
When Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra posted 78 for the first wicket — 24 of them coming off one over from Archer, who otherwise gave away little in another impressive display — it looked like New Zealand would cruise home, but Conway’s unfortunate run-out triggered three wickets in 12 balls.
Tom Latham became the second run-out victim but despite Rashid removing Michael Bracewell to claim his 235th ODI wicket, putting him clear of Darren Gough and into second place behind only James Anderson on England’s all-time list, there was little to suggest it would be a tight finish.
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That changed when Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith and Mitchell fell in the space of eight runs, but Tickner and Foulkes proved equal to the challenge. England’s Ashes squad will not formally assemble as a group until next weekend, but individually and collectively they have much work to do.
Scoreboard
England
Jamie Smith c Latham b Foulkes 5
Ben Duckett c Ravindra b Duffy 8
Joe Root lbw Foulkes 2
Harry Brook c Bracewell b Duffy 6
Jacob Bethell c Mitchell b Duffy 11
Jos Buttler b Tickner 38
Sam Curran b Tickner 17
Jamie Overton c Young b Santner 68
Brydon Carse c Mitchell b Tickner 36
Jofra Archer c Bracewell b Tickner 16
Adil Rashid not out 1
Extras (1lb, 13w) 14
Total (40.2 overs) 222
Fall of wickets: 1-7 (Jamie Smith, 1.4 ov), 2-15 (Joe Root, 3.1 ov), 3-17 (Ben Duckett, 4.2 ov), 4-31 (Harry Brook, 6.3 ov), 5-44 (Jacob Bethell, 10.1 ov), 6-97 (Sam Curran, 21.3 ov), 7-102 (Jos Buttler, 23.1 ov) 8-160 (Brydon Carse, 31.3 ov), 9-186 (Jofra Archer, 35.6 ov).
Bowling: Duffy 10-0-56-3; Foulkes 8-1-27-2; Smith 6-0-40-0; Tickner 10-0-64-4; Santner 6.2-0-34-1.
New Zealand
Devon Conway run out Overton 34
Rachin Ravindra b Curran 46
Will Young c Buttler b Jamie Overton 1
Daryl Mitchell c Jos Buttler b Curran 44
Tom Latham run out Carse 10
Michael Bracewell c Bethell b Rashid 13
Mitchell Santner c Brook b Carse 27
Nathan Smith b Overton 2
Zak Foulkes not out 14
Blair Tickner not out 18
Extras (3lb, 2nb, 12w) 17
Total (44.4 overs, 8wkts) 226
Jacob Duffy did not bat.
Fall of wickets 1-78 Conway, 2-81 Ravindra, 3-92 Young, 4-113 Latham, 5-147 Bracewell, 6-188 Santner, 7-191 Smith, 8-196 Mitchell.
Bowling Archer 10-2-53-0; Carse 10-0-60-1; Overton 10-1-32-2; Curran 8.4-1-46-2; Rashid 6-0-3201.