Overview
- Batting first, England slumped to 44 for 5 inside roughly 10 overs after New Zealand chose to bowl on a grassy surface.
- Across the three-match series, England’s top four scored a combined 84 runs, an all-time low for any international ODI series as reported by ESPNcricinfo, replacing Bangladesh’s 1988 mark.
- A lower-order rally led by Jamie Overton’s ODI-best 68 and Brydon Carse’s 36 lifted England to 222 all out, setting New Zealand 223 to win.
- New Zealand’s seamers dominated early with Jacob Duffy and Zak Foulkes sharing the first five wickets, and Blair Tickner returning 4 for 64.
- With the series already won by New Zealand, the performance heightened scrutiny of England’s Ashes-bound batters, echoing Michael Vaughan’s concerns about handling Australian conditions.