New Zealand defeated England by two wickets in the third and final ODI to clean sweep the three-match series. It was a tense finish, but BlackCaps held their nerve after England’s batting faltered once again. Jamie Overton was England’s standout performer, smashing 68 from 62 balls at No. 8 to help his team reach 222 after another top-order collapse.
New Zealand's chase vs England
While chasing 223, New Zealand were in total control for most of the innings after Daryl Mitchell’s steady 44 and a solid 78-run opening stand between Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra. However, England tried to shift the momentum of the game, picking three quick wickets, going from 188 for 5 to 196 for 8. Mitchell’s dismissal, edging Sam Curran behind, gave England a glimmer of hope, but Blair Tickner and Zak Foulkes calmly scored the remaining runs to take New Zealand home.
Tickner picked up a four-wicket haul
Earlier, Tickner was the pick of the bowlers with four scalps in the second clash in a row. His bowling performance, along with new-ball pair Jacob Duffy and Foulkes, dismantled England’s top order within the first 11 overs. England's top four batters again failed to perform without even getting double-digit scores, setting an unwanted record for the fewest runs scored by a team’s top four across an ODI series (only 84 runs in total).
Jos Buttler and Sam Curran tried to shift the momentum of the game
England were looking steady through Jos Buttler and Sam Curran, who built a 50-run partnership before Tickner struck again. Overton and Brydon Carse then fought back with aggressive batting, adding another 50 together. Overton’s innings, filled with 10 fours and two sixes, gave England something to bowl at, but their total still looked short on a good batting surface.
In New Zealand’s innings, Conway and Ravindra gave a flying start before a mix-up saw Conway run out. Ravindra followed soon after, bowled by Curran, while Overton and Carse kept England in the game with key breakthroughs. Tom Latham also fell to an unfortunate run-out, but Mitchell and Mitchell Santner steadied the chase. Santner’s quick 24, including two sixes, brought the target within reach before late wickets added drama.
Despite England’s spirited bowling, New Zealand’s lower order calmly finished the proceedings. The series defeat leaves England with major batting concerns ahead of their upcoming Test tour, while New Zealand will take confidence from a commanding all-round performance in home conditions.