New Zealand completed a 3–0 whitewash against England in the three-match One Day International series, winning the final game in Wellington to seal a historic victory. It was the first time in 42 years that New Zealand have swept England in an ODI series, having last achieved the feat in 1983.
After losing the toss and being sent in to bat, England were bowled out for 222 in 40.2 overs. Their top order once again failed to deliver, though Jamie Overton offered some resistance with the bat. In the earlier matches, England had been dismissed inside 36 overs, and this time the collapse was only marginally less dramatic.
At one stage England were struggling at 44 for five, before Overton and Brydon Carse built a brief recovery. Overton scored 68 off 62 balls, while Carse added 36 from 30. Captain Jos Buttler, batting at number six, made 38 off 56 deliveries.
Across the three matches, England’s top four batters collectively scored only 84 runs, setting a new unwanted record for the lowest combined total by a top order in any ODI series where a team batted in at least three innings. The previous lowest was Bangladesh’s 89 runs in the 1988 Asia Cup.
Chasing 223 for victory, New Zealand made a strong start as openers Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra shared a 78-run stand. Conway was run out for 34, followed by captain Tom Latham who was also dismissed in the same manner. England briefly regained control when Overton and Sam Curran applied pressure with tight bowling, reducing New Zealand to 196 for eight.
However, the hosts recovered through a match-winning unbroken ninth-wicket partnership between pace bowlers Zakary Foulkes and Blair Tickner, who guided their side home with 30 runs off 37 balls. New Zealand reached the target with two wickets in hand.
For the hosts, Ravindra scored 46, Daryl Mitchell 44, and Mitchell Santner 27, while Foulkes and Tickner remained unbeaten on 14 and 18 respectively. Overton and Sam Curran each took two wickets for England, with Brydon Carse and Adil Rashid claiming one apiece.
