New Zealand 226 for 8 (Ravindra 46, Overton 2-22) beat England 222 (Overton 68, Tickner 4-64, Duffy 3-56) by two wickets
New Zealand scrambled to a tense two-wicket victory in Wellington to seal a 3-0 sweep of the ODIs after England's top-order was filleted once again. Jamie Overton slammed 68 off 62 from No. 8 to help England make a game of it but the armchair Ashes critics were given plenty more ammunition by another misfiring display before they hop across the Tasman.
It had appeared New Zealand would get the job done in routine fashion, as Daryl Mitchell anchored their chase of 223. But from 188 for 5 they slid to 196 for 8, with Mitchell the eighth man out for 44, edging Sam Curran behind. With more than 10 overs still to be bowled, however, there was time enough for Blair Tickner and Zak Foulkes to tick off the runs required in an unbroken ninth-wicket stand.
Well, they made hard work of it, but
New Zealand win by two wickets
and secure a series whitewash. Superbly well done by the ninth-wicket pair. What a few days it's been for Blair Tickner. From 44 for 5, England made much more of a game of it than looked likely and may even have fancied nicking the win when New Zealand were eight down. But the frontline quicks had been used up - a fair enough tactic from Harry Brook - and the home side held their nerve. A host of questions for England to answer about their one-day cricket, but they wait a while. We know what's next for them. For New Zealand, a notable series victory and worth noting they are missing a lot of players through injury.
Harry Brook
"I thought it was an amazing game of cricket there at the back end. For us to nearly defend that score, which probably wasn't quite enough, was a great effort from the lads. [On top order] That's obviously one thing we've spoken about. We didn't quite get big enough scores to be able to defend them and give the bowlers the best chance to win us the game. So we'll go back, we'll take the learnings that we've made from this trip here, and we'll try our best to be better in the future. It probably didn't help that I didn't win a toss as well. It favoured the toss a little bit. So, you know, they're the second best team in the world for a reason. They've outplayed us this series
Mitchell Santner
"They [the lower order] obviously work a little bit on their betting, so it was nice to see them do it in the game. Ticks looked like a lovely high front elbow, so that was a nice watch. I think this game [the toss] was massive. There was obviously a little bit there with the new ball, and I guess when you can get wickets in the power play, it's obviously massive. I think both Duff and Zac, when it's swinging and nipping around, it's obviously a challenge. Jamie Overton and Carsey got them up to a decent score in the end and made it pretty challenging for us with the bat. [On holding their nerve] I guess that's the most pleasing thing. Different guys stepping up at different times throughout every chase. [On his form] I've got a nice bat at the moment."
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