Blair Tickner and Zakary Foulkes made decisive contributions with bat and ball to secure a tense two-wicket win for New Zealand over England on Saturday and a clean sweep of the three-match ODI series.

   

The two tailenders put on an unbroken stand of 30 for the ninth wicket to lift the home side to 226-8 in the 45th over after England had once again struggled with the bat to be dismissed for 222.

Seamers Tickner and Foulkes took six wickets between them after England collapsed to 44-5, the visitors' top-order failing once again.

The dismal form of test batsmen Ben Duckett and Joe Root will be of concern less than three weeks from the start of the Ashes test series in Australia.

England's top four made a total of 84 runs across the three matches, the fewest by any team in a comparable men's ODI series or tournament.

England were dismissed for 223 in the opening match and 175 in the second.

Captain Harry Brook said his players never adjusted to the movement extracted by New Zealand's pace bowlers in seam-friendly conditions.

"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," Brook said.

"New Zealand are the second-best team in the world for a reason. They've outplayed us in this series. We just haven't been good enough."

Tickner (4-64) claimed four wickets for the second successive game, while Foulkes (2-27) removed Jamie Smith and Root inside the first four overs.

Foulkes' new-ball partner Jacob Duffy (3-56) then accounted for Duckett, Brook and Jacob Bethell.

Jamie Overton's maiden ODI half-century was the foundation of an England recovery, with the allrounder the last man out for 68 in the 41st over.

Brydon Carse also achieved a career-best score in the format, blasting four sixes on his way to 36.

New Zealand opener Rachin Ravindra scored a bright 46 and Daryl Mitchell continued his fine form with 44, but a steady loss of wickets set up an exciting finish.

Overton and Sam Curran took two wickets each, while the home side lost two batsmen to the same unfortunate means of dismissal.

Devon Conway and Tom Latham were both run out, caught short of their crease at the bowler's end following the deflection of straight drives from another batsman.

Foulkes was unbeaten on 14 and Tickner not out 18, with their late heroics extending New Zealand's exceptional run of ODI results on home soil.

New Zealand have won 25 of 29 ODI matches on home turf since February 2019, with two losses and two no-results.

Fast bowler Kyle Jamieson has been ruled out of New Zealand's one-day international series with England due to stiffness in his side, New Zealand Cricket said on Saturday.

The 30-year-old will miss the three-match series, which starts on Sunday in Mount Maunganui, and is aiming to return for November's series against the West Indies.

Looking forward to seeing Kyle back soon 👊 pic.twitter.com/2Z6TbVWVAJ

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) October 25, 2025

"Kyle experienced some stiffness in his side after bowling today and we didn't want to take any risks at this stage of the summer," coach Rob Walter said.

"We felt it was best for him to sit out this one-day series and give himself the best chance of being ready for the West Indies tour, which starts on 5 November in Auckland."

The third T20 between New Zealand and England was rained off on Thursday with only 22 balls bowled in Auckland.

It meant England won the three-match series 1-0, with the first match in Christchurch also called off due to rain.

England had won the toss in Auckland and elected to field, but rain arrived in the first over.

New Zealand were 8-0 when the umpires called for covers to be placed on the Eden Park pitch after only three balls.

The teams returned about 90 minutes later, but only 19 more balls were bowled before the rain returned.

Twice covers were removed from the field, only for rain to return as the players prepared to run onto the field.

New Zealand Cricket had never started their home season this early, hosting T20 matches against Australia in October before the England series.

Traditionally the season would start closer to December, and domestic matches only begin this weekend.

The match was held as much of New Zealand was under a serious weather warning, with winds gusting up to 230kph destroying properties in Wellington and the South Island.

New Zealand will host England in a one-day series starting on Sunday in Mount Maunganui.

A ruthless England led by skipper Harry Brook's brutal 78 punished some lax New Zealand fielding to win the second T20 international by 65 runs in Christchurch on Monday.

 

Hitting doesn't get much more brutal than that! 💪@Harry_Brook_88 🤝 @PhilSalt1 pic.twitter.com/BuvHIAQjaD

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) October 20, 2025

 

The visitors raced to a mammoth 236-4 from their 20 overs after Black Caps captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and elected to field at Hagley Oval.

Brook and opener Phil Salt (85) blasted New Zealand to all parts while the hosts didn't help themselves with misfields, errant throwing and dropped catches.

Wicketkeeper Tim Seifert dropped Jacob Bethell after a top edge swirled high in the strong northwest wind, and later James Neesham put down Brook.

The Brook drop was crucial, with the 26-year-old blasting 78 from just 35 deliveries as part of a 129-run partnership with Salt.

Brook showed his intent just two balls after he was dropped, smacking a powerful pull shot more than 100 metres over midwicket, the ball landing outside the ground.

"It felt good," Brook said, after the opening match of the series on Saturday was washed out.

"It's always nice to contribute. It was just nice to get some runs out there and hit a couple out of the park."

He hit six fours and five sixes during his stay, finally falling after mistiming a lofted drive to long-on.

Salt played second fiddle for much of his innings – scoring 85 from 56 balls – rotating the strike before seizing on any loose bowling.

Brook said the pair tried to keep one another "calm and composed" during their century stand, while "looking to manipulate the field and put them under as much pressure as possible".

Tom Banton blasted 29 from only 12 balls to end the innings, helping England to the highest T20 total scored in Christchurch.

New Zealand's chase started poorly, losing both Tim Robinson and Rachin Ravindra in the second over.

It found life with Seifert and Mark Chapman, who combined for a 69-run partnership in quick time, but when both fell either side of the 10-over mark New Zealand's pursuit had all but ended.

England's spinners, Adil Rashid (4-32) and Liam Dawson (2-38), and seamer Brydon Carse (2-27) gave away little during their spells as New Zealand were bowled out for 171.

The third match of the T20 series will be played at Eden Park in Auckland on Thursday night.

Kane Williamson will make his long-awaited comeback to the New Zealand squad for the one-day international series against England after recovering from an unspecified medical issue, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said on Monday.

The 35-year-old has not played for New Zealand in any format since they lost the Champions Trophy final to India in March and NZC said he had been recovering from a "minor medical issue" in the past month which kept him out of the ongoing T20 series.

Allrounder Nathan Smith is also back in the squad after recovering from an abdominal injury the 27-year-old sustained during the second test against Zimbabwe in August.

Our One-Day squad to face England!

Kane Williamson, Nathan Smith and Tom Latham come into the side 🙌 pic.twitter.com/43hK5FAbEC

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) October 19, 2025

"Kane and Nathan have had to work hard to overcome their respective injuries and illness," coach Rob Walter said in a statement.

'EXPERIENCE AND LEADERSHIP'

"We all know what Kane means to the Black Caps - to have his skill, experience and leadership back in the group is fantastic," Walter added.

"Nathan's still relatively new to his international career, but he's impressed with his all-round skills and ability in the field."

However, Mohammad Abbas (ribs), Finn Allen (foot), Lockie Ferguson (hamstring), Adam Milne (ankle), Will O'Rourke (back), Glenn Phillips (groin) and Ben Sears (hamstring) remain unavailable due to injury.

Following the T20 series, New Zealand will play England in three ODIs starting on October 26 in Tauranga, followed by the second ODI in Hamilton three days later before they wrap up the series in Wellington on November 1.

"This is very much the start of our journey to the ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa in 2027 and I know the group are excited to get going in this series against a quality England side," Walter added.

NEW ZEALAND ODI SQUAD FOR ENGLAND SERIES

Mitchell Santner (captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young

The opening game of New Zealand's three-match Twenty20 series with England was abandoned due to heavy rain in Christchurch on Saturday with the hosts denied the opportunity to chase down a modest total for victory.

Play was called off following a long delay after England's innings, in which the tourists scored 153-6 in 20 overs on a difficult wicket, with Sam Curran (49 not out) finishing well after Jos Buttler (29) failed to build on a good start.

The second match takes place at the same venue on Monday before the finale in Auckland on Thursday, as both teams step up their preparations for next year's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, likely to be held in February-March.

New Zealand fast bowlers Matt Henry (1-26) and Jacob Duffy (1-45) made full use of early swing and bounce at Hagley Oval to restrict England to only 44-2 in the opening six powerplay overs before Harry Brook (20) looked to cut loose.

Jimmy Neesham (1-20) conceded a couple of huge sixes to the England skipper in the eighth over but gained revenge by getting through his defence, and the tourists' momentum ground to a halt again when Mitch Santner (1-20) removed Tom Banton for nine.

The dangerous Buttler also fell to spin shortly afterwards, holing out in the deep while looking to attack Michael Bracewell (1-10), before rain halted play in the 17th over with England on 110-5 and seeking a late charge to boost their total.

Kyle Jamieson (1-27) removed Jordan Cox for 16 after the break but Curran persevered, benefiting from a dropped catch and surviving a loud appeal for lbw to take England to a respectable total with 19 runs in the final over.

Jeetan Patel is one of a trio of New Zealanders on the England coaching staff plotting Ashes success Down Under this year but first they will be looking to take down the country they once proudly represented.

Patel, who has coached England's spin bowlers since 2019, was joined more recently by former seamer Tim Southee in the staff of their former Black Caps teammate, head coach Brendon McCullum.

They will be guiding England in three Twenty20s and three one-day internationals against New Zealand before crossing the Tasman Sea to try and wrest the Ashes urn out of the grip of the Australians.

"It's good at the moment," former spinner Patel said in Christchurch ahead of Saturday's first T20.

"We've got a good little buzz among the coaching staff and to be fair, among the group. They're so excited to be here, but then also about what's coming up in the not too distant future."

Patel, who played 78 times for New Zealand in all formats from 2005 to 2017, said England would be wary of the strength of the Black Caps on home soil, despite their hosts going down 2-0 to Australia in a recent T20 series.

"They're very good at home," he said. "I know they've just hosted Aussie and it hasn't gone as well as they would have liked but ... their record is amazing here, and they're in transition, so they're very dangerous."

The 45-year-old, who now lives in England, said he was probably not going to be able to offer much in the way of inside knowledge to his English charges.

"Let's be honest, a lot's changed since Brendon and I played, but Tim's probably got a bit more for us," he added.

"But we know that they're good wickets here. We know that they're good-sized boundaries to score lots of runs on. It's gonna be challenging for everyone, but it'll be fun."

England, captained in short formats by Harry Brook, play T20s at Hagley Oval on October 18 and 20 before the third match at Auckland's Eden Park on 23 October.

They also play one-day internationals in Tauranga, Hamilton and Wellington in late October and early November before the Ashes series opens in Perth.

Kane Williamson was missing from the New Zealand squad named on Monday for the Twenty20 series against England later this month because of a "minor medical issue", coach Rob Walter said.

The 35-year-old former captain turned down a central contract with New Zealand Cricket for this season and also missed the home T20 series against Australia earlier this month, which the Black Caps lost 2-0.

"Kane had to overcome a minor medical issue in the past month, and we both agreed he needs some more time to get himself physically ready to return," Walter said.

"He's obviously a world-class player and we're hoping these two weeks will ensure he's ready for the ODIs against England and the following tour by the West Indies."

New Zealand play England in T20s in Christchurch on 18 and 20 October before the third match at Auckland's Eden Park on 23 October. They also play a three-match one-day international series against the tourists in late October and early November.

Pace bowler Ben Sears will also miss the T20 series after suffering a hamstring tear in training last week that will require surgery.

Spinner Mitch Santner, who replaced Williamson as white ball captain in December last year, returns to the squad after abdominal surgery.

Also back is allrounder Rachin Ravindra, who missed the Australia series with a facial injury. Jimmy Neesham retains his spot in the squad after impressing against the Australians as Ravindra's replacement.

"It's great to have Mitch back," said Walter. "Alongside being our leader, he's one of the very best white-ball spinners in the world and his skills and experience will be a welcome addition.

"Likewise, it's nice to welcome back Rachin who was unlucky to miss out on Australia and I know is really excited for this series."

SQUAD- Mitchell Santner (captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Tim Seifert

New Zealand will be boosted by the return of regular white-ball skipper Mitchell Santner and allrounder Rachin Ravindra in this month's three-match Twenty20 series against England, but will be without key batter Kane Williamson, the national cricket body (NZC) said.

Santner and Ravindra both missed the T20 series against Australia earlier this month, with Michael Bracewell captaining the team. Ravindra was out due to a facial injury, while Santner was recovering from a recent abdominal surgery.

Williamson has an unspecified minor medical issue, media reports said. The NZC said the 35-year-old aims to return for the one-day international series against England starting on 26 October.

Pacer Ben Sears is also out due to a hamstring injury, the NZC added, while Finn Allen, Adam Milne, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips and Lockie Ferguson remain unavailable with injuries.

New Zealand play the first T20 against England on Saturday in Christchurch.

New Zealand squad: Mitchell Santner (captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Tim Seifert.