England faces New Zealand in Wellington on Saturday, the final match of a tour that has been stop-start due to the weather in Aotearoa.
Rain decimated the three-match T20I series, with the first and third contests washed out. The second T20I was played at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, with England winning by 65 runs.
The ODIs have not gone as well for the tourists. England has already lost the series, with a four-wicket defeat at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui and a five-wicket defeat in Hamilton. This match decides if England can salvage any pride or if it is a whitewash in favor of the hosts.
Here is a look ahead at the contest.
New Zealand VS England Venue: Wellington Regional Stadium
New Zealand VS England Date: Saturday, November 1
New Zealand VS England Odds:
History
The first two matches of this series followed largely the same pattern. New Zealand won the toss and elected to field, challenging England to put up a good total that the Black Caps could not track down.
In the first ODI, England posted 223 from 35.2 overs, with Harry Brook top scoring with 135. It was a modest total that New Zealand ran down inside 37 overs for the loss of six wickets.
The 2nd ODI was even worse for the tourists. In that match, they were skittled for 175 from 36 overs. Blait Tucker took 4/24, with Jamie Overton’s 42 the high mark from England. It took New Zealand just 33 overs to run the total down this time.
The top scorer was Daryl Mitchell, who scored 56. Mitchell also scored 78 in the first match. His wicket has not been taken this series as he is in supreme ODI form with the bat.
New Zealand
The crazy aspect is that New Zealand hasn’t had to be great to win this series. Mitchell has been classy with the bat, and they are getting bowling help from all over the lineup.
The Black Caps are on a streak of five home wins in a row using a simple and effective formula. Their bowlers have been making inroads into the opposition’s top order early, while their middle order has dug in and provided runs when required.
England
The two defeats so far in this series mean that England has now lost six of its last seven matches in the format. This is a team that wants to entertain, play front-foot cricket, and score mountains of runs every time out.
The problem is that the batting lineup isn’t firing currently. 175 isn’t a total that is defensible in top-level cricket. Jofra Archer was good with the ball in Hamilton, but he is being put behind the eight ball because of England’s batting collapses.
Best Bets
Some of England’s stats during their ODI games this year are remarkable. They have failed to reach 50 overs in seven of their eight away ODIs in 2025. They have also failed to break 250 in any innings where Joe Root doesn’t score at least 50.
Having said all that, I like England to win here. It is the classic scenario where the pressure is off, so they can come out swinging. England scored 414 for 5 against South Africa in September to avoid a whitewash. Expect something similar here.
Root is 49/10 as the top bat, and I expect him to lead from the front as England posts a much better score and takes the win.
