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England’s final innings before the Ashes ended with a 3–0 ODI series whitewash new zealand,
Three top-order failures ultimately doomed the tourists, including Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, Joe Root And jacob bethel – They’ll all be on the plane to Australia this week – very poor performance.
Here the PA news agency looks at what was learned from the trip.
England need to find their identity
England’s record of four wins in 15 ODIs this year makes grim reading, and on nine occasions in 2025, they have failed to bat for 50 overs, including all three matches against the Black Caps.
Unlike previous years, England have been at or close to full strength since harry brook took the reins of the white ball but their talented batting unit struggled to adjust to the ups and downs of an ODI match.
When the pitch is flat, England can bang with the best of them – and they have scored two 400s this year – but if the ball spins or seams, as it did in New Zealand, they repeatedly stumble.
Brook wanted England to be “a little bit stronger” after their 135 at Mount Maunganui, but Brendon McCullum admitted after the series that they may need to strike more balance in the future.
Bethel gave a big audition
Even a daring gambler would not have bet big money on England’s top four players scoring a combined 84 runs in the entire series, the lowest ever in a men’s ODI series of at least three matches.
Smith, Duckett and Root all looked poor and averaged in single figures, while Bethel has not strengthened his claim to oust Ollie Pope as England’s number three batsman against Australia.
Bethel, who scored a brilliant first professional century against South Africa in September, scored 31 runs at an average of 10.33, when a score would certainly have sealed his promotion ahead of Pope.
England is looking over its shoulder
Three years ago, England won both the limited-overs World Cups and ended their 50-over drought in unforgettable scenes on home soil in 2019 before winning the T20 title in Australia in 2022.
How times have changed. England’s fortunes in ODIs have declined to such an extent that they have dropped to eighth in the world rankings, losing six of their last seven bilateral series.
Automatic qualification for the 2027 World Cup in Southern Africa depends on a top-nine finish by March of that year, with the qualifying tournament awaiting those ranked 10th or lower.
Ninth-placed West Indies and 10th-placed Bangladesh are seven and 10 points behind England respectively, so any notion of automatic qualification being assured would be foolish.
Plunkett remains void but Overton has impressed
Liam Plunkett was dropped after England’s famous World Cup win six years ago, but no fast bowler since has been able to replicate his role as a consistent wicket-taker after the powerplay.
While Brook praised the “wizardiness” of leg spinner Adil Rashid, he lamented the lack of support his fellow Yorkshireman received from the fast bowlers at the other end, although Jamie Overton enhanced his position.
The number eight’s valuable runs saved England from defeat in every match, while he acted as a change bowler and topped out at 90 mph, suggesting that Plunkett’s successor could be at hand.
New Zealand continues to punch above its weight
One of the popular clichés about New Zealand is that the country, with a population of 5 million, is outgrowing more resource-rich countries.
Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears, Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne and Kyle Jamieson missed the entire series, while Matt Henry was absent from the last two matches.
But Zac Foulkes looks an excellent prospect, Jacob Duffy produced an excellent performance and Blair Tickner made a heart-breaking comeback to dash England’s hopes.