England have actually touched their lowest point in limited overs cricket in the history of the gentlemen’s game. Currently ranked eighth in the ICC men’s rankings, they are already on the verge of playing the qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup. The main reason for their consistent failure has been the inconsistent form of their top-order batsmen.
England’s tour of New Zealand this summer was one to forget. Coming off an early win in the T20Is, new captain Harry Brook is disappointed with the performance of England’s top order in the ODIs. In the first ODI, Brook single-handedly took the game forward by scoring a brilliant century.
England were all out for 175 in the second ODI as Brooks could not be aggressive and lost the second match of the series, leading to another ODI bilateral defeat. After a disappointing campaign in the Champions Trophy, Brook’s appointment raised hopes of an England revival, but it all seems to have been in vain.
England’s batsmen set a new unwanted record in men’s cricket
England have recently failed to score runs with their new aggressive approach in the longer white-ball formats. Since the Champions Trophy, the English team has failed to take advantage but has been consistently performing well with the bat.
However, this is the first time that England’s batsmen have failed to perform well with the bat. He has made the unwanted record of scoring the least runs in a tournament. The top five English batsmen have scored a combined total of only 84 runs after three matches in the ODI series against New Zealand.
Fewest runs scored by the top order in any ODI men’s series:
England vs New Zealand in New Zealand—84 runs in 2025
Bangladesh in Asia Cup – 89 runs in 1988
100 runs in Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe-2009
Bangladesh vs Pakistan in Bangladesh – 101 runs in 2011
England’s top order collapses in New Zealand series
England’s top order includes Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Jacob Bethel and captain Harry Brook. This entire top order is also part of the red-ball team, but perhaps in some other altered batting positions.
They have been in somewhat poor form in New Zealand, with even veteran batsman Joe Root failing to reach double figures in the series. England’s top order collapsed in all three ODI matches.
In the first ODI, England lost 5 wickets for just 33 runs, in the second ODI for 81 runs and finally in the last ODI of the series, 5 wickets fell for just 44 runs. England had already lost the series, but the comeback of the top order looked crucial from any perspective.
Jamie Overton’s consistency saves England from dreadful defeat in third ODI
All-rounder Jamie Overton has been selected in the playing eleven throughout this series. Although he has not been the best with the ball, his batting has been quite consistent. In the first game, he made a good contribution in the seventh-wicket partnership with Harry Brook.
Overton scored his first half-century of the series in the final ODI, after scoring two 40s in the first two matches. With 68 runs in the final match of the series, Overton became England’s highest scorer in both the second and third ODIs.
This time, he helped England score a good 222 and help England stage a comeback in the final in what would otherwise have been a one-sided saga.
Also read: ‘Ben Stokes will have to earn the Ashes urn’ – Michael Vaughan gave a sharp message to England
