England vs New Zealand 1st ODI 2025 had been played at Bay Oval in Tauranga last night, cricket gave us a reminder — one great innings can’t win a match alone. However, there are exceptions as well to this phrase.
England’s Harry Brook played one of the best knocks of his ODI career, scoring a brilliant 135 runs, but it wasn’t enough. New Zealand chased down the target calmly and won the match by 6 wickets to take a 1–0 lead in the series.
England Collapse, But Brook Stands Tall
England’s innings started like a nightmare. The new ball pair of Matt Henry and Zakary Foulkes made full use of the swing on offer. Within a few overs, England were struggling at 56 for 6 — a score that looked impossible to recover from. But for them it was actually the recovery from 10 for 4.
That’s when Harry Brook decided to fight back.
He didn’t panic. He played with confidence and picked his shots smartly. He punished every short ball and drove beautifully through the covers. His innings of 135 off 101 balls was full of class and attack where he hits 11 sixes and 9 fours.
Without Brook, England would have been bowled out under 150 or may be 100. He single-handedly gave them hope and respectability as they reached 223 all out in 35.2 overs.
Brook got very good support from Jamie Overton who scored 46(54), and both had 87 runs of partnership between them before Jacob Duffy strikes and got the Jamie Overton’s wicket
After Jamie’s wicket, Brook carried over the inning with the tail, and England finished at 223-10.
England’s Batting: Same Old Problems
England’s batting issues continue. They have aggressive players, but sometimes they forget to read the situation.
These are not new mistakes — they’ve been happening since they changed their way of playing cricket. The same method helped them to win many matches, but it backfired as well.
Brook’s knock was the only bright spot, but cricket is a team game. When only one player performs, the result rarely goes your way.
New Zealand’s Chase: Calm and Clinical After Poor Start
Chasing 224, England bowlers gave tough time to the top order. They lost Will Young, Williamson, and Rachin Ravindra early and was standing at 24-3 in 4.2 Overs. Brydan Carse and Luke Wood put a early dent in New Zealand’s inning.
Tom Latham24(24) and Daryl Mitchell *78(91)built a steady partnership of 42 runs which recovered New Zealand to some extent. They rotated the strike, punished the bad balls, and never allowed pressure to build. It was smart, simple cricket.
Mitchell stayed unbeaten on 78, and got the support from Bracewell51(51) in 92 runs stands between them showing great patience and timing. By the time England tried new bowlers, it was too late. The Black Caps crossed the line comfortably in 36.4 overs with good contribution from Skipper Mitchell Santner27(25).
It wasn’t flashy cricket — but it was mature and effective.
Why England Lost
England had their chances early on. Their bowlers created pressure, but there was no follow-up. Only Spinner Adil Rashid conceded too many runs in this low scoring run chase (I call this low scoring when comparing to modern day cricket) , they couldn’t get breakthroughs in the middle overs.
But the bigger reason was the batting collapse. Once again, England relied on one hero performance. There was no support from the rest of the top order or lower order.
What New Zealand Did Right
New Zealand proved again why they are one of the most disciplined teams in world cricket doesn’t matter if it’s ICC or bilateral.
They don’t have big egos or names— just a clear plan. Every player knows his role. Henry and Foulkes attack early, Santner controls the middle, Duffy took wickets towards the end.
Mitchell’s knock showed the value of staying calm under pressure. He didn’t go for big shots too early; he just waited for the right ball. That’s how you win matches like this. Bracewell showed very good composer as well before got run out.
England vs New Zealand 1st ODI 2025: Final Thoughts
This game told two stories — one of brilliance and one of balance.
Harry Brook was brilliant.
New Zealand were balanced.
This time balance won.
You can leave your thoughts, what England could do differently, or they will do in next ODI or what should New Zealand focus on.
