New Zealand beat England by 2 wickets in 3rd ODI:Blair Tickner, Jacob Duffy bag two wickets, Overton’s 68-run knock goes in vain; Blackcaps seal ODI series 3-0

New Zealand produced a remarkable fightback to pull off a thrilling two-wicket victory over England, sealing a 3-0 whitewash in the ODI series. The hosts, who were staring at defeat at one stage, showed great determination as Zak Foulkes and Blair Tickner guided them home in a tense chase at Hamilton on Saturday. England, once again let down by their batting, were bowled out for just 222 in 40.2 overs. Despite showing brief signs of resistance, they failed to capitalise, marking the third consecutive time in the series they couldn’t play out their 50 overs. For New Zealand, Blair Tickner starred with both bat and ball — his four-wicket haul set the tone before his calm finish sealed the win. The victory marked a perfect end to the series for the Black Caps, while England’s struggles continued, with both their batting and consistency under the spotlight. Tickner shines with the ball again for the Kiwis England’s batting collapse began early after being sent in to bat. They were reduced to 17/3 within five overs as Jamie Smith, Joe Root, and Ben Duckett fell cheaply. Skipper Harry Brook’s stay was brief, too, scoring only 6 runs. Jos Buttler tried to stabilise the innings with a steady 38 off 56 balls, but the wickets kept tumbling. England’s lower order added some respectability to the total — Jamie Overton’s fighting 68 off 62 balls and Brydon Carse’s quickfire 36 off 30 provided a late boost. However, 222 was never likely to be enough. Also read: Rohan Bopanna announces retirement from tennis: Two-time Grand Slam winner, aged 45 bids adieu to the sport, legend pens emotional post For New Zealand, Blair Tickner continued his superb form, taking 4/64 in 10 overs and finishing as the leading wicket-taker of the series with eight scalps. Jacob Duffy supported him well with 3/56, while Zak Foulkes (2/27) and skipper Mitchell Santner (1/34) kept the pressure on throughout. Foulkes-Tickner steer New Zealand home In reply, New Zealand started confidently as openers Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra added 78 runs for the first wicket. Conway made 34, while Ravindra looked fluent with 46. But a middle-order collapse saw the hosts slip to 113/4, giving England a glimmer of hope. Daryl Mitchell tried to anchor the innings with a composed 44 off 68 balls, but his dismissal at 196/8 left the game on a knife-edge. That’s when Foulkes and Tickner held their nerve, adding an unbeaten 30-run partnership to take New Zealand over the line in 44.4 overs. Also read: Shreyas Iyer discharged from Sydney Hospital, confirms BCCI:India ODI vice-captain to stay in Australia until deemed ‘fit to fly’ Jamie Overton (2/32) and Sam Curran (2/46) bowled well for England, but their efforts went in vain as New Zealand showcased depth, grit, and composure to complete a clean sweep — a fitting reward for their dominance throughout the series.