5 things we learned after England’s limited-overs tour of New Zealand

England’s final assignment before the Ashes ended in a 3-0 one-day international series whitewash defeat by New Zealand .

Three top-order failures ultimately doomed the tourists, with Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jacob Bethell – all of whom will be on the plane to Australia this week – hugely underperforming.

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 for grim reading, and on nine occasions in 2025, they failed to bat out 50 overs, including in all three matches against the Black Caps.

Unlike in previous years, England have been at or near full strength since Harry Brook took the white-ball reins but their talented batting unit has struggled to adjust t