New Zealand beat England by four wickets in the first ODI at Mount Maunganui on Sunday. The Kiwis hunted down the target with 13.2 overs to spare. New Zealand’s chase of 224 was shaky at first, losing three quick wickets, but Michael Bracewell’s 51 and Daryl Mitchell’s unbeaten 78 steered them to a four-wicket victory. England will likely regret dropping catches, notably those of Bracewell and Santner, which ultimately proved costly.

Brydon Carse struck early, removing Will Young and Kane Williamson in consecutive deliveries, and then Luke Wood dismissed Rachin Ravindra, leaving New Zealand reeling at 24/3.

Tom Latham counter-attacked, keeping the scoreboard moving until Carse trapped him lbw, ending a 42-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Mitchell. Carse’s impressive opening spell included six overs, setting the tone for England’s dominance.

Bracewell joined hands with Mitchell, and the duo stitched a match-winning partnership. Both of them notched up their fifties as they added 92 runs for the fifth wicket at a run-a-ball.

Bracewell ran himself out, but Mitchell remained unbeaten till the end to take his team over the winning line.

England’s first innings ended abruptly at 223. New Zealand’s bowlers dominated the early stages, reducing England to 56-6, with Zakary Foulkes claiming four wickets. A resilient 87-run partnership between Harry Brook and Jamie Overton steadied the ship until Overton fell for 46.

Brook was in sublime form and decimated every query New Zealand threw at him. When he was dismissed, he had scored 135, including 11 sixes, and England crossed the 220-run mark, which at one point looked nearly impossible.

The English captain didn’t succumb to the mounting pressure and launched a counterattacking knock to blow the Kiwis away. He blazed to his fifty in 36 deliveries in the 16th over of the innings and remained unbeaten at 85 off 73 when Adil Rashid fell on the final ball of the 30th over.

Brook then raised a 57-run stand with Luke Wood for the last wicket. During the partnership, Brook smashed 50 off 28 to celebrate his second ODI tonne and finish with a career-best 135 (101) after he holed out to Nathan Smith off his counterpart Mitchell Santner.

Brook was named player of the match for his brilliance with the bat.

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