Although England had tied the series over the weekend, their latest win was unexpected. They faced a tough start, losing Jonny Bairstow without scoring a run and Joe Root with just four runs on the board, leaving them at 13-2 after 2.4 overs. However, Ben Stokes and Dawid Malan turned the tide with a partnership of 199 runs for the third wicket, with Malan scoring 96 from 95 balls.
While Malan's performance was impressive, it was overshadowed by Stokes's incredible innings. Stokes smashed 15 fours and nine sixes on his way to making 182 runs from 124 deliveries. Although Jos Buttler contributed a quick 38 from 24 balls, the rest of the English batting lineup struggled, with no one else scoring more than 12 runs. England managed to post a total of 368 runs before getting all out with 11 balls remaining.
Trent Boult was New Zealand's standout performer with figures of 5-51. However, despite Boult's efforts, England dominated with the ball as well, quickly reducing New Zealand to 28-3. Glenn Phillips offered some resistance with a valiant 72 from 76 balls in the middle order, but New Zealand never really had a chance, eventually getting bowled out for 187 runs in 39 overs.
Chris Woakes also contributed with the ball, taking 3-31, but the most surprising performance came from Liam Livingstone, who took 3-18 off five overs.
Overall, it was Ben Stokes's day, as his outstanding innings of 182 runs surpassed Jason Roy's previous record by just two runs. This performance justified his return to the 50-over format for the national team.
