After an underwhelming batting performance in the rain-hit series opener, captain Harry Brook urged his batters to keep their foot on the gas pedal. He led by example in the second T20I with an exhilarating 35-ball 78, and alongside Phil Salt’s magnificent 85 off 56, powered England to 236 for 4 – the best T20I total ever at Hagley Oval. New Zealand were eventually found submerged under the mountain of runs.
The surface this time was brisker, as Salt pinpointed between innings. After Mitchell Santner opted to bowl, Salt whipped Matt Henry’s second ball over mid-wicket for six, then flicked the next for four, with a bounty of 11 runs in the first over offering an early peek into the carnage to follow.
Three more boundaries sprang off the willow in the next over from Jacob Duffy before Jos Buttler fell to a short ball that cramped him for room. England went into their shell briefly but Jacob Bethell wasn’t going to play possum for long. He found his bearings with a pair of boundaries. Then Santner turned to off-spinner Michael Bracewell for the sixth over, a move that backfired. Salt struck two fours, Bethell followed with consecutive sixes, and though Bracewell dismissed the left-hander for a 12-ball 24 off his ultimate delivery, England already had an ominous 68 on the board at the PowerPlay mark.
Hitting doesn't get much more brutal than that! 💪@Harry_Brook_88 🤝 @PhilSalt1 pic.twitter.com/BuvHIAQjaD
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) October 20, 2025
Brook arrived with the field well spread and, after facing a couple of balls, went berserk. In Santner’s ninth over, he demolished a six down the ground, scooped a four, and pulled another six to take 19. James Neesham, who dismissed Brook in the first game with an off-paced delivery, was hit for an eye-popping 20 in his first over this time around, and then exacerbated his misery by dropping Brook on 39 at the long-on boundary off Henry. The England captain punished New Zealand big time, finishing the over with another monstrous six, continuing to render his partner second fiddle. For the record, Salt was in the zone on 70 off 44 at that stage.
Brook peeled off two more sixes off Kyle Jamieson to pump his tally for the day to five, before falling for 78 in the 18th over, ending a match-defining 129-run partnership. Salt followed two balls later, but there was still enough gunpowder in the visitors’ artillery as evidenced by Tom Banton’s 12-ball 29* that ensured that England posted a formidable 236.
New Zealand had their backs against the wall, and Brydon Carse made it an even tougher ask with a double whammy in his opening over, removing Tim Robinson and Rachin Ravindra. Though Mark Chapman and Tim Seifert’s exploits kept the Blackcaps in the hunt at 60/2 after the PowerPlay, just eight short of England’s mark.
The innings, however, stalled soon after. Only 30 runs came in the next four overs, and Liam Dawson built on an economical first over by having Chapman hole out to long-on. Adil Rashid then tempted Seifert with the wide line, inducing a miscue to long-on for 39 off 29, before Dawson dealt another blow to remove Bracewell.
When Daryl Mitchell slog-swept Rashid down deep mid-wicket’s throat, the writing seemed to be on the wall at 104 for 6. Captain Santner retaliated, smashing Dawson for 23 in one over, but Rashid returned to close things off, dislodging both Neesham and Santner (35 off 18) in the same over. Six balls later, the scorecard confirmed a 65-run drubbing and a 1-0 series lead to the visitors.
