The England captain of the ODI format, Harry Brook, found himself under tremendous pressure as he walked into the middle of Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. The visitors found themselves 10/4 in the sixth over before losing two more wickets in the form of Jos Buttler and Sam Curran. But Brook had other plans while the Three Lions looked to get bundled out for under 100. 

Brook led from the front and never lost his instinct with the bat as he kept smashing the big shots around the park. The right-handed batter celebrated his second ODI century and first as the captain to cross the three figures in the format against New Zealand in New Zealand.

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It was Alastair Cook, the former England captain, who came the closest to a century against the Blackcaps away from home. The left-handed opening batter smacked 78 runs in 2013 in Napier. More than 10 years later, Brook smashed 11 sixes and nine fours for his special knock of 135 runs in 101 balls.

Harry Brook celebrates special century to break several records during NZ vs ENG 1st ODI

Only Sri Lanka’s former all-rounder, Thisara Perera, creamed more sixes (1) than Brook in the 50-over format. The other batters who have hit 11 sixes in an ODI innings against the Kiwis are Australia’s Marcus Stoinis and Pakistan’s opening batter, Fakhar Zaman. Brook also became the fourth touring batter of the England side to score an ODI century against New Zealand after Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, and Chris Broad.

Overall, Brook became the third captain of the England side to score an ODI century against New Zealand. The first to achieve the feat was Graham Gooch with an undefeated 112 at the Oval in 1990. In 2015, the former England captain, Eoin Morgan, achieved the feat with a knock of 113 runs at Trent Bridge.

The 57-run stand for the last wicket between Brook and Luke Wood pushed the England side to 223 in 35.2 overs. In reply, the Blackcaps found themselves under immense pressure at 24/3 in the fifth over of the chase.

England have named their playing XI for the first T20I against New Zealand, which will be played in Christchurch on Saturday, October 18. The team was announced two days before the match. Harry Brook will return as captain after missing the Ireland tour. Most of the squad is the same as the one that played against South Africa in Manchester last month, with just a few changes.

Jordan Cox, who scored his first T20I fifty against Ireland, keeps his place at No. 7. Brydon Carse comes into the side in place of Jofra Archer. Cox replaces Will Jacks, who is being rested as England manage his workload ahead of the Ashes. Both Cox and Sam Curran impressed during *The Hundred* for the Oval Invincibles, which helped them earn their spots in the team. Cox, who was named Player of the Tournament and hit a quick 35-ball 55 against Ireland, will continue as a middle-order batter.

Back in action on Saturday ⏳

Our XI for the first IT20 against @BLACKCAPS 💪 pic.twitter.com/pAqOKorsOV

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) October 16, 2025

Curran will play a flexible role in the batting order alongside Tom Banton. Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson will handle the spin duties, with Jacob Bethell as an extra option. The pace attack will be led by Curran, Carse, and Luke Wood.

England will play three T20Is against New Zealand the first two in Christchurch on October 18 and 20, followed by the final game in Auckland on October 23. The two sides will then meet again for a three-match ODI series on October 26, 29, and November 1.

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The former England captain, Joe Root, has drawn a bold comparison between modern-day great players and the current red-ball captain of the Blue Brigade, Shubman Gill, following the latter’s successful stint with the bat, where he amassed over 750 runs in five Tests in the United Kingdom against England.

Shubman Gill also led the side incredibly, ending with a 2-2 series margin, including the famous victory during the fifth and final game at the Kennington Oval. Root compares Gill with some of the greatest modern-day players of the game and expects the Punjab-born to reach that level.

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“I think Kane is a wonderful player. I think Steve has been incredible, especially against us. Virat Kohli and Rohit are the same. Shubman Gill, I think, is going to be a very good player across the formats. Harry Brook is another whom I am watching from the other end, and he makes my life so much easier with the pressure he puts on the bowlers.” Root expressed during a recent interaction on Stick To Cricket.

Watch: Joe Root compares Harry Brook with Kevin Pietersen’s aura

Harry Brook is another upcoming superstar for the England side, and Root has compared him with Kevin Pietersen’s aura and demeanor. He reckoned that Brook’s aggressive style of batting could pay the opposition team many ways, where they would mostly look to stop the runs rather than getting him out.

"Gill will be very, very good" 🌟

Joe Root shares which modern day players have impressed him 🏏 pic.twitter.com/lW9GP98Yhc

— Stick to Cricket (@StickToCricket) September 10, 2025

“Harry is pretty similar to KP. When KP used to be at the crease, his aura, demeanor, and presence were intimidating, whereas with Harry, you just don’t know where he could hit the ball. As a bowler, you would think that I would bowl top of the off-stump, and it actually could either go over fine-leg or go over mid-off for a six.”

“You are batting at the other end, thinking it’s Christmas. So many people are trying to control the rate, and in many ways, you try to stop the runs, and when people do that to you mentally as a batting group, it makes life so easier. Then there is no threat from the opposition.”

England are set to take on South Africa in the third and final ODI of the three-match series at The Rose Bowl in Southampton on Sunday, September 7. The Proteas have already sealed the series 2-0 after winning the opening two encounters. In the second ODI, England chose to bowl first, but South Africa posted a strong total of 330/8. Matthew Breetzke anchored the innings with a brilliant 85 off 77 balls, while Jofra Archer impressed with the ball, claiming four wickets for 62 runs.

Chasing a challenging target, England fell agonisingly short, finishing with 325/9 and losing the match by just five runs. Joe Root and Jos Buttler both contributed vital half-centuries, keeping England in the hunt until the final overs. However, Nandre Burger’s disciplined spell, where he picked up three wickets for 63 runs in his 10 overs, tilted the match South Africa’s way. Breetzke’s superb knock earned him the Player of the Match award.

See Also: WATCH: Shubman Gill's reaction caught on camera when crowd chanted for Sanju Samson ahead of Asia Cup 2025

South Africa vs England, 3rd ODI: Live Streaming Details

South Africa vs England, 3rd ODI: Probable Playing XI

England

Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood

South Africa

Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Matthew Breetzke, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Corbin Bosch, Senuran Muthusamy, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi

The downturn of England cricket in ODI's is concerning after their disastrous affair with South Africa at Headingley and issues in their white ball Trio. Bowled out for 131, England's lowest score at Headingley for almost 50 years, it was another collapse for the batting unit. After a familiar instance of cheap top order dismissals, the middle order batter were unable to rebuild, and the Proteas ambled to victory with little fuss. This loss follows a series of poor results since the 2023 ODI World Cup and failed Champions Trophy 2025. The batting order that once terrified opposition bowling units has become brittle and unable to adapt to the demands of ODI cricket. Aggressive batting and reckless dismissal might have more often than not worked in T20 cricket, but ODIs have the cloud of aggression, but require enough patience. England have struggled with this principle since the start of The ODI side.

See Also: India 2013 Champions Trophy winner retires from international cricket

The limited focus on domestic one-day cricket is, in part, to blame. With high-profile tournaments like The Hundred and subjecting players to T20 league cricket, there is almost no opportunity to develop an ODI mentality. When players are then put under sustained pressure from bowlers with relentless quality they have shown to be unprepared. And in terms of leadership, a change has not helped either. Jos Buttler's resignation from captaincy after two poor series, left a significant vacuum, and Harry Brook has been presented as a new beginning to address that vacuum, but the problems still exist. Brook's early success against the West Indies might have suggested a potential impact, but a total collapse at Headingley demonstrated deeper problems in the ODI landscape for England will remain for now.

New Leadership, Old Problems

Selecting Harry Brook as England's newest ODI captain was considered a brave step into the unknown. As a promising 26-year-old who is clearly brave and willing to honour his nation over county and franchise cricket, Brook is taking positive, aggressive and bold initiatives. He has already brought along the younger players Jamie Smith and Will Jacks, which displays a good focus on the future. Brook plays similar aggressive cricket that England played to be crowned world champions in 2019. However, the team faces some challenges that go beyond tactics. The current ODI side still has challenges with an inconsistent middle order and inflexible thinking. Many players are under-conditioned in ODIs to assess as compared to T20 cricket where hit-bang-wallop product effectiveness is key.  The England team do not use better judgment batting across 50 overs, so at Headingley, South Africa's spinners and seamers were able to expose that thinking and force hasty strokes and sub-standard shot selection decisions.

Brook himself acknowledged after the loss to South Africa that England needed to be "...a little more calculated" and that can't just be a quippy comment but must reflect the core issue - without balance between a desire and instinct to attack to play a more moderate form of the game, especially if there are no steady-eddies at the other end. Collapses are bound to be common against strong opposition. Another structural flaw is the inconsistent management and selection changes across the playing group. With Test specialists generally omitted and minimal ODI specialists in the squad, England has yet to land on a settled XI, and constant chopping and changing means rhythm and momentum at series and international level are impossible to build. 

Despite of all this, Brook’s leadership still provides some optimism - early results showed he can galvanize and energize a team and there is potential in his long term vision to start to rebuild. But unless England make systemic changes - provide more emphasis on domestic one-day competitions, develop ODI specialists, and reframe the way they naturally bat, they will likely continue to find themselves in these situations regularly. The collapse at Headingley is more than just one dire performance, it represents the desperate need for England to reset their ODI strategy. If Brook and his squad do not soon address these underlying structural issues, the golden era of England's white-ball championships will become a distant memory.

The Hampshire fast bowler, who featured for the Manchester Originals during The Hundred 2025, Sonny Baker, will make his international debut for the opening ODI game of the three-match series against South Africa at Headingley. The 22-year-old, who is capable of consistently bowling at 90 mph, has picked up 19 wickets so far in 11 List-A games. 

He will be joined in the pace attack by Jofra Archer ater a smooth The Hundred event, who would be playing his first 50-over game since the Champions Trophy 2025, and Brydon Carse. Harry Brook will be leading the side in his second successive series, as Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett will continue to show their dominance in the opening position of the side.

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“We've seen him bowl at some of the best batters in the world, and he had them on toast, so it's been really good to see. He bowls at a high pace, and he can swing it both ways with exceptional death skills as well. To have him in the team and for him to be opening up tomorrow is awesome.” Brook expressed during an interaction.

England name playing XI for opening ODI against South Africa

Just hours after England released a press statement of Jamie Overton deciding to take an indefinite break from the longest format, Brook feels that Baker has all the potential to bring himself into the equation for the upcoming Ashes 2025/26 against Australia down under.

“There have been a few moments. The spells he bowled to Williamson and Warner and then Smith and Bairstow, all four are world-class batters in the shorter format, and he was all over them. He bowled with high pace and high skill. He was awesome to watch this year, and everyone was talking about him.” Brook addressed.

“I don't select the red-ball side, but yeah, he's obviously done really well this summer, and we'll see how he goes tomorrow. He's bowling at high pace with a lot of skill, and it looks like he has quite a lot about him as well.” The England ODI captain revealed.

England’s playing XI for the first ODI vs South Africa

Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (captain), Jos Buttler (wk..), Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, and Sonny Baker.

Northern Superchargers have had a strong campaign this year, finishing the league phase with five wins from eight games to book their playoff spot. But one of those three defeats came against Trent Rockets, who they'll face again in the Eliminator. 

On the other hand, The Trent Rockets have been rock solid this season, winning six from eight games to lock up second place and earn their playoff spot. They come into the Eliminator after back-to-back dominant performances, so confidence should be high.

TRT vs NOS Match Details

Date: 30th August, 2025

Time: 10:30 PM IST

Venue: Kennington Oval, London 

Live Streaming: Fancode  

TRT vs NOS Weather Report

Clear weather 

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Top Batters TRT vs NOS

• Zak Crawley (NOS) - 280 runs in this tournament 

• Joe Root (TRT) - 228 runs in this tournament 

• Tom Banton (TRT) - 228 runs this tournament 

Top Bowler TRT vs NOS

• Rehan Ahmed (TRT) - 10 wickets in this tournament

• Matthew Potts (NOS)  - 9 wickets in this tournament 

• Lockie Ferguson (TRT) - 7 wickets in this tournament 

TRT vs NOS Recent Performance

TRT vs NOS Today Match Prediction Scenarios

Scenario 1- If TRT bats first

• First Innings score prediction- TRT is expected to score 160-175 runs

• Result prediction- TRT will win the match by 15-20 Runs 

Scenario 2- If NOS bats first

• First Innings score prediction- NOS is expected to score 135-145 runs.

• Result prediction- TRT will win the match by 5 wickets 

TRT vs NOS Predicted Playing XI

Northern Superchargers (NOS) Playing XI 

Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, Dan Lawrence, Harry Brook (c), Michael-Kyle Pepper (wk), David Miller, Samit Patel, Tom Lawes, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Jacob Duffy.

Trent Rockets (TRT) Playing XI

Joe Root, Max Holden, Tom Banton, David Willey (c), Marcus Stoinis, Ben Cox (wk), Sam Hain, George Linde, Rehan Ahmed, Ben Sanderson, Lockie Ferguson.

TRT vs NOS Complete Squad

Northern Superchargers - 

Harry Brook, David Miller, Adil Rashid, Zak Crawley, Mitchell Santner, Dan Lawrence, Brydon Carse, Ben Dwarshuis, Matthew Potts, Michael Pepper, Dawid Malan, Pat Brown, Graham Clark, Tom Lawes, James Fuller, Rocky Flintoff.

Trent Rockets -

Tom Moores(WK), Joe Root, Samuel Cook, Sam Hain, Tom Alsop(WK), Tom Banton(WK), Calvin Harrison, Marcus Stoinis, David Willey(C), George Linde, Rehan Ahmed, Max Holden, Adam Hose, Lockie Ferguson, Dillon Pennington, Ben Sanderson, Callum Parkinson, Akeal Hosein.

TRT vs NOS Today Match Prediction, Who Will Win the Match?

Trent Rockets To win

We predict that Trent Rockets will win this Hundred Men's match. Joe Root, Tom Banton and Lockie Ferguson will be key players to watch out for.

Still a few months to go, but already the hype has started to rise around the upcoming Ashes series, where two arch rivals, Australia and England, will face each other. Due to their recent past performances in Test cricket, Australia is considered the favorite to win the series.

But Josh Hazlewood has different thoughts. He is expecting a tough challenge from the England cricket team, as they have multiple exciting talents. The Australia pacer recently said that players like Harry Brook or Joe Root can make a difference between two teams. Hazlewood heavily applauded Brook, who was in fine touch against India during the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy.

"England has obviously had quite flat wickets recently, the last few years, and it's been a really dry summer as well, so they are probably starting to get tired and spin now... I think Harry Brook will adapt. He's a good player. He's at the top of the rankings for a reason, and he'll be a tough challenge," Hazlewood said. 

Read More: England pacer Mark Wood targets County Championship for comeback ahead of the Ashes 2025

A test for Harry Brook as well

Brook made his Test debut for England in 2022; since then, he has played 30 matches in the Whites. During this period, the middle-order batter faced Australia in the format in 2023. It was the home series for England, and Brook played all five matches in a promising way. But he never faced Australia in Tests on an away series. The upcoming Ashes can be Brook's career's first Test assignment on the land of Kangaroos. 

England's best batting line-up in a while to tour Australia?

Read more: https://t.co/VHXk2P2sGT pic.twitter.com/cvrjVInTY7

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) August 28, 2025

"I think a fresh face like Harry Brook might find it easier. There's no baggage behind him, and he can just come out and play with freedom as he does. Joe's probably in the form of his life as well. So they're an unbelievable batting line, to be honest. The top seven have done really well...so it's a challenge," Hazlewood added. 

Northern Superchargers had an excellent tournament so far, winning five out of seven matches and currently holding the third position in the points table. They won their last match by 16 runs against Oval Invincible.

On the other hand, Manchester Originals have secured just two victories and currently occupy the bottom position in the points table with eight points. They lost their last match by seven wickets against Birmingham Phoenix. 

NOS vs MNR Match Details

Date: 26th August, 2025

Time: 11:00 PM IST

Venue: Headingley, Leeds 

Live Streaming: Fancode  

NOS vs MNR Weather Report

Clear weather 

Also Read: The Hundred Women 2025: NOS-W vs MNR-W Prediction– Match 30, Who will win today?

Top Batters NOS vs MNR

• Zak Crawley (NOS) - 263 runs in this tournament 

• Jos Buttler (MNR) - 213 runs in this tournament 

• Harry Brook (NOS) - 201 runs this tournament 

Top Bowler NOS vs MNR

• Josh Tongue (MNR) - 12 wickets in this tournament

• Sonny Baker (MNR)  - 9 wickets in this tournament 

• Matthew Potts (NOS) - 9 wickets in this tournament 

NOS vs MNR Recent Performance

NOS vs MNR Today Match Prediction Scenarios

Scenario 1- If NOS bats first

• First Innings score prediction-NOS is expected to score 170-185 runs

• Result prediction- NOS will win the match by 15-25 Runs 

Scenario 2- If MNR bats first

• First Innings score prediction- MNR is expected to score 150-160 runs.

• Result prediction- NOS will win the match by 5 wickets 

NOS vs MNR Predicted Playing XI

Northern Superchargers (NOS) Playing XI 

Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, Michael-Kyle Pepper (wk), Harry Brook (c), Dan Lawrence, David Miller, Mitchell Santner, Tom Lawes, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Jacob Duffy.

Manchester Originals (MNR) Playing XI

Phil Salt (C), Ben McKinney, Jos Buttler (WK), Rachin Ravindra, Heinrich Klaasen, Matty Hurst, Lewis Gregory, Scott Currie, Noor Ahmad, Josh Tongue, Sonny Baker.

NOS vs MNR Complete Squad

Northern Superchargers - 

Harry Brook, David Miller, Adil Rashid, Zak Crawley, Mitchell Santner, Dan Lawrence, Brydon Carse, Ben Dwarshuis, Matthew Potts, Michael Pepper, Dawid Malan, Pat Brown, Graham Clark, Tom Lawes, James Fuller, Rocky Flintoff.

Manchester Originals -

Jos Buttler, Noor Ahmad, Phil Salt, Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand), Lewis Gregory, Ben McKinney, Heinrich Klaasen, George Garton, Matthew Hurst, Josh Tongue, Scott Currie, Tom Hartley, Sonny Baker, Tom Aspinwall, James Anderson, Marchant de Lange.

NOS vs MNR Today Match Prediction, Who Will Win the Match?

Northern Superchargers To win

We predict that Northern Superchargers will win this Hundred Men's match. Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan and Adil Rashid will be key players to watch out for.

Northern Superchargers beat Oval Invincibles by 16 runs in an exciting game at Headingley. Sam Billings chose to bowl first, but Harry Brook’s side made the most of the batting track. Zak Crawley (49 off 25) and Dawid Malan (34 off 21) gave a flying start. Captain Harry Brook then played a brilliant knock of 56 from 27 balls, while David Miller finished strong with an unbeaten 37 off just 16. Their efforts took the Superchargers to a big total of 198/4.

The Invincibles lost their top order early, but Sam Curran (30 off 19) tried to steady things. Donovan Ferreira gave hope with a quick 41 off only 15 balls, hitting big sixes, but the chase ended at 182/7. The Superchargers sealed the win, ending the Invincibles’ winning streak.

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