England in New Zealand: Batting woes hamper Brendon McCullum’s Ashes preparations as top-order fail again

England were presented with an awkward green top at the Bay Oval in the first ODI and their rusty top order – Brook’s majestic hundred aside – found it tough going.

The surface at Seddon Park had a more appreciable straw-coloured hue, but the outcome for their Test contingent hoping to find form before they head across the Tasman Sea was similar.

Admittedly, this capitulation was not quite as dramatic as the one at Mount Maunganui, with movement through the air and off the pitch not as pronounced.

In the first powerplay here there was much less swing – 0.69 degrees versus 1.31 – and seam – 0.57 degrees versus 0.89 – compared to Sunday.

England wickets nevertheless fell regularly through a combination of good bowling, bad luck and poor judgment.

Duckett nicked behind off a good ball Jacob Duffy for just a single as his lean trot from the end of the English summer continued.

Fellow opener Smith perished on 13 when he skied one attempting to hit Zac Foulkes across the line.

Root had reached 25 when he was frustrated to miss out on two deliveries from Tickner down leg side – neither of which were called wide – and ended up tickling the third to Tom Latham.

At a parlous 51-3 England were vulnerable, but Bethell and Brook initially appeared assured only for things to unravel via a duff pull shot and slash to backward point on 18 and 34 respectively.

Overton at least added a degree of competitiveness to the total although their were scant contributions from the remainder of the lower order as New Zealand ruthlessly closed the innings out.

Are England’s batting struggles in these first two ODIs an early portent for another southern hemisphere winter of discontent?

Hopefully not for England fans. But opportunities for England’s Test batters to spend time in the middle before the first Ashes Test in Perth on 21 November are running out.