England, sent in to bat, were bowled out for 131 in 33.4 overs after slipping to 65 for eight. Australia chased the target down in just 23.3 overs, losing three wickets, as captain Mitch Marsh smashed 50 from 30 balls to set the tone.

The tourists' innings unravelled rapidly after a steady start of 24 for the first wicket. Ben Duckett fell for 12, slashing Spencer Johnson to backward point, and Tom Banton made 25 before driving at Xavier Bartlett.

Beardman, a 21-year-old local product, then took centre stage. His eighth ball removed Harry Brook, caught behind, and he soon had Joe Root — playing his 200th ODI — caught behind for 17 after a dropped chance on three.

Jordan Cox and Sam Curran followed in similar fashion, both nicking defensive prods, while Liam Dawson fell for a golden duck. Beardman returned to dismiss Jofra Archer and finish with six for 24, the best debut figures for Australia in ODIs and matching Reece Topley's England record analysis from 2022.

Will Jacks (25) and Gus Atkinson (29 not out) added late resistance to push England past 130, but the damage was done. Atkinson bowled Travis Head with his first delivery in reply, yet Australia never looked troubled.

Marsh launched a brutal assault, striking four sixes and four fours to race to his half-century and effectively end the contest by the ninth over. Cooper Connolly contributed 27 before Matt Renshaw and Josh Inglis completed the formalities with 159 balls to spare.

England head coach Brendon McCullum admitted his side failed to adjust to the conditions. "It all happened pretty quick! We weren't quick enough to adapt to the conditions," he said after the match.

McCullum said the team had discussed the pitch extensively, describing it as "a bit like batting on a trampoline" where certain attacking shots were difficult to execute. Despite expecting a low-scoring game, he felt England should have managed far more than 131.

Former England wicketkeeper Matt Prior echoed those concerns, questioning the visitors' inflexible approach. "Going to Perth as an Englishman is always a bit of a nightmare. The pace and the bounce is very different. You've got to have the ability to adapt, which the England batsmen didn't do," he said.

Prior highlighted a recurring reliance on all-out attack without the capacity to change gears. He felt the Perth surface demanded patience and innings-building, and questioned whether England's 10-day preparation, including a warm-up at the WACA, had translated into match readiness.

England, currently eighth in the ODI rankings, have now lost four of their last five matches. The run includes a disappointing tri-series in Pakistan last month, though they had beaten Sri Lanka and India earlier in 2026.

Prior warned that losing had become a habit. "Like we say winning is a habit, so too is losing. They are going to have to shift it around," he said, stressing the need to build confidence ahead of the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

The defeat continues England's recent struggles at Optus Stadium, where they lost the first Ashes Test inside two days 12 months ago. Australia, meanwhile, fielded an inexperienced attack with Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood rested between Test series.

The series moves to Adelaide for the second ODI on Sunday, 15 November, before the final match in Hobart on 18 November. A five-match T20I series begins in Melbourne on 21 November.

Brief scores: England 131 all out (33.4 overs; Jacks 25, Atkinson 29*, Beardman 6-24, Johnson 2-18, Bartlett 2-26) lost to Australia 132-3 (23.3 overs; Marsh 50, Connolly 27, Renshaw 24*, Inglis 18*; Atkinson 1-14) by seven wickets.

Asked to bat first on a responsive surface, New Zealand suffered early setbacks inside the Powerplay. Arshdeep Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck in the second and third overs respectively to remove Tim Seifert and Daryl Mitchell for single-digit scores, leaving the hosts under immediate pressure.

Finn Allen attempted a rescue act for the home side before Prince Yadav produced a superb delivery to knock back his leg stump. The dismissal of Allen for sixteen runs left New Zealand struggling at forty-one for three at the end of the initial six-over phase.

Glenn Phillips, who had starred with an unbeaten eighty-two in the series opener, once again anchored the innings for the hosts. He combined with Bevon Jacobs to stage a crucial recovery, mixing aggressive strokeplay with sensible rotation to shift the momentum back toward New Zealand.

The pair compiled a magnificent partnership of 116 runs for the fourth wicket, guiding the hosts comfortably past the 150-run mark. Phillips played a commanding knock of seventy from just forty-three deliveries, smashing eight boundaries including four towering sixes before falling off the final ball of the eighteenth over.

Bevon Jacobs provided excellent support from the other end, contributing a well-compiled fifty-eight off forty-six balls. Michael Bracewell then provided a rapid late flourish, striking a four and a six off the only two deliveries he faced to propel New Zealand to a competitive total of 180 for five.

In response, India made a steady start through openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, who added forty runs for the first wicket. Samson was the first to depart when he was deceived by a slower delivery from Jacob Duffy, bringing his scratchy innings to an end.

Teenage prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi walked to the crease at number three but struggled to settle against a disciplined New Zealand bowling attack, managing just four runs during a brief stay in the middle. Abhishek Sharma fell shortly afterward as the hosts tightened their grip on the contest.

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner played a pivotal role with the ball, dismantling the Indian middle order. Santner claimed the crucial wickets of Abhishek Sharma, Axar Patel, and Indian skipper Shreyas Iyer to leave the tourists reeling at seventy for five in the eleventh over.

Facing a daunting task, Naman Dhir injected much-needed momentum into the chase with a brisk cameo. Dhir scored thirty-one runs from seventeen deliveries, striking the ball cleanly before Santner returned to dismiss him and swing the advantage back to New Zealand.

With India still needing significant runs and running out of established batsmen, Tilak Varma stepped up under immense pressure. Walking in at number six, Varma adopted a cautious approach initially before accelerating to ensure the required run rate remained manageable.

Nitish Kumar Reddy arrived at the crease and offered superb support to Varma, playing a fearless knock of twenty-six runs from just thirteen balls. The pair combined in an unbroken seventh-wicket stand that completely altered the course of the match.

Varma and Reddy shared a decisive sixty-nine-run partnership for the seventh wicket, frustrating the New Zealand bowlers until the very end. This stand surpassed the previous Indian record for the seventh wicket in T20 internationals against New Zealand, eclipsing the sixty-three-run partnership between Dinesh Karthik and Krunal Pandya set in 2019.

India sealed the famous victory with a ball to spare, reaching their target with four wickets in hand. The result gave the touring side a two-nil lead in the bilateral series with three fixtures remaining to be played.

The action now shifts to Wellington, where the third T20 international of the series is scheduled to take place on October 27. New Zealand will need a victory in Wellington to keep their hopes of winning the series alive, while India will look to seal the series with another strong performance.

The dramatic conclusion at Christchurch showcased the depth of India's batting lineup, as lower-order resilience bailed out the top-order collapse. New Zealand will reflect on missed opportunities in the field and with the ball after having the visitors pinned down at seventy for five.

Reflecting on the match dynamics, the early wickets taken by Arshdeep Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar set a strong tone for the Indian bowling attack. However, the subsequent century stand between Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs completely shifted the complexion of the first innings.

Phillips demonstrated his phenomenal form following his exploits in the series opener, proving a constant thorn in the side of the Indian bowlers. His ability to find the boundary at regular intervals ensured the home side posted a challenging target of 181.

India's chase encountered severe turbulence as Mitchell Santner wove a web through the batting order. The left-arm spinner exploited the pitch conditions masterfully, picking up vital scalps that left the touring party in dire straits before the lower-order rescue mission.

The upcoming fixture in Wellington promises another compelling chapter in this tightly contested series. Both coaching staffs will be analyzing the tactical shifts that dictated the flow of the game in Christchurch as preparations begin for the next crucial encounter.