Sam Billings insists England's one-day series victory over New Zealand was only the start of an upturn in fortunes ahead of the final game with the Black Caps before the Ashes.

A thrilling three-wicket win in a rain-affected fifth ODI on Saturday gave England a 3-2 series victory against the Kiwis.

Both sides have been widely praised for their contributions to an enthralling series, with England receiving plaudits for the transformation following a dreadful World Cup that saw them exit after the group stage.

While England were held to a drawn Test series with New Zealand, their performance in the ODIs has provided a timely boost to the team going into the Ashes battle with Australia, which starts next month.

And, ahead of Tuesday's one-off Twenty20 with New Zealand at Old Trafford, Billings - handed his debut in the first ODI at Edgbaston - said: "Winning that series is only a start.

"We want to take this team forward and, hopefully, it will have generated more interest in cricket around the country.

"If we can get people behind the team going into the Ashes, that can only be a good thing.

"Over the past month we have just enjoyed our cricket. We have gone out and played as we have done for our counties.

"It's a shame we only have one T20. But this summer has been a fantastic advert for cricket and a lot of credit has to go to the Kiwis, they have played some unbelievable cricket in both formats.

"When you play a team like New Zealand, you have to fight fire with fire, otherwise you get left behind. That's what we have tried to do and we have enjoyed playing that brand of cricket.

"It is credit to batsmen, being able to show off their skills. There are more and more players hitting all parts of the ground.

"It has been a great month for cricket and a great advert for cricket worldwide and we hope that continues here."