Extraordinary England seal unbeaten summer with emphatic victory over New Zealand
Despite Fran Jonas’ brilliant 4-22, Heather Knight and England piled on 155, before Lauren Bell cleaned up New Zealand to seal an unbeaten summer and 5-0 victory over New Zealand in the Vitality WT20I Series.
Jonas tore through England’s top order to reduce them to 87-6, before a 57-run partnership between England captain Heather Knight and spinner Charlie Dean hauled England to 155-7.
Amelia Kerr top scored for New Zealand with 43 but it was in vain as Lauren Bell took 3-21 to limit the White Ferns to 135/8.
Despite being winless in their tour of England, New Zealand got off to the perfect start, when Dani Wyatt picked out Amelia Kerr on the midwicket boundary first ball.
Maia Bouchier fell soon after for 13 but England staggered to the end of the powerplay, 40-2.
Alice Capsey and Nat Sciver-Brunt steadied the ship well, taking England to 57-2. Capsey’s leg-side strength was on display as she dispatched poor balls from Sophie Devine, Fran Jonas and Lea Tahuhu, twice, while Sciver-Brunt attacked the Kerr sisters.
However, they fell in quick succession: Sciver-Brunt to an astonishing caught and bowled by Fran Jonas, before Capsey walked past a straight one from Eden Carson, after making 25.
Amy Jones was caught trying to clear the fence at long-on, before Jonas bowled Freya Kemp for her fourth and final wicket of the day.
England’s 100 came up after 14 overs, when Heather Knight pulled Lea Tahuhu for four through square-leg. Although they were six down, Knight and Charlie Dean hit a flurry of boundaries to spur England on.
Knight unsheathed an array of sweeps before taking down Carson over long-on.
A third umpire review saw Dean dismissed, caught and bowled, in the penultimate over but England ended on 155, with the skipper unbeaten on 46 (31).
Lauren Bell got an early breakthrough as Georgia Plimmer gloved a scoop to Jones behind the stumps.
Suzie Bates counter-attacked, smashing boundaries in consecutive overs, but was dismissed by Filer a ball later trying to pull the quick.
New Zealand made it to the end of the powerplay without losing another wicket, but a long way behind the rate. However, a flurry of boundaries from Devine and Amelia Kerr kept New Zealand in the game with ten overs to play, 62-2.
The Kiwi skipper was unable to keep up her barrage of boundaries and guided a length ball from Kemp to Bouchier at long-on.
With the required run rate above ten an over, Brooke Halliday took the attack to England, slog sweeping Sophie Ecclestone for four and then six, before slicing Filer over third-man. Kerr joined in the fun with a majestic six back over Kemp’s head.
New Zealand’s hundred came up an over after England’s, with a thick Halliday edge for four. She edged again a few balls later, but this time Jones took a low tumbling catch to her left. Halliday made 25 off 20 balls.
The Kiwi’s last hope, Amelia Kerr was stumped soon after for 43 off 36. She anchored the innings well but with little help, there was only so much she could do. Maddy Green and Jess Kerr followed suit and fell in quick succession.
Lauren Bell bowled Isabella Gaze in the final over to seal victory by 20 runs for England.
The game concludes England’s summer, leaving them unbeaten from 14 matches against New Zealand and Pakistan.
