New Zealand and English women played a thriller of a contest at Taunton as the momentum kept shuffling back and forth. New Zealand did a great job after batting first and put up 144 runs. The English women chased the target with just one delivery left in the innings. England’s skipper Heather Knight bagged the Player of Match award for her scintillating 42 runs innings in a tricky chase.
New Zealand’s innings: New Zealand began well and the first wicket partnership between Suzie and Sophie amounted to 45 runs. Once Suzie got to 34, Tash Farrant skidded one past her drive and rattled her leg stump. Then Sattherwaite added 39 runs along with Devine before holing out to long-on after a struggling 13 runs innings. Just after six runs and at the score of 90, the number one ranked bowler Ecclestone got rid of the dangerous Devine with a lovely tossed-up delivery that hit the gap between middle and leg stump. Maddy Green fell at 108 but fell to Sciver as she looked to accelerate the run rate. Halliday and Martin played a terrific cameo to carry New Zealand’s effort at 144 runs as Halliday made 16-ball 25 and Martin a quickfire 13 off 6 balls.
England’s innings: England lost Tammy just at the score of 16 but Danni Wyatt smoked six lovely fours on her way to an important 23-ball 35 runs. However, she and Sciver fell at the score of 42 with England still needing 103 off 81 deliveries. Then Amy Jones and Heather Knight anchored the innings ahead, at one end, Knight plucked off singles and doubles while Amy kept the momentum going with sumptuous boundaries. Jones fell at the score of 97 after making a more than handy 32 off just 19 balls. With 48 needed off 43 deliveries, Knight and Dunkley didn’t let the innings collapse but the tight New Zealand bowling sniffed out Heather after she made a game-high 42 runs. At that point, England needed 8 off 7, and in the last over, they had to make 7 runs. However, Sattherwaite removed Maia Bouchier to make it 7 of 5 and a dot followed by a single meant England needed 6 off just 3. From there, Dunkley picked a double and then hit a boundary around mid-wicket as England capped off a memorable win. England won the series two-one and New Zealand gave them stiff opposition in the last two games.
