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That’s it for England’s tour of New Zealand. Devine signs it off with her eighth ODI century, and moves past Mignon du Preez into 14th place all time for runs in women’s one-day international cricket. She has 3776 runs so far.
But 20-over cricket will be the focus for most of this year, with a women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh starting in September.
And that’s it from us. See you anon.
England skipper Heather Knight: “Today is a bit frustrating, but we haven’t been our best to be honest through the ODI series. Probably we struggled with tempo as a batting group, we only batted in five (one-day matches) last year. It’s a good workout for us as a group, getting used to that tempo, and when you’re on a pitch that’s a little bit tricky. Overall, really pleased with how the tour has gone.”
Amy Jones wins the player of the series gong. Did the job with the bat when England were in trouble more than once, which hasn’t always worked for her in the past. With the gloves though, missed those final two chances to keep pressure on NZ today.
NZ captain and player of the match Sophie Devine is speaking.
“Really clinical job by the group. It was set up by the bowlers, fantastic effort to keep them under 200, and then to chase it down with wickets in hand and overs to spare shows that we’re on the right path.
“We knew we were going to have to attack this England side, they’ve played very good cricket throughout. The pitch was a tricky one at times, and you can’t set the field if the bowlers can’t execute, and they were excellent today.”
New Zealand win by seven wickets with 11 overs to spare
England win the ODI series 2-1 after claiming the T20s 4-1, but New Zealand get the result today. Every win matters for ranking points and World Cup qualification at some point. That was a thorough win.
Century! Sophie Devine 100 from 93 balls
39th over: New Zealand 195-3 (Devine 100, Green 38) She goes all the way! Six to win, and Devine comes down to the final ball of the over and launches it into the midwicket outer. It’s Charlie Dean the unfortunate bowler once again, the second time in this innings that Devine has bashed two sixes in one over from Dean. What a way to finish.
Six! Devine goes to 94!
38th over: New Zealand 182-3 (Devine 88, Green 37) Filer is back, again bowling short and wide to the cut shot, and like her teammates before her Maddy Green puts it away. Four. Goes to the pull when the line straightens, only for one, but Devine is able to muscle one much further in front of square for four, through midwicket. That feels good, so she lumps a drive over mid off for more bikkies. Tries again, Filer missing the yorker by the length of a pencil, but saving the shot as it scorches past her, getting hands there to deflect it to mid off. No run there, but Devine won’t be denied from the last ball of that over, smashing it through mid on! They get 17 from the over. Devine is 12 from a century with 13 needed to win.
37th over: New Zealand 165-3 (Devine 76, Green 32) Staying confident, Green. Right after that missed stumping she still comes down the track to hit the ball. In this over from Dean, she reaches wide of off stump to sweep two. Then Dean bowls five wides down the leg side. Her six overs now have cost 50 runs.
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36th over: New Zealand 155-3 (Devine 75, Green 28) Ecclestone to bowl, and that’s a missed stumping! That’s just an error from Jones. Straightforward chance. Green is way down the pitch. There’s sharp bounce from Ecclestone well above the bails, so Jones does have to get gloves up, but the line is right at her and she should take that. Instead it fumbles out of her gloves and Green gets back for her second reprieve from the keeper.
35th over: New Zealand 152-3 (Devine 74, Green 26) Dean will keep bowling, interesting. She almost gets her head taken off by an errant bounce from what has been at times an erratic centre square, as the ball is returned to her. Dean does manage to slow the NZ roll against her though, three dots and a leg-side nudge for one while bowling to Green. Devine doesn’t do her any more damage from the final two balls.
34th over: New Zealand 151-3 (Devine 74, Green 25) Good shot from Green, lofted off drive from Ecclestone for four. Hitting big down the ground is Green’s strength.
33rd over: New Zealand 146-3 (Devine 74, Green 20) Charlie Dean is having a horror, going at 11 an over in her fourth. Devine tries to glide and instead edges past the keeper for four. Later hurries a single. Nearly has Green caught though! Glove to forearm, trying to reverse sweep, and the ball lobs behind the batter away to the off side. The keeper could have taken that easily had she not been wrongfooted, and she can’t get her balance going the right way quickly enough.
32nd over: New Zealand 140-3 (Devine 69, Green 19) Last roll of the dice for Heather Knight, bringing back her best bowler Ecclestone. Still got 59 to defend. Devine does get an edge back into her pad, and Green does nearly chip to mid on but Cross doesn’t judge the flight and the ball carries her position and lands for two runs.
31st over: New Zealand 136-3 (Devine 68, Green 16) Solidly struck pull shot by Green facing Cross, that’s encouraging. Only gets her one run but it was middled. It’s the only run from the first five balls, but the good over comes undone at the end as Devine drives stylishly through mid on. Bouchier might have stopped it with a dive but wasn’t in the right position with her feet to do so. She chases to the boundary but loses.
30th over: New Zealand 131-3 (Devine 64, Green 15) Lauren Filer returns, but nothing dramatic happens. No wides, no bouncers, just a few singles off the pads.
29th over: New Zealand 127-3 (Devine 62, Green 14) Green finds an option from Cross, backing away to again run the ball off the face for one. Got to be able to turn over strike against the bowlers you don’t fancy.
28th over: New Zealand 124-3 (Devine 60, Green 13) That’s much better from Green, she’s happier facing Sciver-Brunt. Eases two behind point, then cuts four runs with very little follow-through. Lovely timing. Front foot for the next ball, and drives three more through cover! Much better. She can be a destructive player. Throw in a wide and a couple of Devine singles, and that’s a dozen off the over.
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27th over: New Zealand 112-3 (Devine 58, Green 4) This is Maddy Green being defensive, blocking Cross from the crease. Three balls, four, five, the whole over. Right in her shell again. That’s poor batting from a middle-order player.
83 more to win for New Zealand at just past half the overs. They should do this but get Devine out and there’s a vulnerable batting order to follow.
26th over: New Zealand 112-3 (Devine 58, Green 4) In fact it’s the full opening combo, Sciver-Brunt joining Cross with the ball. Devine turns over strike, Green glides two past the keeper, then one to midwicket.
25th over: New Zealand 108-3 (Devine 57, Green 1) Ecclestone off, unsurprisingly. No sense risking her. Cross is back. Green gets going with a glide to deep third.
Half century! Devine 52 from 55 balls
24th over: New Zealand 106-3 (Devine 56, Green 0) Blammo goes Devine! Smacks the ball straight back over Dean’s head for four. Dean bowls the next one slow and very wide, it would have been called wide but Devine chases it and manages to get a piece, through cover for four more!
Dot ball, then Dean changes up, spearing the ball in at leg stump with a flat arc, but she can’t get it full enough. Devine goes back and swats one of those behind square for four, then does it again! Four boundaries in five balls.
23rd over: New Zealand 90-3 (Devine 40, Green 0) Here’s a chance for Maddy Green then, who over her last two games has produced two really poor innings. Totally becalmed, hasn’t been able to score.
WICKET! Kerr lbw Ecclestone 31, NZ 90-3
What an extraordinary five balls! Ecclestone hurts herself first ball of the over. Innocuous moment, she just bowls and immediately pulls up sore, lifting her front foot from the ground gingerly before ending up on her haunches. The doctor and physio come out and she gets a rub of the calf, then decides to bowl on. Sends down a short one that Kerr cuts for two, then dismisses the set batter! Kerr right back on her stumps, tries to work to leg and misses, and her guilt is made immutable by the fact that the ball lodges between her two pads, right in front of middle stump. It’s like a real-life freeze frame for the umpire, easy.
Impact a touch high but probably taking the bails. They don’t review.
22nd over: New Zealand 87-2 (Kerr 29, Devine 39) Now Devine puts one out of the ground! It’s not a bad ball from Dean either, Devine just pre-empts it and is so far down the pitch that it becomes an easy half-volley. That one goes over midwicket, and two balls later the next goes over long on. One of the ground staff runs off the tractor to take the catch and throw it back. Two massive blows to wake up the crowd.
21st over: New Zealand 73-2 (Kerr 28, Devine 26) Another scoreless over from Ecclestone, though Devine isn’t entirely defensive – at one stage she tries to cut off her stumps after backing away, and the ball bounces over the bails.
20th over: New Zealand 73-2 (Kerr 28, Devine 26) Charlie Dean on with her off spin, and the batters knock a couple of singles. Devine then gets a high full toss that she should be putting onto the hill at the Tron, but somehow she only drags to the boundary rider behind square.
19th over: New Zealand 70-2 (Kerr 27, Devine 24) Ecclestone into her fifth. England need wickets. The partnership passed 50 in that previous over. Ecclestone bowls six dot balls. NZ need 125 from 31 overs.
18th over: New Zealand 70-2 (Kerr 27, Devine 24) Filer bounces Kerr, but Kerr plays the hook shot calmly, two runs to long leg, then lays into a cut shot to another short ball and gets four behind point. Top shot there. Drops and runs a single. Sharing the goodies around, Filer gives Devine the same poor ball that Kerr received, and Devine mimics her teammate, cutting four behind point. Throw in another leg-side wide, and Filer is battling – she’s the fastest but she’s gone for 27 from four overs, nearly seven an over, where everyone else has gone for twos or threes.
17th over: New Zealand 58-2 (Kerr 20, Devine 20) Ecclestone with loop, drawing a miscue towards mid off in the air. Devine survives though and hustles two runs to square leg. Ecclestone drops short, grunting in annoyance through the stump mic, but Devine is also annoyed at not getting four runs, Wyatt again diving behind point to keep her to one.
16th over: New Zealand 54-2 (Kerr 19, Devine 17) Filer down the leg side again, her third wide, this one a short ball. But goes short outside off stump to follow and Devine is dropped. Goes kitchen-sinkwards with her cut shot, big top edge that goes over Heather Knight’s head at slip. Knight gets both hands up but the ball bursts through. Devine looks at her partner, shrugs and smiles cheekily. Gets one run for it, Kerr turns another, then Devine throws her hands through a square drive for two aerial runs. Filer bowls her fourth wide, this one down leg. Drinks.
15th over: New Zealand 47-2 (Kerr 18, Devine 13) Called through for a sharp one, Devine says yes at the non-striker’s end and Kerr is slow to realise, might have been gone had the throw hit. That gets Devine on strike, only for Ecclestone to waste a review with a ball that’s not straightening enough from left-arm around the wicket to take the stumps. Green light on leg stump, going down. They got a leg bye on that to.
14th over: New Zealand 45-2 (Kerr 17, Devine 13) Hard to time shots on the pitch. Devine tries to clobber on the up through cover but misses. Kerr gets real short width from Filer though, and cuts with precision behind point for four. That was a quality shot.
13th over: New Zealand 38-2 (Kerr 12, Devine 12) One run from Ecclestone’s over, as Devine drives down the ground. Other than that, there’s no way through the field.
12th over: New Zealand 37-2 (Kerr 12, Devine 11) Time for speed. Lauren Filer the bowler, played a couple of the T20s on this tour among her handful of England games. Interesting that they keep the speedster for after the fielding restrictions loosen while trusting Sciver-Brunt to keep things tidy up front. Not top pace yet but around 115 kph. Kerr does swish and miss at a couple. Single and a leg bye from the over, Jones diving to save well after the ball flicks the back of Devine’s pad.
11th over: New Zealand 35-2 (Kerr 11, Devine 11) Sophie Ecclestone on to bowl now that the fielding restrictions have lifted. Devine immediately hits the left-arm spinner back over her head for four. Eccles turns one big past the bat as if to remind Devine that she can.
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10th over: New Zealand 31-2 (Kerr 11, Devine 6) Top shot from Kerr! Crouches and cover drives, through extra, splitting the field to take four from Sciver-Brunt. The only score from the over. 164 more to win.
9th over: New Zealand 26-2 (Kerr 7, Devine 6) Shot from Kerr, skipping down at Cross and driving through wide long on for four. Late cut for a single, then England volunteer another run for Devine, who pushes to the cover fielder – this time its Charlie Dean giving the overthrow. A pointless shot at the stumps, as hard as she can, though the batter is easily back in her ground, and it reaches keeper Jones as it hits the turf so the keeper can’t stop it.
8th over: New Zealand 20-2 (Kerr 2, Devine 5) Gee, Devine nearly goes in similar fashion to Bates – aims leg side against Sciver-Brunt in the same way, though her edged shot though flies towards deep third instead. It lands in front of the fielder. One run, and a leg bye from Kerr’s pad.
7th over: New Zealand 18-2 (Kerr 2, Devine 4) So it’s been another slow start for NZ, even leaving aside the wickets fallen. They don’t need a fast rate overall but eating up overs doesn’t help those coming in next. Devine steals two runs by drawing a throw at the stumps while floating out of her ground, then hustling on the ricochet. It was Wyatt’s throw from backward point, but Wyatt gets back three runs for her team with a diving stop from a middle cut shot. Devine just runs the one.
6th over: New Zealand 15-2 (Kerr 2, Devine 1) Most of the time for New Zealand in recent years the scoring of runs has been either Bates, Devine, or bust. Sophie Devine has the job ahead of her now, and gets going right away with a drive past the bowler for one.
WICKET! Bates c Bouchier b Sciver-Brunt 6, NZ 14-2
Oh, dear. Bates will be annoyed with that one. Looks to go leg-side again after the previous over, but doesn’t time her shot. An unflattering leading edge limps into the air and down towards mid on. Simple catch.
5th over: New Zealand 14-1 (Bates 6, Kerr 2) Elegant from Bates, who whips Cross off her pads through midwicket for four. Picks off another single from a leg glance.
4th over: New Zealand 9-1 (Bates 1, Kerr 2) Suzie Bates finally gets her first run, chopped to deep third. Sciver-Brunt strikes Kerr on the pad but it’s angling down. Inside edge to square leg from the next ball, but the fielder is in the right spot to prevent the run. So Kerr advances and cuts her first two runs well behind point. A very wide ball down the leg side adds an extra.
WICKET! Plimmer c Jones b Cross 4, NZ 5-1
3rd over: New Zealand 5-1 (Bates 0) There’s some movement for Cross, away from the bat and beating Plimmer! Doesn’t miss off stump by much. Plimmer walks at the next ball to disrupt the bowler, slicing two runs behind point. Cross follows with a yorker that is defended, but last ball of the over Plimmer makes an error – feet rooted, sees some width and is drawn into a push at it, the length isn’t there to drive, and she edges behind.
2nd over: New Zealand 3-0 (Plimmer 2, Bates 0) Nat Sciver-Brunt with her very medium mediums will get the new ball, which is interesting – she’s been mostly bowling first change for a long time. Ties down Bates for a full over, including striking the batter a stinger on the inner thigh.
1st over: New Zealand 3-0 (Plimmer 2, Bates 0) A circumspect start for NZ against Kate Cross, who doesn’t find much swing but is mostly tight on the stumps. Bates gets a leg bye, Plimmer cuts the one looser ball for two runs but defends the rest.
Thanks Megan. Ticking our way through the innings break awaiting the chase. This game feels pretty familiar – England’s batting has been unconvincing through much of this tour, and New Zealand have been able to compete in the field, but their own batting has been substantially poorer than England’s. They have a chance here with a low total but England should strongly fancy defending it.
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Well I’m just about ready to hand over to my wonderful colleague Geoff Lemon, who will see you through New Zealand’s batting innings. You’ll be in very safe hands there! It’s been a fascinating battle so far, but I have a feeling the twists and turns aren’t over just yet and this game has some more in store for us yet. New Zealand has some very experienced and skilled batters, but they haven’t played to their potential so far this series. Brooke Halliday and Izzy Gaze were the pick of the batters last match, while Suzie Bates has been relatively consistent. The key will be to not panic if they lose a couple of wickets early and trust themselves to get back into the match. I’ll leave you now in Geoff’s hands – enjoy the rest of the match!
Lots of very cute homemade signs on the hill today – we love to see it! And not those obnoxious ‘give us your stuff’ signs either – I’ve previously made my thoughts on those clear, so I hope we’re starting to see the end of that trend.
Grateful for the tautoko on the bank at @seddonpark today! 🇳🇿🤗 #NZvENG #CricketNation pic.twitter.com/HH2aD52mdE
— WHITE FERNS (@WHITE_FERNS) April 7, 2024
Another great innings from Amy Jones is what really kept England in the match today, will it be enough for the win?
Amy Jones smashing it this series 🤩
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) April 7, 2024
Match centre ➡️ https://t.co/DuhzbpKqO2 #EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/lR0XeanO65
England all out for 194
Well, what an interesting innings! Plenty of ups and downs for both teams – England had some strong partnerships – Knight and Sciver-Brunt and then Dean and Jones – but New Zealand found a way to keep fighting their way back into the game and taking wickets. New Zealand were all out for 196 in the last game and 207 in the game before, so they have the runs in them, but only just. England will be disappointed in their batting, but will feel that their bowling can get them over the line here if they do everything right. It’s certainly game on in Hamilton!
WICKET! Ecclestone c Green b J Kerr (England 194)
Turns out Jess Kerr had another over left, so I pre-empted that ‘all spin from here’ thing and Kerr wanted to really make me pay for forgetting that she had an over left by taking a wicket. It’s a good length ball that Ecclestone goes after slogging, but it’s straight up in the air and Green catches it easily at long on.
46th over: England 189-9 (Filer 2, Ecclestone 4) No overs left from the fast bowlers, so it’s all spin from here, unless Devine decides she wants an over? Unlikely, but she does bowl a fair bit in the WBBL. Jonas comes back into the attack – she’s been very unlucky not to have taken a wicket so far today. She definitely should have had that stumping earlier, but she has also bowled a lot of other good balls and has been really economical. Just one single from this over.
45th over: England 188-9 (Filer 1, Ecclestone 4) Jess Kerr resumes and she gets Filer on strike for the third ball, which is exactly what she would want to try to finish this game off. A nervous start, but she manages to get bat on ball and keep the ball out. There’s an appeal for LBW, which NZ review, but it’s very much wishful thinking – the ball doesn’t go anywhere near the leg, it’s all bat. Baffling review there.
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44th over: England 186-9 (Filer 0, Ecclestone 3) Rowe bowls her final over of the day, she has been very good today and would love another wicket to finish. She starts with three dots, Cross appears to just want to see her off. But then Cross finds a ball she can do something with and she steps forward and drives it straight down the ground to the boundary for four. The next one is short and aimed right at Cross’s head. Cross has a go at it and misses, but the next one she gets an edge on and she has to go.
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WICKET! Cross c Gaze b Rowe 5 (England 186-9)
Rowe gets the breakthrough again, Cross gets a little tickle of an outside edge and Gaze takes it behind the stumps.
43rd over: England 182-8 (Cross 1, Ecclestone 3) Jess Kerr is back and again there’s a caught and bowled chance that gets past her. These batters enjoy hitting the ball straight back (but just out of reach) of the Kerr sisters today. Cross has a lot of pressure on her, but she’s not a bad batter and is certainly capable of helping to dig England out of this hole on her day.
42nd over: England 180-8 (Cross 0, Ecclestone 2) I did say earlier that if England managed to get into the last 10 overs with Dean and Jones still in, they would have the ascendancy. NZ managed to get that wicket just in time to stop that happening, but the way NZ have batted so far this series, I’m not convinced they would be satisfied yet and feel they have the upper hand. Likewise, England will still feel confident in their batters to get the job done and get them to a defendable total. Rowe bowls this over and she gets Ecclestone off balance and hooking, but it lands safely. It’s not Rowe’s best over, but then she turns it around with a wicket on the last and now NZ are looking on top.
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WICKET! Dean c Halliday b Rowe 38 (England 180-8)
Another big wicket to take and this time it’s Rowe taking it. She gets Dean cutting and it’s an easy catch for Halliday at point.
41st over: England 176-7 (Dean 36, Ecclestone 0) Bates resumes after her big wicket last over. No wicket this over, but it’s a great one nonetheless, with just a single from it.
40th over: England 175-7 (Dean 35, Ecclestone 0) Amelia Kerr returns for her final over of the day. She’d be keen to bowl at Ecclestone, but Dean takes strike and starts with a four – a slog sweep past long on. Kerr is desperate for a wicket, but she can’t pick one up and England survive her last over.
39th over: England 168-7 (Dean 28, Ecclestone 0) Another over from Bates and the first ball looks to completely bamboozle Dean, she can’t quite figure out what is going on. But she learns pretty quickly and pulls the next one for four – there’s a bit of a catching opportunity there, but it’s not a particularly good chance – it would have been a spectacular catch. But then Jones gives Carson a very easy catch and suddenly things are looking up for NZ! This could be another turning point in this very interesting match.
WICKET! Jones c Carson b Bates 50 (England 168-7)
The big breakthrough from Bates! Jones offers her wicket up on a plate, flashing at a ball outside off stump and Carson takes a simple catch.
38th over: England 163-6 (Dean 23, Jones 50) This has become the best partnership of the innings, overtaking Knight and Sciver-Brunt. Amelia Kerr is back, so it seems that Devine wanted to see her from the other end. I do wonder if Jones’s scoring is partly motivated by the fact that she ran her captain out and knows she needs to make a good score / isn’t keen to get back to the dugout just yet? She brings up her 50 at a run a ball in this over, so hopefully all is forgiven! Kerr isn’t looking as menacing as she did in her first spell and the runs are flowing pretty easily for these two at the moment.
37th over: England 156-6 (Dean 21, Jones 45) Looks like that was just a one-off over from Kerr, as we’ve got Rowe back into the attack again now. Jones gets a nice boundary away, driving it past long on for four. England’s run rate is starting to creep back up again now and they get six from the over.
36th over: England 150-6 (Dean 20, Jones 40) Bates comes back for another over, so once again we’ve got spin from both ends. Three singles to start the over, some nice rotation of strike between these two. There are plenty of Victorians who wished Dean Jones could bat at both ends and it seems like England have figured out how to make it happen (see, I knew I’d come up with one eventually.
35th over: England 146-6 (Dean 18, Jones 38) Amelia Kerr comes back – an attacking move from Devine who wants another wicket. Her ball is very good, beating the bat of Jones. On the second ball, Jones steps across her crease, gets down on one knee and plays a lap shot to fine leg for two. That prompts a field reset, which plays into Jones’s hands as she pulls the next one past deep midwicket for four. A good over for England brings up the 50 partnership for Dean and Jones.
34th over: England 138-6 (Dean 18, Jones 30) An interesting bowling change here from Devine, bringing Suzie Bates on to bowl. A very loose first delivery from her, but Dean can’t capitalise and only picks up two. The second ball hits Dean on the pads and the umpire gives it out, but Dean reviews and it proves to be a good review, as ball tracking shows it’s missing leg stump. Disappointing for NZ, who thought they had the breakthrough there, but big sighs of relief from the England camp. Just those initial two runs from the over.
33rd over: England 136-6 (Dean 16, Jones 30) We’re up to a real key time in the match here. If NZ find a way to take a wicket or two, they’ll cement their ascendancy. But if England can keep the runs ticking over and keep these two batters in until the final 10 overs, they’ll be on top. Dean hits one on the up that looks like a catching chance, but the field isn’t set for it and it falls safely. Rowe isn’t giving much away, but these two batters keep finding ways to keep the ball out and taking the singles when they’re on offer. Devine is starting to look a little frustrated in the field.
32nd over: England 132-6 (Dean 14, Jones 28) Another over for Carson and Dean starts with a nice two from a late cut to third. She sweeps one away and gets top edge, but it’s enough top edge to send it to the boundary for four. She tries the sweep again and gets bottom edge this time, but it falls safely. She follows it up with another two and she has started to really settle into this innings now – danger signs for NZ. Drinks are on the field.
31st over: England 124-6 (Dean 6, Jones 28) Rowe comes back for a sixth over after a very good opening spell this morning. England’s run rate has dropped a little, in no small part due to the economical bowling of Jonas. Rowe continues her good work with a very tight line and length to only give away two runs from the over and dragging England’s run rate down to four an over.
30th over: England 122-6 (Dean 5, Jones 27) Carson’s third over and it starts with a single from Jones to bring Dean on to strike. Carson would prefer to bowl at Dean while she’s still getting settled, so she might take some confidence from that, but it doesn’t take long for Dean to play a legside ball for a nice pull shot and get Jones back on strike. Jones can’t get Carson away like she has in the previous two overs though and it’s Carson’s best over of the day, just giving away three singles.
29th over: England 119-6 (Dean 4, Jones 25) Jonas continues – she’s been very economical so far, just over three runs an over coming from her bowling. She starts this over economically as well with a couple of dots. Dean sneaks through for a single on the third ball of the over, despite some good fielding from Plimmer. There’s another sneaky single on the last ball of the over, but good pressure applied by Jonas.
28th over: England 117-6 (Dean 3, Jones 24) Carson comes back for her second over – hopefully she has got the nerves out of her system now. The first ball is a good one, it confuses Jones and the second ball forces her to defend. But then she sees a ball she likes and smashes it down the ground for a one bounce four. Carson needs to adjust and she does, tightening up her length for a dot the following ball. A better over from Carson.
27th over: England 111-6 (Dean 2, Jones 19) Continuing with spin from both ends, with Jonas bowling another over. NZ are desperate not to let England get away here, they need to tie down or break this partnership and give themselves a good target to chase. Jones is looking like the danger player, but either wicket would be useful at this stage. There’s a huge chance for a stumping of Jones, but Izzy Gaze doesn’t take the ball cleanly and fumbles it and Jones gets back in her crease. Will this be a huge moment in the match?
26th over: England 108-6 (Dean 2, Jones 16) More than halfway through England’s allotted overs now and we finally see Eden Carson! Not a great start, a few nerves and it lands wide outside off stump and Jones’s eyes light up as she cuts it to the boundary for four. Carson adjusts and it’s just a single next ball. Dean keeps the strike rotating and Jones gets another look at Carson and this time she gets her pull shot out for another boundary. Some room for improvement for Carson after her first over.
25th over: England 97-6 (Dean 1, Jones 6) Jonas continues her second spell – we’re still waiting to see Eden Carson getting a bowl. The way NZ are bowling they’d want to get her on soon before they get them all out and she doesn’t get a chance. Jonas has taken a lot of pace off, all her deliveries this over are under 8okm/hr and it’s a good tactic, as its a maiden over.
24th over: England 97-6 (Dean 1, Jones 6) Is now the time to make a Dean Jones joke? Probably, but I don’t have a good one ready. Give me a few overs and I’ll see if one comes to me. Amelia Kerr bowls her seventh over and she continues to be very good. Her run out in the previous over shows you can’t keep her out of the match, even when she’s not bowling. A good over from her, just the two singles from it.
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23rd over: England 95-6 (Dean 0, Jones 5) England’s projected score at the current run rate is 214, which they should be able to defend based on the previous two ODIs. But at the speed they’ve been losing wickets, will it be possible to bat out their 50 overs to get there? Jonas has returned for her fifth over and she’s bowling a nice line. Knight’s run out makes things tougher for England, but Dean and Jones were the saviours in the first ODI, so all is not lost.
WICKET! Knight run out A Kerr 31 (England 95-6)
An absolutely unnecessary run out there – Jones pushes through for a single and runs her captain out.
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22nd over: England 94-5 (Knight 30, Jones 5) Jones faces her first ball and it’s nearly a boundary to get off the mark immediately, but Plimmer saves it on the boundary. It’s a close call that has to be reviewed by the TV umpire, but she’s done a good job. Jones looks confident – she was England’s saviour in the first ODI – can she do it again today?
21st over: England 88-5 (Knight 29, Jones 0) Jess Kerr comes back and bowls a beautiful maiden. Knight is on strike and she knows that she’s the key here after England losing three wickets for just six runs. She’s being very cautious, but she needs to find a way to keep scoring runs.
20th over: England 88-5 (Knight 29, Jones 0) Knight finally gets a look at this bowling, she faces two dots from Amelia Kerr before finding a ball she likes and kicking the scoring back off with a little scoop for a single. Wyatt then finds a way to get off the mark with a sweep past deep backward square for four, before missing the full toss and heading back to the pavilion.
WICKET! Wyatt lbw A Kerr 4 (England 88-5)
Off the last ball of the over, Amelia Kerr strikes again and Wyatt is out cheaply, missing a full toss that slams into her pads.
19th over: England 83-4 (Knight 28, Wyatt 0) Jess Kerr can’t let her little sister take all the glory and also takes a wicket from the first ball of the over. This is the real genius of bowling Kerrs from both ends – they will always try to one-up each other and win the “Kerr of the Match” prize. The first ball to Wyatt looks like it’ll be another wicket, but it just misses both the off stump and Wyatt’s outside edge. Wyatt can’t get off the mark and poor Knight has been stuck at the non-strikers’ end for two overs in a row while all these Kerr-tastrophes have been taking place.
WICKET! Dunkley b J Kerr 1 (England 83-4)
Huge from Jess Kerr, she goes straight through Dunkley to make sure her time in the middle is short and takes out middle stump.
18th over: England 83-3 (Knight 28, Dunkley 1) Yes, we are getting Kerrs from both ends and it immediately pays off and Sciver-Brunt has to go. Sophia Dunkley comes to the crease for the first time in this series. Kerr bowls her an uncomfortable length to start and Dunkley has to work hard to keep it out. A single from the last ball is the only run of the over.
WICKET! Sciver-Brunt c Jonas b A Kerr 27 (England 82-3)
Bowl Kerrs from both ends and get the breakthrough! Amelia Kerr lures Sciver-Brunt in and gets the top edge, which flies up for an easy catch for Fran Jonas. A big breakthrough for New Zealand!
17th over: England 82-2 (Knight 28, Sciver-Brunt 27) Jess Kerr is back – will NZ go from bowling spin from both ends to bowling Kerrs from both ends? We’ll have to wait to find out. Knight and Sciver-Brunt are sharing the strike beautifully at the moment, NZ will perhaps look to tie one of them down and apply some pressure to try to get a wicket through these middle overs. They’re finding runs fairly easily this over and starting to open up now.
16th over: England 76-2 (Knight 24, Sciver-Brunt 25) Sciver-Brunt starts the over with a boundary to bring up the fifty partnership for these two. There are a few starting to fly through the air and some calls of “catch” but the fielders are just not in the positions to take them. Kerr follows up the boundary with five dots – a good response. Drinks are on the field now.
15th over: England 72-2 (Knight 24, Sciver-Brunt 21) Another over from Jonas and there’s an appeal on the second ball of the over, but the umpire isn’t interested and Devine decides not to review. It turns out to be a good decision from both umpire and captain, as the ball tracking shows it’s missing the stumps. Just a leg bye and a single from the over.
Updated
14th over: England 70-2 (Knight 24, Sciver-Brunt 20) Another over from A Kerr. Having sisters on a team makes things hard for me as a live blogger. Though I have just finished a summer managing an U11s cricket team with three sets of sisters on it, plus two unrelated players called Mia and Pia, so my threshold for this kind of thing is quite high and I really shouldn’t complain. One boundary from the other, but it’s an otherwise good over from Kerr the younger.
Updated
13th over: England 65-2 (Knight 19, Sciver-Brunt 20) Spin from both ends now as Jonas continues. Knight and Scover-Brunt are quite settled now, so New Zealand need to do something special to try to break it and stop the run rate continuing to climb. Jonas is bowling nicely and not giving away too many runs, but she’s not putting a lot of pressure on the batters and a misfield on the last ball gives away a boundary that New Zealand can’t afford to concede.
12th over: England 58-2 (Knight 17, Sciver-Brunt 15) We’re now seeing Amelia Kerr for the first time this match and she starts with a full toss, but some good fielding from Bates keeps it to a single. After that loosener, she hits a much better length for four consecutive dots. There’s a caught and bowled opportunity on the last, but like her sister earlier in the match, Amelia Kerr can’t take it. She gets a hand to it, but isn’t able to hold it. A good over though, just the one run from it.
11th over: England 57-2 (Knight 16, Sciver-Brunt 15) Out of the power play now and Jonas bowls the second over of her spell. Sciver-Brunt likes what she sees first ball and opens up for a one bounce four from a strong drive down the ground. She then takes a single and Jonas manages to tie Knight down for a few balls, before bowling a wide that Knight is very obvious about letting go through to the keeper.
10th over: England 50-2 (Knight 15, Sciver-Brunt 10) Rowe continues her spell, bowling her fifth over straight. She starts well, but misses her line on the second ball – it would have been a wide had Knight left it, but she gets her bat in the way and guides it over to the legside for four. Typically Rowe gets the line right next ball – she’s given away a few loose balls today, but she has been good at tidying up in response. Unfortunately she gives away another wide, then bowls a sensational ball that just misses the stumps, catching Knight’s inside edge on the way and flies away to the boundary for another four. It’s disappointing for Rowe who has bowled very well so far to have such an expensive over.
9th over: England 39-2 (Knight 5, Sciver-Brunt 10) Fran Jonas comes into the attack now – bringing spin in early. It’s the first time New Zealand have used spin in the power play in this series, so that shows how important they think spin will be today. The opening bowlers did their job, but Devine is aware of England consolidating through the middle overs when New Zealand have struggled to take wickets, so it makes sense to try something new. It’s a good start from her, keeping England from opening up.
8th over: England 35-2 (Knight 4, Sciver-Brunt 7) Rowe keeps on finding that almost perfect line and this time it’s Knight who’s getting frustrated. But Rowe gives her an opportunity with a missed length on an attempted bouncer, that turns out more like a half track and Knight pulls it away for a single. Then she gives away a wide down legside next ball. Sciver-Brunt settles and gets a nice cut shot away – almost to the boundary, but it’s cut off by some good fielding to restrict her to three.
7th over: England 30-2 (Knight 3, Sciver-Brunt 4) Jess Kerr continues after her successful last over and Knight immediately scrambles through for a single to keep the score moving. Sciver-Brunt gets a single next ball, she’s seeing more hittable balls from Kerr. The experience of these two batters is clear – often you see batting teams going into their shell or trying to hit the ball out of the park on every delivery after a frustrating maiden. But these two know they need to build back into the game steadily and are making those singles work for them.
6th over: England 27-2 (Knight 1, Sciver-Brunt 3) A great over from Rowe, a maiden bowled at Sciver-Brunt, who can’t get her away and is starting to look frustrated.
5th over: England 27-2 (Knight 1, Sciver-Brunt 3) Jess Kerr continues her spell – she’s getting plenty of swing, but is struggling with her line a little and the England batters are finding her easier to deal with than Rowe at the moment. But no sooner do I think that, than she changes up her delivery and gets the big wicket of Bouchier. Plenty of experience in the middle for England now with Knight and Sciver-Brunt, let’s see if they can get this innings back on track.
WICKET! Bouchier c Plimmer b J Kerr 17 (England 24-2)
Bouchier was flying and then all of a sudden she gets over confident and tries to hit Jess Kerr out of the park, but all she can do is catch a top edge and send the ball straight up in the air for a regulation catch for Plimmer.
4th over: England 22-1 (Knight 1, Bouchier 17) Rowe starts the over with a wide, just drifting down legside past Beaumont. But the next ball she recovers her line brilliantly to dismiss Beaumont LBW, bringing England captain Heather Knight to the crease. Knight only takes one ball to settle before she gets a quick single to get herself off the mark and bring the dominant batter in Bouchier back into the action. An excellent over from Rowe.
WICKET! Beaumont lbw Rowe 3 (England 20-1)
Rowe gets her line exactly right and the ball slams into Beaumont’s pad. She reviews, which is a terrible decision, as three reds light up and she has to go.
3rd over: England 19-0 (Beaumont 3, Bouchier 16) Looking at the ICC Women’s Championship standings for ODIs and England can leapfrog South Africa into second place with a win here today. Another over from Kerr here and Beaumont seems to be content with quick singles and rotating strike, while Bouchier is playing the more aggressive role. There’s a caught and bowled chance for Kerr with Bouchier playing one straight back to her, but it goes flying just above her hands.
2nd over: England 8-0 (Beaumont 2, Bouchier 6) Hannah Rowe takes the new ball from the other end and gets a little bit of away swing to start. This is the same opening bowling combination they used in the last ODI. They picked up a wicket in the ninth over then, so will hope they replicate or better that this time. Bouchier looks to have settled well into this match, she’s timing it very well and taking the opportunities when they come her way.
1st over: England 5-0 (Beaumont 1, Bouchier 4) Jess Kerr takes the new ball and gets us underway at Seddon Park. The ground is looking a little worse for wear, sone of those alternative pitches look like they’re looking forward to a nice break from cricket. Beaumont gets off strike with a quick single from the first ball, she’s looking confident from the get go. Bouchier gets the first boundary of the game when Kerr gives a ball too much width and it’s an easy little guide to the boundary for four. Kerr tightens up her line in response and finishes the over well.
For those wondering, Alice Capsey was not available for selection today.
Alice Capsey suffered a minor ankle sprain on the boundary cushion in training yesterday so is not fit to play today.
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) April 6, 2024
Speedy recovery, Caps 🫶#EnglandCricket https://t.co/MxRcyH39um
No rain on the radar today, so it looks like we’ll get a full match in, despite a few clouds hanging around. It’s about 20 degrees, so nice conditions for the game – not too hot or cold. Quite balmy for this time of year in New Zealand really!
Two changes for England, with Lauren Filer and Sophia Dunkley coming in, while New Zealand bring in Eden Carson for the first time this series. She’s a spinner and it looks like having extra spin will be a good idea today!
Toss and teams
England have won the toss and chosen to bat.
New Zealand XI
Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (c), Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Izzy Gaze (wk), Hannah Rowe, Jess Kerr, Eden Carson, Fran Jonas
England XI
Tammy Beaumont, Maia Bouchier, Heather Knight (c), Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Sophia Dunkley, Danielle Wyatt, Amy Jones (wk), Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean, Kate Cross, Lauren Filer
Preamble
Good morning / afternoon / middle of the night cricket lovers all over the world. Here we are at the final game of this England tour of New Zealand – we’ve had five T20s and two ODIs so far. New Zealand have only managed one win for the series, a three-run win in the third T20. England have been dominant across all the other games, despite being away from home. New Zealand’s biggest challenge for this final ODI will be finding a way to bat out their full 50 overs, something they have not managed in the first two matches of this series. Some big scores from their experienced players will be needed if they want to finish this series with a win. For England, they will be aiming to keep going the way they have been – depth down the order has been key for them, with Amy Jones and Charlie Dean getting them out of trouble in the first ODI. It should be a fascinating match, so let’s get into it!
