ENG vs NZ: England 138 for 5 (Knight 35, Sciver-Brunt 31, A Kerr 3-30) beat New Zealand 136 for 6 (Gaze 51*, Ecclestone 3-30, Sciver-Brunt 2-24) by five wickets
Nat Sciver-Brunt and Sophie Ecclestone bowled brilliantly as England defeated New Zealand by five wickets in their last T20I to win the series 4-1. The two shared five wickets, with Sciver-Brunt making early breakthroughs that had the home side reeling, and Ecclestone collecting three to ensure England had a manageable score.
An undefeated half-century from 19-year-old Izzy Gaze had previously saved New Zealand from 69 for 5. She shared a 56-run stand with Brooke Halliday for the sixth wicket, but Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight responded with a 57-run stand from 64 for 3 to bring England within touching distance of victory. The teams will next face in a three-match ODI series, which begins on Monday in Wellington.
England’s devastating duet
Sciver-Brunt and Ecclestone returned to international action for the fourth T20I after playing in the WPL. England won that game, taking a commanding 3-1 lead, and the duo had a huge impact in the fifth. Sciver-Brunt took a wicket with the fifth delivery of the match and had two in seven deliveries when she removed Bernadine Bezuidenhout and Amelia Kerr, reducing the hosts to 10 for 2 in three overs.
It wasn’t long until Charlie Dean, the series’ leading wicket-taker with seven, took out Suzie Bates. Ecclestone then launched the attack immediately after the powerplay, to great result for England. She had Georgia Plimmer caught by Danielle Gibson with her second delivery to make it 31 for 4, before removing Maddy Green with a fantastic return catch low to her left, just as New Zealand began to breathe thanks to a 38-run partnership between Green and Halliday.
Star Gaze-ing
Sophie Devine, who was forced out of this match due to a quad strain, told ESPNcricinfo’s Powerplay podcast prior to the series that adding depth to New Zealand’s squad will take time. Gaze, who had previously scored 16 in T20Is and 26 not out in 26 international outings, cast a light on the future by scoring 51 not out of just 28 balls. It was the first time in 27 innings that a New Zealand Women’s player other than Devine, Bates, or Amelia Kerr had scored fifty in T20Is.
Gaze pushed herself to 16 runs against Sciver-Brunt in the 18th over with a particularly brilliant lap shot and a pulled six. Alice Capsey caught Halliday for 33 in the penultimate over, running in from long on to give Ecclestone her third wicket. Ecclestone then dropped a sitter off her own bowling when Jess Kerr hooked one high into the swirling Wellington breeze, and Gaze reached her half-century with the following ball. She reverses swept Ecclestone to the boundary and walked off undefeated, giving New Zealand’s bowlers something to defend.
England ease to victory
Rosemary Mair surrendered only one run off the opening over, giving New Zealand a promising start in the run chase. Maia Bouchier, the previous match’s hero with a 91-run innings, cleared mid-off to send Jess Kerr to the boundary off the third ball of the second over. However, Lea Tahuhu struck in the next over, as the ball swung away slightly and produced a heavy outside edge, which Gaze caught behind the stumps to dismiss Bouchier for 6.
Gaze botched a chance to stump Capsey off Jess Kerr seconds later, but it was Amelia Kerr, standing in for Devine as captain, who broke the deadlock when Capsey struck her straight down the ground and into Green’s hands for 25. Amelia Kerr then tempted Danni Wyatt down the pitch before Gaze blasted the bails off, leaving the batter far out of her depth and England 64 for 3.
However, with Sciver-Brunt and Knight at the crease, England appeared to be in control. When Knight survived a run-out chance before reaching double digits, the pair settled into a rhythm and built their fourth-wicket partnership. They proceeded to capitalise on some sloppy fielding until Amelia Kerr relieved her team’s frustrations with a brilliant incorrect ball that reshaped Sciver-Brunt’s leg stump.
Knight then sliced Mair to Jess Kerr in the covers with five runs needed off the last nine balls of the match, but there was no panic in the England camp as Sophia Dunkley cut Mair to the boundary to boost the winning total with an over and a ball to spare.
