Skipper Sophie Devine’s half-century in vain as White Ferns struggle against spin continues, before Alice Capsey rides her luck to guide England to another series victory against New Zealand
England emerged victorious by 23 runs in a rain-curtailed encounter in the 2nd T20I to go 2-0 up in the five-match T20I series. Spin-bowling all-rounder Charlie Dean was awarded the Player of the Match for her brilliant spell (1-0-3-2) with the ball.
England’s stand-in skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt won the toss and opted to field first at the St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury. Both sides had some changes to their sides. Regular skipper Heather Knight, Danielle Wyatt, and Lauren Bell were rested. Sophia Dunkley, Freya Kemp, and Lauren Filer were included in the playing 11 for England. The visitors New Zealand also had a couple of changes to their side as Jess Kerr and Lea Tahuhu were replaced by Molly Penfold and Fran Jonas in the playing 11.
After being inserted to bat first, New Zealand got off to a poor start as they lost the wicket of Georgia Plimmer in the first over of the innings. Lauren Filer provided the first breakthrough for England. Amelia Kerr joined Suzie Bates at the crease and the duo stitched a crucial 52-run partnership for the 2nd wicket, laying a solid platform after an early blow to their innings. Sophie Ecclestone picked up the wicket of Suzie Bates to provide the much-needed 2nd breakthrough for her side.
Amelia Kerr soon followed her back to the pavilion to provide the 3rd breakthrough for England. Brooke Halliday joined skipper Sophie Devine at the crease and the duo stitched a 17-run partnership before they lost the wicket of Brooke Halliday in the 13th over of the innings. Sarah Glenn provided the 4th breakthrough for her side.
Maddy Green joined skipper Sophie Devine at the crease and the duo stitched another crucial 17-run partnership for the 5th wicket. Lauren Filer came back and picked up the wicket of Maddy Green to provide the 5th breakthrough for England. New Zealand eventually ended up with a total of 141/8 in their quota of overs. A late flourish from skipper Sophie Devine took New Zealand past the 140-run mark.
The White Ferns scored 45 runs in the last five overs, with a scoring rate of nine runs an over. Skipper Sophie Devine stayed unbeaten on 58 off 42 balls, alongside Suzie Bates (38 off 27 balls), and Amelia Kerr (23 off 18 balls) were the top performers with the bat for New Zealand. Sophie Ecclestone (4-0-25-4), Lauren Filer (3-0-17-2), and Sarah Glenn (4-0-14-1) were the top performers with the ball for England.
Chasing a target of 142, England got off to a poor start as they lost the wicket of Maia Bouchier in the first ball of the run chase. Hannah Rowe provided the first breakthrough for New Zealand. Alice Capsey joined Sophia Dunkley at the crease and the duo stitched a massive 66-run partnership for the 2nd wicket, putting the home side in the driver’s seat in the run chase.
The 20-year-old left-arm spinner Fran Jonas struck twice in two balls to land a double blow for England. She removed Sophia Dunkley and their stand-in skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt on successive deliveries in the 9th over of the run chase. The stand-in skipper departed for a golden duck. Wicket-keeper batter Amy Jones joined Alice Capsey at the crease and the duo stitched another crucial 54-run partnership for the 4th wicket to keep England in the hunt in the run chase.
The wicket-keeper batter Amy Jones was found short of her crease to provide the 4th breakthrough for New Zealand. Freya Kemp joined Alice Capsey at the crease and the duo took their side over the line with an unbeaten 22-run 5th wicket partnership. England eventually clinched the game and the five-match T20I series with six wickets in hand and four balls to spare. Alice Capsey (67 off 60 balls), Sophia Dunkley (35 off 26 balls), Freya Kemp (16 off 8 balls), and wicket-keeper batter Amy Jones (19 off 20 balls), were the top performers with the bat for England.
Fran Jonas (4-0-23-2), Leigh Kasperek (4-0-25-0), Amelia Kerr (4-0-30-0), and Hannah Rowe (2-0-16-1), were the top performers with the ball for New Zealand. The White Ferns were sloppy in the field as they dropped as many as five catches, including the one of Alice Capsey. She was batting on a run-a-ball 49 when she got a lifeline. The dropped chances eventually went on to cost them the game and also the T20I series against England.
Alice Capsey was awarded the Player of the Match for her brilliant match-winning performance (67 off 60 balls) with the bat. The 4th T20I of the series will be played at the Kennington Oval, London on 13th July 2024 from 11 PM IST.