England completed a 5-0 whitewash and an unbeaten home summer as they defeated New Zealand by 20 runs at Lord’s.
Victory meant it was only the washout against Pakistan in May that prevented them from completing a remarkable clean sweep for the home season, as they finished with 13 wins from 14 matches.
“I’m really pleased,” said head coach Jon Lewis. “We’ve played some fantastic cricket this series. I think the most pleasing thing is the contribution from pretty much everyone in the squad.
“I think that shows the depth of talent we have and that we’ve been investing really heavily in learning and growth in the team.”
England only have three T20Is remaining before travelling to Bangladesh for the World Cup in October, all of which are against Ireland in the weeks ahead of the tournament where a development squad will be picked. But Lewis is confident the depth shown over the past two series against New Zealand and Pakistan stand them in good stead.
“What it does do is create the opportunity to play the right people at the right time against the right opponent [in the World Cup]. We don’t have a group of seven players we can rely on, we have a group of 18.”
However, the unbeaten summer was under threat early on at Lord’s, as thanks to a superb performance from Kiwi spinner Fran Jonas, who claimed 4-22, England were reduced to 87-6 and were staring at the possibility of a defeat.
But Heather Knight (46*), along with Charlie Dean (24), led England’s recovery to lift them to a final score of 155.
It was a total that always looked out of reach for New Zealand, with only Amelia Kerr showing any resistance as she finished with 43 off 35 balls.
As attention turns to the World Cup, here’s how England are shaping up …
Batting
England’s best batting performance of the series came in the opening match, when they piled on their second highest total at home in T20Is as they made 197-3 in Southampton.
It was the match that locked in Danni Wyatt and Maia Bouchier as openers elect for the World Cup, as Wyatt smashed 76 off 51, while Bouchier backed up her century in the ODI series with an important cameo of 32.
England sticking with Alice Capsey at No.3 has been the other main storyline to emerge. Often shuffled around the order in ODIs, Capsey rewarded her coach Lewis with a match-winning half-century at Canterbury.
Elsewhere, Sophia Dunkley performed well in her return to the squad after she was dropped for the Pakistan series, contributing with scores of 35 and 26 in her two appearances as she put herself in pole position to be England’s spare batter for the World Cup.
Bowling
It’s been a case of spin to win this series for England, with the trio of Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn and Dean dominating throughout.
Glenn, in particular, has shone and was named as player of the series thanks to her eight wickets at an average of 6.9 and with an economy rate of 4.3.
Ecclestone has long been ranked as the No.1 T20I bowler in the world, whilst Dean’s ability with the bat makes her an invaluable member of the team.
It bodes particularly well for England with the T20 World Cup this October to be hosted in spin friendly Bangladesh.
“They’re the best in the world,” said teammate Alice Capsey earlier this series. “They’re so consistent and they’re a real staple for our team, they just control the fielding innings so well. They’re outstanding and they’ve won us a hell of a lot of games.”
In the seam department, Freya Kemp’s return to bowling after suffering a stress fracture is a major boost for England and she will compete with Dani Gibson at No.7 this World Cup. Meanwhile, Lauren Filer and Lauren Bell will go head-to-head to be England’s sole specialist seamer, with both impressing this series with three and four wickets apiece.
Fielding
Behind the stumps, Amy Jones continued to prove her worth as the best wicketkeeper in the female game as she rounded off the series with another impressive performance that included two catches and a stumping.
“Our fielding has improved and I want that to continue,” Lewis said. “I think when New Zealand came over here they were a better fielding side than us. And I think over the last three-four weeks we’ve improved in unlikely places. Sarah Glenn, when I turned up here, we were hiding her in the field and now she’s making an impact taking diving catches and diving stops all over the field.”
Predicted XI for the World Cup
-
Danni Wyatt
-
Maia Bouchier
-
Alice Capsey
-
Nat Sciver-Brunt
-
Heather Knight
-
Amy Jones
-
Freya Kemp/Dani Gibson
-
Charlie Dean
-
Sophie Ecclestone
-
Sarah Glenn
-
Lauren Bell/Lauren Filer
Article courtesy of
Source link
